Written Submissions on Parliamentarians’ Job Descriptions, Performance Standards, Codes of Conduct Invited

Members of the public are being encouraged to send in their written submissions regarding the job descriptions, performance standards and codes of conduct for parliamentarians by Friday, December 15.

Submissions can be addressed to the Clerk to the Houses, Gordon House, 81 Duke Street, Kingston, or emailed to clerk@japarliament.gov.jm.

A joint select committee of Parliament has been mandated to consider the measures and submit a full report to parliament with recommendations.

Addressing a virtual town hall on Tuesday (December 5), Speaker of the House of Representatives and Chairman of the Committee, the Most Hon. Juliet Holness, urged citizens to make their contribution.

She informed that approximately five submissions have been received so far.

“All Jamaicans are at liberty to make their contribution in respect of their views on what they believe the role of the Member of Parliament should be, what the codes of conduct for Members of Parliament should be.

“The committee will be taking a look at all the submissions and will continue with a subsequent deliberation, having collated a matrix of the submissions that have come in. We do have some submissions, so far, not in my estimation sufficient, and time is still there for individuals who desire to make an input to do so,” she said.

Mrs. Holness said that the submissions will be tabled during the next sitting of the committee, noting that Jamaicans will have an opportunity to view them.

She indicated that deliberations on the submissions will begin when Parliament resumes in January “to consider all the material that is available to it, after which a final document will be produced that incorporates, as best as possible, where we think the direction is from the people of Jamaica, and from parliamentarians themselves in terms of the way forward”.

Mrs. Holness informed that at the last meeting of the committee, technical guidance on developing performance standards was received from the Ministry of Finance and the Public Service.

“That support is going to continue to be available in standardising the job descriptions, preparing a mechanism for evaluation,” she noted.

Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, on June 20, tabled in the House of Representatives job descriptions for parliamentarians in the form of a Green Paper and for Ministers in the form of a White Paper.