PM Hands Over 106 Land Titles In St. Elizabeth

Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Portia Simpson Miller, yesterday (November 4) handed over certificates of title to some 106 residents of Santa Cruz and adjoining communities in the parish of St. Elizabeth.

The presentation was held under the Land Administration and Management Programme (LAMP)/Geoland Titling initiative, aimed at acceleration the land- titling process across the island.

Addressing the ceremony held at the St. Matthews Anglican Church Hall in Santa Cruz, the Prime Minister said providing land for landless Jamaicans and making it easier for persons in possession of land to acquire registered titles  are major priorities for the Government.

“I will not be distracted from fulfilling that priority … This understanding of the importance of land ownership to the Jamaican people provides the basis for the current policy of the Government to create an ownership society in our country,” she said.

The Prime Minister said she is pleased that almost 50 of the over 100 recipients have benefited from a Development Bank of Jamaica (DBJ) grant facility, to enable them to acquire their titles.

The DBJ has provided LAMP with $90 million to assist needy applicants, particularly senior citizens.

Under this arrangement, grants of up to $50,000 are provided to landowners to help to defray their expenses in obtaining land titles.

“This facility demonstrates the continued commitment of this Government to finding ways to build an ownership society in Jamaica, where every Jamaican can have an economic stake in their country,” the Prime Minister stressed.

Under LAMP, some 4,590 new titles have been produced and approximately 2,746 existing certificates of title have been regularised.