January 29, 2021

Day: January 29, 2021

Several Pieces of Legislation Passed

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Several pieces of legislation were approved by the Houses of Parliament to advance Jamaica’s social, security and economic agenda.

Legislation Passed

1.         The Patents and Design Act, 2020

2.         The Appropriation Act, 2020

3.         The Data Protection Act, 2020

4.         The Financial Administration and Audit (Amendment) Act, 2020

5.         The General Consumption Tax (Amendment) Act, 2020

6.         The Registration of Titles Cadastral Mapping and Tenure Clarification

            (Special Provisions) (Amendment) Act, 2020

7.         The Registration of Titles (Amendment) Act, 2020

8.         The Special Economic Zones (Amendment) Act, 2020

9.         Authentication (Foreign Public Documents) Act,2020

10.       Financial Administration and Audit (Amendment) (No.2) Act, 2020

11.       Dogs (Liability for Attacks) Act, 2020

12.       National Housing Trust (Amendment) (Special Provisions) Act, 2020

13.       Shipping (Amendment) Act

14.       Income Tax (Amendment)      Act, 2020

Legislation before Joint Select Committee

1.         The Sexual Harassment Bill

2.         The National Identification and Registration Act, 2020

Orders, Resolutions and Regulations Approved

1.         Trade (Sale of Goods During Period of Declaration of Disaster Area) Order,                      2020

2.         Major Organised Crime and Anti-Corruption Agency (Code of Conduct and Disciplinary Procedure) Regulations, 2020

3.         Tourism Workers’ Pension Scheme Regulations, 2020

4.         Fiscal Administration and Audit (Suspension of Fiscal Target Requirements)           Order, 2020

5.         Interception of Communications (Designated Persons Who May

            Request Communications Data) Order, 2020

6.         The Electricity (Electrical Work, Registration and Licensing) Regulations,               2020

7.         The Colbeck (Irrigation Area) Order, 2020

8.         The Banking Services (Designated Financial Services) (Business of Buying and Selling Foreign Currency) Order, 2020

9.         The Banking Services (Designated Financial Services) (Provision of Electronic Retail Payment Services) Order, 2020

Reports Adopted

1.         Report of the Joint Select Committee to review then Criminal Justice

            (Suppression of Criminal Organisations) Act, 2014.

2.         Report of the Joint Select Committee to review the  Sexual Offences Act along     with the Offences against the Person Act, the Domestic Violence Act and        the Child Care and Protection Act.

Celebrating Sports Achievement and Caring For Young Mothers Sport

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A statue of Olympian, sprinter, Asafa Powell, was unveiled at the National Stadium. It was the final of four statues commissioned as part of the Jamaica 55 Legacy Initiative.

•          A mobile unit was handed over to the Jamaica Anti-Doping Commission

•          The Ministry developed a monitoring and evaluation framework and results management system to quantify the value of sport to national development.

Gender Affairs

•          The first State-run shelter for victims of domestic abuse was opened.

•          The Ministry acquired two additional properties that will be similarly developed.

•          Adolescent mothers were provided with ‘Dignity Kits’ under the Women’s Centre of Jamaica Foundation programme.

•          The Bureau of Gender Affairs hosted workshops, seminars and counselling sessions to promote positive images of men and boys, while addressing different aspects of manhood and fatherhood.

•          A Memorandum of Understanding was forged with the University of the West Indies Open Campus to facilitate anti-sexual harassment training for managers and workers in the public and private sectors.

Entertainment

•          The Government announced plans to use the new Port Royal pier facility as an entertainment venue.

•          Reggae artiste, Koffee, won the Grammy Award for Best Reggae Album.

•          Jamaican music stars, Shaggy, Marcia Griffiths, and Ken Boothe received the Jamaica Reggae Icon Awards at the ‘Independence Spectacular’.

Three-day National Dengue Clean-up

•          Jamaicans cleaned and beautified their homes and communities on

            January 24, 25 and 26 under the theme – ‘Mosquitoes wanted dead, not alive!’

•          A three-dimensional mural, under the multi-dimensional mural

            project, titled, ‘Paint Up Yu Creative Space’, was unveiled in downtown Kingston.

Jamaica’s Cultural Heritage Showcased Online

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In response to COVID-19 a number of events were hosted virtually, which  showcased Jamaica’s rich cultural heritage.

Culture

•          The Ministry organised the first virtual staging of Jamaica Festival. This included the Jamaica Festival and Gospel Song Competitions, an ‘Independence Spectacular’ virtual edition of the Grand Gala on August 6.

