Notes of Opening Contribution to the House of Representatives Debate on the Dangerous Drugs (Amendment) 2015 Act by the Minister of National Security   Introduction It is with a sense of being on the right side of history that I rise to open the debate on the Dangerous Drugs (Amendment) 2015 Act, a very significant piece of legislation, which has...

Chief Economist at the Ministry of Finance and Planning, Everton McFarlane, says the 2015/16 budget is a growth supporting budget. Speaking on the Jamaica Information Service’s (JIS) Issues and Answers television programme on Sunday, February 22, Mr. McFarlane pointed to an increase in the capital expenditure as well as spending on social programmes in this year’s budget, as measures that...

A budget of $641.56 billion has been presented by the Government for the fiscal year 2015/16, with $432.57 billion earmarked for recurrent (housekeeping) expenses and $208.98 billion for capital (development) spending. This represents an increase of $102 billion over the revised Estimates for the financial year 2014/15. Details of the projections are contained in the Estimates of Expenditure, which were...

My fellow Jamaicans at home and around the world, I greet you on this the first day of a brand new year, 2015!   Like the golden rays of warm, Jamaican sunshine bursting over our majestic Blue Mountains, a New Year has dawned. The New Year brings with it new hope and possibilities for our individual lives, our families and...

We welcome the New Year with all the hopes and possibilities it holds and we give thanks that we have been spared to see 2015. As we the people of Jamaica make our personal resolutions to live healthier lifestyles, to be more prudent with our resources, and to improve ourselves and grow our business, so too must the government of...

Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller today (December 19) broke ground for the construction of a new permanent country office for the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) in Kingston, Jamaica. The Prime Minister was joined by President of the IDB, Luis Alberto Moreno, IDB Country Representative, Therese Turner-Jones and Minister of Finance and Planning, Dr. Peter Phillips in the symbolic ground breaking...

The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) was established in 1959 with the aim of supporting efforts by Latin America and the Caribbean countries to reduce poverty and inequality. IDB is the leading source of development financing for Latin America and the Caribbean, with a strong commitment to achieve measurable results, increased integrity, transparency and accountability. In addition to being a bank, the IDB provides...

The European Union (EU) has contributed a total of €31 million or J$4.7 billion in development assistance to Jamaica, up to the end of September. Head of the Delegation in Jamaica, Her Excellency Paola Amadei, says this is more than the EU disbursed in 2012, and is close to 70 per cent of the allocation for the similar period in...

Up to 10,000 Grade 5 and 6 students will, this school year, have the opportunity to get a practical feel of how the economy functions, through an experiential learning programme, which was launched on October 28, by Junior Achievement Jamaica (JAJ), at the Caenwood Centre, in Kingston. The programme, ‘JA BizTown’, is the first of its kind outside of the...

Fifty students pursuing undergraduate studies at the Caribbean Maritime Institute (CMI) will benefit from a total of $5 million in tuition grants from the National Youth Service (NYS), under its Access to Higher Education Partnership Programme (AHEP). The programme, which is open to students between the ages of 17 and 24 years, seeks to enhance the personal and professional development...

Ninety-five students, who attend Corporate Area high schools, have received scholarships totalling $1.4 million from the Area 4 Police Civic Committee Education Trust Fund of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF). The trust, which is supported through funding from Corporate Jamaica, provides scholarships to children in need, within the high risk age group of 12 to 18 years, who reside in...

Over the next three years, micro, small and medium sized enterprises (MSMEs) will benefit from business development and technical support, under the newly launched Mobile Business Clinic Initiative (MBCI). The MBCI is an islandwide project involving the decentralisation of business development services, geared at reaching a wider group of MSMEs in new and existing industries and sectors. It is being...