Regulatory Agencies Catalyst for Development – Spencer

Minister of State for Industry, Technology, Energy and Commerce, Senator Kern Spencer, has said that the services provided by the regulatory agencies of the Ministry, especially those directly related to commerce, were critical to the process of economic development.
“These agencies may best be described as the catalysts for sustained and sustainable development,” he said in his contribution to the State of the Nation Debate in the Senate on Friday (Dec. 1).
The agencies to which the State Minister refers are the Fair Trading Commission, Anti-dumping and Subsidies Commission, Trade Board, Consumer Affairs Commission, Bureau of Standards, Companies Office of Jamaica, Jamaica Intellectual Property Office and the Postal Corporation of Jamaica.
“Together, these subject areas impact critical areas of national development and the processes that must be harmonised in order to generate, sustain and regulate enterprise, as well as securing the interest and welfare of the consumer,” he stated.
Meanwhile, as part of a government thrust, several state agencies, including those of the Commerce and Technology Ministry, have implemented major modernisation initiatives to improve the information technology infrastructure.
The move is in keeping with entreaties from CARICOM for nation states to utilize science and technology for national development.
Part of this effort include the recent passage of an E-Commerce Bill, which, according to Industry, Technology, Energy and Commerce Minister, Phillip Paulwell, would provide greater prospects to small businesses, as they would be able to bypass expensive advertising to reach a greater market via the world wide web.
Minister Paulwell informed that the government was closer to a paperless society through the institution of e-commerce and e-governance in Ministries and that a vast number of transactions were now possible over the Internet.