•          A made-for-television production of the National Honours and Awards Investiture ceremony was aired on National Heroes Day.

•          Work commenced to develop Seville Heritage Park in St Ann, under the Government’s $10.3 million heritage preservation programme.

•          The Government contributed $90 million to the trust fund for survivors of the 1963 Coral Gardens incident.

•          The top-10 entries in the Jamaica Festival Song competition were packaged as an album, which is now available for download and/or streaming on international music platforms –Spotify, Deezar, Amazon Music, Apple Music and Tidal.

•          Reggae artiste – Buju Banton – won the Jamaica Festival Song Competition with his entry, ‘I Am A Jamaican’, following a public vote.

Local Government Entities Strengthened

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National Solid Waste Management Authority

(NSWMA)

•          The Jamaica Social Investment Fund (JSIF) handed over a new garbage truck to Western Parks and Markets (WPM) Waste Management Limited.

•          20 new Geo-X tablet computers handed over to the NSWMA for the children of sanitation workers, to aid in their access to online learning.

Social Development Commission (SDC)

•          600 temporary workers employed to conduct assessments at bars for compliance with COVID-19 guidelines.

•          RONA Helpline Senior Care Response initiative activated to assist persons over 70 years old, who are mandated to stay at home due to COVID-19.

•          A Registrar Department was established to facilitate the conferment of legal status on community groups under the Local Governance Act, 2016.

Jamaica Fire Brigade (JFB)

•          85 new firefighters recruited.

•          JFB ambulances equipped with protective gear to transport persons displaying respiratory and flu-like symptoms.

•          Two firefighting backpacks donated to farmers in Flagaman, St. Elizabeth.

•          Land identified to build a fire station in southern Trelawny.

Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM)

•          Work continued to strengthen the national shelter management protocols.

•          ODPEM activated the National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC) to coordinate efforts to address COVID-19.

`•         200 micro, small and medium-sized enterprise (MSME) owners trained in business continuity planning.

Other Projects

•          Disaster response equipment, valued over US$250,000, was donated by the United States (US) Embassy in Kingston, and the Department of Defence, US Southern Command, to boost local disaster relief capacity.

Focus on Care for the Homeless and Indigent

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The Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development made significant strides in advancing the lives of Jamaicans despite COVID-19 pandemic.

Board of Supervision

•          More than 160,000 meals provided to homeless persons and care packages distributed to thousands of individuals classified as the “outdoor poor” through the Poor Relief Department.

•          A $19 million Drop-In Centre for homeless persons in Falmouth, Trelawny, officially opened.

•          Three houses, built at a cost of $1.8 million each under the Government’s Indigent Housing Programme, were handed over to beneficiaries in Trelawny and Portland.

•          A two-bedroom house was handed over to young Raheem Powell and his family, while a presentation was made to a former Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) member, who has fallen on hard times.

•          A 100-bed shelter for homeless persons was opened on Church Street, downtown Kingston.

•          A soup kitchen was also established on Church Street, Kingston to support the Government’s feeding programme for vulnerable persons.

•          Cleaning and sanitising carried out at the Golden Age Home in Kingston and infirmaries islandwide.

•          Nine wash stations installed at the St. James Infirmary to promote frequent hand washing in response to COVID-19.

•          More than 200 temporary workers recruited to continue the cleaning and sanitisation exercise being carried out at infirmaries and golden age homes islandwide.  

Municipal Corporations

•          $140 million allocated to Councillors islandwide to aid in fighting COVID-19 at the community level.

•          Comprehensive cleaning and sanitising of public spaces islandwide undertaken to reduce the spread of COVID-19.

•          $20 million allocated to clear roads blocked by landslides caused by flood rains.

•          Custos of St. James, Hon. Bishop Conrad Pitkin, issued 450 reusable masks to vendors and residents.

•          450 care packages distributed to residents of Canterbury, Albion Lane, William Street and surrounding communities in Montego Bay, by the St. James Municipal Corporation and United Nations (UN)-Habitat.

•          The Westmoreland Municipal Corporation relocated to a new administrative building on Murray Street, Savanna-la-Mar.

•          The St. Ann Municipal Corporation launched a $10-million Dengue Response Programme.

•          $8.5 million spent to complete the Black River Market in St. Elizabeth.

 Drought Mitigation

•          $120 million provided

            to truck water to communities adversely affected by drought, while a number of residents received 500-gallon water tanks.

