January 29, 2021

Day: January 29, 2021

Gov’t Provides Hundreds of Millions to Assist Farmers

Posted on

The Government allocated hundreds of millions of dollars to assist farmers and fisherfolk and safeguard the country’s food security.

Assistance to Farmers

•          $1 billion was allocated under the Production Incentive Programme to

            assist small farmers affected by COVID-19

•          An initial $240 million was allocated for a ‘Buy-Back Programme’ to assist in the movement of the

            excess produce from farmers to consumers.

•          The livelihoods of more than 30,000 farmers were secured, by purchasing and distributing the excess produce islandwide.

•          Export-related fees and charges were cut by 50 per cent. The reduction impacted agricultural commodities, including coffee, cocoa, spice and coconut licensing fees.

•          A $647-million support package was announced  to  help more than 14,000 farmers affected by the heavy rains in October and November, to restart planting as quickly as possible, following loss of crops valued approximately $2.5 billion.

•          Some 136 farmers in 22 communities received 275,712 gallons of irrigated water under the Ministry’s $194-million Drought Mitigation Programme.

•          $141 million allocated to safeguard cocoa and coffee industries.

•          $105 million allocated to continue management activities for the Frosty Pod Rot disease affecting cocoa.

Help for Former Sugar Workers

•          Former sugar workers of the Monymusk Sugar Factory benefitted under a project aimed at providing them with alternative livelihoods.

Delivering a First Class Justice System

Posted on

The Government continued to make good on its commitment to deliver a world-class justice system that works for everyone in     society.

•          The island’s courts received audio visual equipment valued $85 million to facilitate testimonies from remote locations as well as make it easier to view and play back electronic evidence in court, record proceedings in real time, digitise documents, among other

            capabilities. 

•          The Ministry of Justice received funding of £1 million from the United Kingdom (UK) Department for International Development (DFID) to continue   Unification of Pro-secutorial Services Project in Jamaica. 

•          Court Administration Division (CAD) established an Emergency Call Centre to facilitate ease of access for Jamaicans to the courts for information.

•          A witness care strategy and action plan was developed. 

•          The first ever strategic business plan for the judicial arm of Government was officially unveiled and implemented in the court system. 

Making Justice Services More Accessible

•          Mobile justice services were expanded to members of the disabled community and the elderly with the addition of two specially retrofitted units valued Can$420,000. 

•          The Mobile Justice Unit provided services to 1,497 persons between January and October.

•          The Restorative Justice Unit hosted 538 sensitisation sessions with 9,172 beneficiaries. Some 40 police officers and 125 school administrators were trained in restorative justice.

•          A total of 517 Justices of the Peace were commissioned between January and November.

Victim Services Division

•          Therapeutic interventions were provided for 4,679 clients from January to October.

•          Play therapy tools, valued at $1 million, were donated by the Jamaica National (JN) Foundation to be used as therapeutic aids in the recovery process for children who are victims of crime.

Child Diversion Unit

•          14 Child Diversion Offices and 14 parish Child Diversion Committees were

            established and operationalised.

•          Some 390 mentors were trained and 153 clients referred.

•          56 sensitisation sessions were held in-person and online.

•          18 MOUs were signed with providers to deliver drug abuse treatment, sexual and reproductive health counselling, and other mental health services.

Major Infrastructural Works

•          Refurbishing works were undertaken at the Supreme Court at a cost of $25.83 million.

•          Hanover Parish Court (electrical works) done at a cost of $21.25 million

•          Retrofitting and renovation of the James Warehouse Plaza to

            facilitate the temporary relocation of the Manchester Parish Court was done at a cost of $36.68 million.

•          Additional works at the Trelawny Family Court done at a cost of $19.93 million.

    Ongoing International Partnerships

    Posted on

    Jamaica continued its collaboration with bilateral partners to increase opportunities for trade and investment and to develop initiatives to address the challenges presented by COVID-19.

    Consular Affairs – COVID-19 response

    •          A JamCOVID-19 controlled re-entry portal and website were developed to manage the re-entry programme.

    •          Cash allocations were provided to some 220 nationals in China, including students, who were in need of personal protective equipment (PPE). 

    •          The Ministry also facilitated contact with financial institutions to secure waivers, in respect of late fees (student loans, etc.) and provided care packages and support to nationals requiring assistance.

    •          Assistance was provided in relation to visa and immigration issues, guidance on travel routes to Jamaica, and information on developments in Jamaica affecting travel.

    •          The Ministry assisted foreign nationals stranded in Jamaica as a result of the closure of the island’s borders.

    COVID External Support Coordination Committee

    •          The COVID-19 External Support Coordination Committee secured over US$12 million in the form of funding, PPE, medical supplies and technical assistance from bilateral and multilateral partners as well as Non-Governmental Organisations and private-sector groups.

