Madame Speaker, It is with great sadness that I report the deaths of a few of our children over the past few days: • Jade-Ann Mclean, 13-year-old student who attended Brown's Town High School (daughter of Kadean Howard) • Rihanna Howard 14-year-old student who attended Marcus Garvey Technical High School along with their relatives Kadean Howard 34-year-old (sister of Rihanna)...

Madame Speaker, Over the past several weeks, Jamaica has been experiencing poor weather conditions which have been influenced by significant weather systems including the most recent Hurricanes Zeta and Eta. As previously mentioned in Cabinet, the continuous torrential rainfall has dealt quite a blow to the Agricultural sector with exponential damage to produce, livestock and infrastructure. I now wish to...

Madam Speaker, I rise to update this honourable house and the people of Jamaica, on the recent developments surrounding COVID-19 and its impact on residential institutions, namely nursing homes, infirmaries and prisons, which house some of the vulnerable members of our society. Madam Speaker, as early as January 2020, the public health team began to develop protocols that would help...

Madame Speaker, the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted fish production and the fisheries value chain with varying degrees of negative impacts. Losses from both local and overseas markets have resulted in higher input costs causing significant increases in operational expenses. It is estimated that the fisheries sector may lose up to US$23.1 million during 2020, due to COVID-19, as per the...

My Fellow Jamaicans at home and in the diaspora.  Greetings: Fifty-one years ago, Jamaicans began celebrating National Heroes Day on the third Monday in October, when we pay tribute to our National Heroes and award medals to deserving Jamaicans. Each year, as we recall the contribution of past and present heroes, we are inspired by their selflessness and moved to...

Celebrating the people who make Jamaica the great, iconic, and internationally known powerhouse, is the essence of our National Heroes Day Celebrations. Indeed, our national heroes, our academics, athletes, artistes and musicians, political forefathers, security forces, civil servants and front-line workers contribute to making Jamaica a better place. In the words of our first National Hero, Marcus Mosiah Garvey: “A...

My fellow Jamaicans at home and in the diaspora, I warmly greet you. Our celebration of National Heroes Day this year is unique. We continue to deal with the impact the global spread of the COVID-19 pandemic has had on our country. So many of you are dealing with the illness or death of family and friends Too many of...

Mr. Speaker this has been a period like no other in Jamaica’s history. The COVID-19 pandemic has had a severe impact on the Jamaican economy. Six Month Revenue Performance Despite that Mr. Speaker, the preliminary numbers for the six months ending September 30, show that overall revenues were $8 billion or 3% higher than budgeted in the First Supplementary Estimates...

Madame Speaker, we have seen over recent weeks the detrimental impact that COVID-19 can have on our mental health and overall sense of wellbeing. In the general population, we hear of the elevated levels of fear, anxiety and loneliness from children and parents who access the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Clinics. They admit to feeling overwhelmed and not being...