•          $11 million spent to construct water shop in Tryall, St. Elizabeth.

•          $50 million allocated to truck water to municipalities islandwide as part of the national COVID-19 response.

•          Several 1,000-gallon tanks installed in six communities in St. James, through a partnership with Rural Water Supply Limited (RWSL).

Child Care and Protection Prioritised

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The Child Protection and Family Services Agency (CPFSA) staged motorcades at town centres islandwide to encourage proper supervision of children.

•          30 social workers benefited from training aimed at equipping them to provide psychosocial support to more than 6,500 at-risk children who are wards of the State.

•          Maxfield Park Children’s Home got a $2.8 million state-of-the-art fire alarm system.

Early Childhood Education

•          $13.5 million was distributed to the Brain Builders Centre, which offers support to children zero to three years old, while $30 million was provided for the procurement of sanitation material and personal protective equipment (PPE) for schools identified to be in need.

•          Early childhood sector stakeholders received COVID-19 protocols training to safeguard children.

•          Schools received donation of equipment to become Covid-19 compliant.

Critical Maintenance Projects

•          $446 million was provided to repair 156 schools under the Critical Maintenance Programme

Information Division

•          Eighteen Sound Broadcast and Subscriber Television (STV) licences were processed and approved by the Minister and issued licensees.

•          Work was advanced on the implementation of the Government of Jamaica Records and Information Management (RIM) Programme in ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs).  

•          Preparation and distribution of two RIM Newsletters to more than 250 senior government officials, RIM and management information systems (MIS) practitioners across the public sector. 

Education Ministry Implements Strategies to Facilitate Learning

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With the closure of schools due to COVID-19, strategies were   implemented to ensure that learning continued, including equipping students and teachers with devices to facilitate online classes.

Online Learning

•          The 2020/21 academic year resumed on October 5, with lessons delivered virtually; via television, radio and cable; and through the delivery of printed materials.

•          The Ministry established Learning Management System (Google Classroom), which more than 400,000 teachers, students and administrators can access.

•          40,000 tablets were delivered to students at primary schools, who benefit under PATH.

•          25,000 devices were provided for teachers.

•          The Government entered an arrangement with ReadyTV to provide a solution for 238 schools in remote areas that were without Internet access. By the end of December, 100 institutions were equipped.

•          The ‘One Laptop or Tablet’ per Child Initiative was launched with the support of corporate firms, to provide laptops to students who are not on PATH.

•          The Own Your Own Device (OYOD) Initiative was launched, with the parents of 36,000 students each receiving a voucher valuing $20,000 each, to help with the purchase of devices.

•          17 schools participated in a face-to-face teaching pilot in November. An additional 22 started in-person classes in December.

•          A call centre and special website was launched to help the public with information. An email address, educate@educate.gov.jm  was created specifically for back-to-school queries.

•          180 teachers were trained to deliver online and offline lessons.

•          School leaders participated in a Virtual Instructional Leadership (VIL) online course, to equip them with the skills and competencies to effectively manage institutions remotely.

•          100 per cent of the 38,918 students who sat the 2020 Primary Exit Profile (PEP) in grade six were placed in high schools.

Gov’t Pushes Standards to Boost Competitiveness

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The Government continued to push for public and private sector entities to get certified to international standards in order to enhance competitiveness, while enhancing customer service delivery.

•          ISO 9001:2015 certification for EX-IM Bank, Passport Immigration and Citizenship Agency (PICA), Auditor General’s Department and Companies Office of Jamaica.

•          The ISO 22000:2018 Food Safety Management System (FSMS) certification product, aimed at food industry businesses, was launched.

•          The JS ISO 31000:2019 Risk Management Guidelines was launched to manage risk in public sector organisations.

•          The Hazardous Substances Regulatory Authority (HSRA) was officially launched in October, making Jamaica  the first country in the English-speaking Caribbean to establish a full regulatory body for radiation protection and safety.

Manufacturing

•          Companies substituted imported items such as hand sanitiser with locally-produced brands.

•          A 50 per cent reduction in export-related fees and charges enabled more businesses to tap into the export market and boost Jamaica’s competitiveness internationally.

Jamaica Business Development Corporation (JBDC)

•          The webinar series ‘JBDC Virtual Biz Zone’ was launched to continue training for entrepreneurs as they tackle COVID-19.

•          Things Jamaican e-Commerce was launched with more than 2,000 products being offered on the website.

