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Government is developing a Construction Industry Policy as it takes steps to make the construction industry a more efficient and internationally competitive sector that will contribute significantly to national development. Speaking with JIS News, Dr. Alwin Hayles, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Transport and Works, said that with the refinement of procurement rules, especially as they relate to Government...

Debate on the Maintenance Bill began in the House of Representatives, yesterday (November 8). Development Minister, Dr. Paul Robertson who piloted the Bill, described the legislation as "pertinent", noting that it served to, among other things, place equal maintenance obligations on both sexes as spouses and parents. He said the Bill, which is a companion legislation to the 2004 Property...

Agriculture stakeholders in Clarendon recently benefited from a bird flu sensitization workshop, where they were provided with information about the disease and the measures to take to prevent any outbreak. The workshop, held at the Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA) office in Denbigh, was organized by the Veterinary Division in the Ministry of Agriculture and targeted animal health technicians, representatives...

High school students in Clarendon will be exposed to the rigours of divisional representation and gain insight into the local governance structure, when they participate in a Youth Council Meeting on November 15. The session is being organized by the Clarendon Parish Council as part of activities to mark Local Government and Community Development Month.The youth representatives will be drawn...

Eight schools from Manchester and St. Elizabeth are down to participate in the annual JIS/JPS Regional heritage debate competition on November 29 at the Golf View Hotel in Mandeville, beginning at 10:00 a.m. The moot to be debated is: 'Be it resolved that the Rt. Excellent Norman Washington Manley's vision for a new Jamaica and the wider Caribbean has, to...

Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, K.D. Knight has said that economic and trade integration, were critical for the survival of developing states such as Jamaica. "For Jamaica, the reality is that economic and trade integration were no longer optional, but are imperatives for economic survival and national development," he said, adding that given the challenges of globalization, small...

More than 80 young representatives from various institutions gathered at Gordon House in Kingston, yesterday (November 7), to debate and put forward recommendations for averting the challenges posed by poverty. The young persons who participated in the third sitting of the National Youth Parliament in observance of Youth Month (November), said a clear vision was needed for young people, and...

The Clarendon Parish Disaster Committee has put a comprehensive plan in place to address the incidence of leptospirosis in the parish, which has resulted in the deaths of four persons. At an emergency meeting of the Committee held on Friday (Nov. 4) at the Parish Council chamber, members developed a five-pronged plan, which will involve the participation of a number...

Two all-age schools are to be rebuilt in St. Mary and St. Andrew under the Primary Education Support Programme, following Cabinet's approval of the contract sums valued at $156 million. Information Minister, Senator Burchell Whiteman, who made the announcement at Monday's (Nov.7) post Cabinet press briefing at Jamaica House, said that $48.5 million would go towards the construction of a...

The Government of Jamaica has launched a Development and Investment Manual, in its move to provide clearer guidelines and improve the overall approval process for both developers and investors who are desirous of conducting business in the island. The manual, which was drafted in conjunction with the Jamaica Chamber of Commerce and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID),...

Stakeholders at the Bureau of Women's Affairs-organized workshop on gender-based violence have called for a review of the legal system to provide for increased sanctions against offenders and to allow for DNA evidence to be admitted in sexual offences cases. They also pointed to the need for greater enforcement of laws and a collective approach to problem solving, which would...

The Point Hill Diagnostic Reading Centre (PHDRC), which was constructed to improve the literacy and education levels of students in Point Hill and surrounding communities in St. Catherine, was officially opened and dedicated on November 6. The facility, which has been in operation since September 2004, was built at a cost of over $9 million, through funding from the Jamaica...