Nine-Member NIRA Board Appointed

Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, on March 15 met with the newly appointed nine-member board of the National Identification and Registration Authority (NIRA) at Jamaica House, where he charged the members to ensure the efficient operation of the entity.

“Your job… would be to ensure that the system works. So, there is a well-thought-out Act and a set of Regulations and your job is to police that to make sure that what is in the law is what the agency does,” he said.

The NIRA will assume administration of the civil registration system in Jamaica, replacing the Registrar General’s Department (RGD) and provide enhanced services.

The entity will handle the layered rollout and management of the National Identification System (NIDS) and develop protocols for its operation.

These include the enrolment of eligible individuals, the generation and assignment of a National Identification Number (NIN) and the issuance of a National Identification Card.

The nine-member committee was also charged by the Prime Minister to apply discretion to issues where the National Identification and Registration Act is silent, but to do so for the benefit and advancement of Jamaicans.

“It is those finer details that you have to pay attention to, and any decisions have to be made, you must make those according to the spirit of the Act, which is captured in the objects and reasons,” he pointed out.

The Prime Minister urged the Board to ensure strong oversight of the NIRA.

“As a Board you have to constantly interrogate the management and keep the management on task. You don’t necessarily have a profit motive, but it doesn’t mean that you can’t have your key performance indicators and ensure that they are executed,” he said.

He said the Board should always be looking to the future, as “institutions fail when they fail to plan for the future, and to incorporate new technologies and practices that are emerging, which could impact your organisation”.

“So, you have to be constantly scouting [looking at] the new trends, what’s new in technology, so that we can start to plan and make changes internally,” he added.

Board Chairman, Hon. Bishop Conrad Pitkin said he is committed to working assiduously to ensure “that we meet our targets and objectives”.

Other members include Attorney-at-law, Georgia Hamilton; Representative from the Jamaica Umbrella Group of Churches, Rev. Newton Dixon; Kenrick Steele; Alok Jain; Maria Thompson Walters; Shereika Hemmings Allison; Emil Holgate; and Gordon Christopher Reckord.

Being implemented by the Office of the Prime Minister, NIDS is intended to provide a comprehensive and secure structure to enable the collection and storage of identity information.

The voluntary system will also facilitate the electronic signing of documents and allow persons to securely access a range of government services online.