JAMPRO

•          JAMPRO launched the first phase of the National Business Portal (NBP) to facilitate multiple business- to-government trans-actions in one online location.

•          JAMPRO and UDC partner to promote investment in sustainable eco-tourism projects, with the first being the Two Sisters Cave in Hellshire, St. Catherine.

Companies Office of Jamaica (COJ)

•          COJ launched its COVID-19 Compliance Relief Initiative to assist entities that had to be closed due to the pandemic, in being officially removed from the Business Names Register.

Trade Board

•          More than 8,000 import and export permits were approved since implementation of the online export and import facilitation platform in

            June.

•          More than 600 persons were engaged virtually to use the platform.

Cannabis Licensing Authority (CLA)

•          As at November 30, 71 licences have been issued; 26 licences have been granted and are awaiting the payment of fees for issuance.

•          331 applications are at the Conditional Approval stage of the application process.

•          Licensed retail herb houses were able to sell to qualified customers.

•          Seven standards for the local cannabis industry were promulgated and gazetted that are expected to help to further enhance trade opportunities for the growing pool of licensees.

Internet Access Boosted

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Significant investment was made in boosting Internet access, particularly in rural communities, to enable persons to study, work and conduct business remotely due to the impact of COVID-19.

Universal Service Fund

•          Free Wi-Fi hotspots were commissioned in Sam Sharpe Square, Montego Bay; Chapelton and May Pen, Clarendon; Annotto Bay, St. Mary; Ocho Rios, St. Ann; and Port Antonio, Portland. 

•          $1.5 million worth of information and communications technology (ICT) equipment, including three laptops, two projectors, nine multifunction printers and two monitors, were donated to the Jamaica Council for Persons with Disabilities (JCPD) to improve the entity’s communication with its clients.

•          $2.8 million worth of computer supplies, inclusive of tablets, printers and associated devices, were donated to the Western Regional Health Authority (WRHA).

•          The Jamaica Fire Brigade (JCF) was presented with with a laptop and a desk computer to boost vehicle maintenance and fleet management.

•          Community access points (CAP) were opened at Spicy Grove Youth Centre in Oracabessa and Three Hills Resource Centre in St. Mary, and the Caribbean Christian Centre for the Deaf (CCCD), Cassia Park, Kingston.

•          $17.5 million in ICT support was provided to the Ministry of Health and Wellness to boost the bandwidth capacity of health facilities in the fight against COVID-19.

•          $700 million was handed over to e-Learning Jamaica to fund the procurement of devices under the Tablets for Teachers Programme.

•          One tertiary scholarship and 28 Primary Exit Profile (PEP) grants were awarded to students islandwide.

•          A Tertiary ICT Graduate Research Grant Programme, through which Master’s and Doctor of Philosophy students can access up to $15 million to facilitate research was launched.

e-Government

•          Commenced implementation of the National Public Key Infrastructure (NPKI) project, which will enable individuals and entities to utilise

            e-signatures to transact business digitally with all State agencies in a safe environment.

Digitisation

•          40 youngsters benefitted from a 12-month digitisation programme, with $18.5 million provided to support a stipend for the participants.

ENERGY

•          Approximately 380 motorists, whose vehicles were affected by “bad gas” in 2015, benefitted from a compensation package valued $24.5 million.

•          The electric mobility strategic framework was completed, which will inform the electric vehicle policy for the public transportation sector.

Support for Fisheries Sector

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$120 million allocated to the fisheries sector to assist fishers affected by COVID-19.

•          Launch of the US$4.875 million World Bank Promoting Community-based Climate Resilience in the Fisheries Sector project in July, which will benefit more than 40,000 stakeholders in the local fisheries sector.

•          Launch of enforcement vessel in October, under the World Bank Promoting Community-based Climate Resilience in the Fisheries Sector project, which will boost the

enforcement capacity of the operators of the special fishery conservation areas and help them to preserve Jamaica’s no-fishing zones.

Youth in Agriculture

•          A $10 million Agriculture Aide programme was launched to train 40 young people to assist RADA extension officers in collating information and to bolster their work.

•          The Ministry, in partnership with Jamaica 4-H Clubs, launched an agricultural booklet, ‘Youth in Agriculture, A Roadmap to Your Success’, to guide youth on a successful path in the industry.

Plant Quarantine and Produce Inspection Branch

•          Disinfectant mats and amnesty bins installed at both the Norman Manley and Sangster International Airports to reduce the risk of plant and animal pests entering the country.