    Bilateral, Regional & Hemispheric Developments

    •          Jamaica welcomed the Vice-President of Colombia, Her Excellency Marta Lucia Ramirez, on an official visit.

    •          Jamaica hosted Senior Director for Latin America and the Caribbean from the Federal Foreign Office of Germany, Ambassador Marian Schuegraf, on a working visit.

    CARICOM

    •          Jamaica assumed Chairmanship of the Sub-Committee on the

                Common Protocol to strengthen Food Security within the context of the CARICOM COVID-19 Agri-Food Management Framework. 

    Association of Caribbean States (ACS)

    •          Jamaica was elected to the post of Chair of the ACS Special Committee on Disaster Risk Reduction during elections held in June. Jamaica was also elected as Vice-Chair of the Special Committee on Cooperation and Resource Mobilisation.

    Organization of American States (OAS)

    •          Jamaica assumed the Chair of the Permanent Council of the OAS in

                October, for three months. 

    Diaspora

    •          The Ministry hosted the second teleconference of the Global Jamaica

                Diaspora Council. Discussions focused on creating working groups to facilitate the Council’s approach to operationalisation.

    •          A new Minister with responsibility for Diaspora Affairs, Senator the Hon. Leslie Campbell, was appointed.

    The Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC)

    •          Jamaica participated in a virtual meeting with the Regional Conference on Social Development in the Caribbean to share actions and measures being taken to reduce the impact of COVID-19.

    Measures Put in Place to Improve Road Safety

    Posted on

    The Ministry of Transport and Mining continued  to implement strategies geared at curbing indiscipline and improving safety on the nation’s roads.

    Motor Cycle Training and Outreach Programme

    •          Outreach and training provided to motorcyclists in the western region of the island under the ‘I am a Safe Biker’ initiative. 

    Launch of the Driver Training Programme

    •          The Transport Authority collaborated with the HOPE programme to launch a driver-training programme, aimed at ensuring that a pool of trained drivers is available for the transportation sector.

    •          100 young people have been trained.

    New Provisional Driver’s Licence Process

    •          Persons wishing to obtain a learner’s licence now have to visit any

                of the Island Traffic Authority’s (ITA) Examination Depots to do a Road Code Test,

                as part of the application process.

    COVID-19 Measures

    •          The Transport Authority waived fees and extended the period for road

                licences renewal.

    •          New road licence applicants were allowed up to six months (by October 14, 2020) to submit police records.

    •          Police records for renewal of badges were also waived.

    •          First responders were allowed to ride free on Jamaica Urban Transit Company (JUTC) buses as well as Montego Bay (MoBay) Metro buses between March and September.

    Donation of School Buses

    •          Two buses, valued approximately $19 million each were donated to Tacky High and Mile Gully High schools, to strengthen the transportation capacity of rural school districts.

    Police Post at the Ian Fleming International Airport

    •          Ground was broken for the construction of a police post at the Ian Fleming

                International Airport.

    Upgraded Offices

    •          The Transport Authority opened its newly renovated and expanded Northern Regional and Savana-la-Mar offices.

    Bauxite Community Development Programme

    •          Phase seven of the Bauxite Community Development Programme (BCDP) was launched in October.

    •          Sixteen Members of Parliament in the five bauxite-mining areas received more than $60 million allocated under the programme to assist citizens.

    Public Sector Transformation Far Advanced

    Posted on

    Work under the Public Sector Transformation Programme continued in earnest, despite challenges associated with COVID-19.

    Transformation Implementation Unit (TIU)

    The TIU undertook extensive work on several key projects over the period.

    This included Standard Operation Procedures, being instituted across the Programme.

    Key stakeholder service contracts were also signed for:

    •          Change Management

    •          MyHR+ phase two support and implementation .

    •          Customisation of the Child Case Management System for the Child Protection and Family Services Agency (CPFSA)

    •          GovNet implementation

    Public Sector Efficiency and ICT

    •          The design for GovNet has been completed and approved for implementation. A consultant was recruited to oversee the platform’s speedy rollout.

    •          The Ministry of Industry, Investment and Commerce (formerly Ministry of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries) received computers and servers to support the

                Jamaica Single Window for Trade (JSWIFT) Project.

    •          The CPFSA received equipment, including, tablets and laptops computers, for field officers and resource centres.

    •          Business analysts and systems engineers were recruited for the Fisheries Licensing and Registration System Project. They will develop technical specifications for systems to be implemented at the National Fisheries Authority (NFA) and Passport, Immigration and Citizenship Agency (PICA).

    Shared Corporate Services

    •          High-level design and project implementation plans have been developed across all service areas.

    •          Key technological solutions were acquired and implemented for MyHR+, TeamMate+, Case Management, Knowledge-based systems, online chat, and a web portal.

