Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure today, to stand again in this Honourable House and to account in this Debate, to the people of Jamaica for my stewardship of the Ministry of Agriculture & Fisheries. As I do so, I greet and acknowledge the support of all stakeholders in this vital sector of the economy. Let me specially acknowledge :...

Mr. Speaker, it is a great honour and privilege for me to address this Parliament, in a budget debate as Prime Minister once again. For this, I owe a great debt of gratitude to the people of Jamaica for their vote of confidence in me and in the team that I lead.   It is with deep humility and a...

Mr. Speaker, we have come to the end of our budget process which began on the 4th of April, 2013 with the presentation of the Estimates of Expenditure. Let me thank the Members of this Honourable House who have made contributions in the Standing Finance Committee and to the Debate which I opened on April 18th, 2013. Mr. Speaker, Members...

Mr. Speaker, Honourable Members, distinguished Members of the Diplomatic and Consular Corps, Members of International Organisations, Fellow Jamaicans. I thank the Almighty, for his love and kindness towards me. I pray that he will continue to guide my path and bless our nation. I pause at the beginning of this presentation to express my gratitude to my enabling team at...

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the motion in this 2013/2014 Budget Debate, truly a critical point for our country, our economy and the well being of our people. Over the past 15 months, as we negotiated this new crucial IMF Extended Fund Agreement from the ru­ins of the failed Stand-by Agreement, we have had to face many harsh...

Honourable Members: The annual Ceremonial Opening of Parliament provides us as a nation with the opportunity to reflect on the year that has passed so that we can reset our governance compass and recalibrate our efforts in order to address the challenges and grasp the opportunities that are presented. Optimism About Our Country’s Future The Legislative Year we have just...

On assuming office, one of the most urgent priorities of this Administration was to reopen the line of communication with the IMF and negotiate a new agreement that would satisfy the interest of Jamaica's economic recovery as well as the board of the IMF. At the outset, my stated objective was to bring these negotiations to a satisfactory conclusion by...

Salutations: I am most grateful for this opportunity to address your association. Insurers and the health ministry share many interests in common, including a vested interest in preserving the well-being of our clients. We share many similar goals in this regard. I am pleased with your continued support to the health sector over the years through your outreach projects including...