For the 2009/10 financial year, a total of $2.5 billion was disbursed to Programme of Advancement through Health and Education (PATH) beneficiaries. As contained in the Ministry of Labour and Social Security's 2009/10 annual report, which was tabled in the House of Representatives recently, the largest number of individuals benefiting from PATH disbursements occurred in the fourth cycle (September to...

THANKS AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT: Approaching three years into my stewardship of the Transport and Works portfolios, I am happy to be now delivering the kind of strategic applications that are geared at modernising all portfolio areas. This first phase of delivery has come out of in-depth analysis of the pluses and minuses of the systems that were inherited in September 2007,...

A total of 424 cases were investigated by the Fair Trading Commission (FTC) last year, with 266 being completed and closed, a resolution rate of 63 per cent. Some 209 complaints were also received during the 2009/10 fiscal year with 59 complaints received for the telecommunications industry; 26 for household appliances and supplies; 20 for motor vehicles; 18 for financial...

The Bureau of Standards Jamaica (BSJ) continues to facilitate the development of national standards, by engaging representatives from various industries in identifying and developing standards relevant to the areas they represent. Currently, there are a total of 66 standards in various stages of the promulgation of the process. Of these, there are 31 standards being revised, 18 being adapted and...

The Consumer Affairs Commission (CAC) is looking to restructure its services and upgrade its human resource capacity, to enable more timely response to consumer complaints. As stated in a Ministry Paper tabled in the House of Representatives recently by Industry, Investment and Commerce Minister, Hon. Karl Samuda, the move is part of a number of measures to be undertaken by...

A total of $35 million has been allocated, through the Bureau of Standards Jamaica (BSJ), to finance the Wooden Products and Furniture Incubator project for this year. "Over the duration of the three-year project, a total of $100 million is to be made available," Minister of Industry, Investment and Commerce, Hon. Karl Samuda, confirmed during the opening of the 2010/11...

Industry, Investment and Commerce, issues crucial to Jamaica's economic recovery and the Government's growth targets, will be highlighted when portfolio Minister, Hon Karl Samuda, opens the 2010/11 Sectoral Debate at Gordon House on Tuesday afternoon (May 11). The Sectoral Debate is considered the most important annual exercise in the House of Representatives, after the Ceremonial Opening and the Budget Debate....

Junior Achievement Jamaica, which seeks to ensure that students are fully prepared for the world of work, was officially launched today (May 6) at the Knutsford Court Hotel in Kingston. Under the initiative, a cadre of dedicated volunteers from the public and private sectors will work with secondary school students in classrooms and after school settings, to help them develop...

A new classroom block to ease overcrowding at the Maverley Primary and Junior High school in North West St. Andrew, was officially handed over at a ceremony at the school on Wednesday (May 5). The project was carried out at a cost of $38 million, with Phase II of the European Union's (EU) Poverty Reduction Programme (PRP II) providing $29.8...

Prime Minister, the Hon. Bruce Golding on Tuesday (April 20) announced major improvements in benefits for pensioners, as well as low income earners contributing to the National Housing Trust (NHT), in his contribution to the 2010 Budget Debate in the House of Representatives. Prime Minister Bruce Golding and Mrs. Golding arrive at Gordon House, Tuesday, for his contribution to the...

I. INTRODUCTION The title of this year's presentation "Building the Foundation for Jamaican Prosperity" was carefully and deliberately chosen to give the clearest indication of the Government's task at hand. A careful and dispassionate review of my presentation reveals the elements that are essential at this time and which constitute the building blocks of a foundation for Jamaican prosperity: Low...

During financial year 2010/11, the Government proposes to borrow $176.6 billion to cover the projected fiscal deficit of 6.5 per cent, and amortization payments, a big reduction from the $301 billion that was borrowed during the last fiscal year. "Of the total, $118 billion is programmed to be raised from the domestic market. The remainder of $58.3 billion is to...