    Public Bodies Rationalisation

    •          The Correctional Services Production Limited was closed and its operations transferred to the Department of Correctional Services.

    •          Operations at the Petroleum Corporation of Jamaica (PCJ) ceased and its functions transferred to the Ministry of Science, Energy and Technology.

    •          Stand Up Jamaica Limited was formally closed.

    •          40 entities have been rationalised to date.

    Human Resources Management (HRM) Transformation

    •          The MyHR+ platform was rolled out in 10 Ministries, Departments and

                Agencies (MDAs), bringing the number utilising the system, to date, to 31.

    •          Design of the Public Sector HR Operating Model was completed.

    Compensation Management 

    •          A comprehensive review was undertaken.

    •          300 benchmark jobs were selected and evaluations done.

    •          A public and private sector market survey was undertaken and the findings documented.

    Jamaica InvestmentMap Launched

    •          This digital platform, facilitates interactive access to information on public investment project implementation.

    Rediscover Jamaica

    Posted on

    Training

    •          More than 5,000 employees completed online training and attained certification in several key skills areas.

    •          60 employees participated in a new four-week law programme at the University of the West

                Indies (UWI).

    •          Craft Traders in Kingston, Port Antonio, and Negril participated in an executive leadership training programme.

    Rediscover Jamaica

    •          The ‘Rediscover Jamaica’ campaign, which encourages Jamaicans to feel, see and taste the country’s tourism product, was launched.

    Infrastructure Development

    •          The new headquarters of the White River Fish Sanctuary in St. Ann, which forms part of a $16-million Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF) investment in tandem with several other stakeholders, was officially opened.

    •          The facility is designed to ensure the sustainability of the fish sanctuary, which is managed by the White River Marine Association.

    Tourism Workers’ Pension Scheme

    •          Registration for the scheme commenced on October 1.

    •          The facility, which came into effect in January, is a defined contributory plan requiring mandatory contributions from employers and workers.

    •          It will cover all industry employees, aged 18 to 59, whether permanent, contractual or self-employed.

    •          They include craft vendors, tour operators, red cap porters, contract carriage operators, and workers in attractions.

    •          Benefits are payable at age 65 or older to persons meeting the vested five-year period.

      Tourism Set to Rebound

      Posted on

      The Tourism industry showed encouraging signs that  it was set to rebound from the downturn in visitor arrivals and foreign exchange earnings, which was sparked by COVID-19:

      •          Preliminary figures from the Jamaica   Tourist Board (JTB) show that the country welcomed 1,297,094 visitors, comprising 847,823 stopover arrivals and 449,271 cruise passengers, and generated approximately US$1.3 billion in earnings in 2020.

      •          Several airlines also resumed service to

                  Jamaica, largely out of North and South America, and Europe.

      •          Among them were American Airlines, Delta, JetBlue, United, SouthWest, Air Canada, West Jet, British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, and Copa.

      Several measures were instituted to safeguard visitors, workers and other industry stakeholders against COVID-19. These included:

      •          Mandatory testing of visitors.

      •          Establishment of COVID-19 Resilient Corridors along resort areas to

                  restrict visitor movement.

      •          Development of robust operational protocols for businesses, in tandem with the Ministry of Health and Wellness.

      •          Online training for employees, with particular focus on health and safety protocols.

      •          COVID-19 Resilient Certification for sector entities.

      •          Establishment of the Jamaica Cares Insurance Programme, which is

                  tailored to provide travel protection and emergency services to visitors to the island and locals, as well as safeguard industry workers.  

      •          Provision of 500 protective kits for small operators and 10,000 masks for front-line workers.

      These were complemented by:

      •          A US$200,000 donation by Spanish-owned companies with investments in Jamaica to the Government’s COVID-19

                  response programme.

      Industry Recovery

      •          Relief extended under the Business Employee Support and Transfer of Cash (BEST Cash) component of the Government’s COVID-19 Allocation of Resources for Employees (CARE) Programme.

      •          $100-million grant programme to assist micro, small and medium-sized operators.

      Police Stations Built, Renovated

      Posted on

      Work continued to build and renovate police stations in order to improve working conditions for members of the force and improve security delivery to citizens.

      Infrastructure Development

      •          The new Green AcresPolice Station in St. Catherine, built at a cost of $73 million, was

                  officially opened.

      •          Rehabilitation works were undertaken at the Bog Walk, Old Harbour,

                  Moneague, and Trench Town police stations.

      •          A new Police Divisional Headquarters was constructed and officially opened in Portland.

      •          Work started to rehabilitate six police stations across the island at a cost of

                  approximately $235 million. The facilities are Denham Town (Kingston) at a cost of $36.81 million; Franklyn Town (Kingston), $42.48 million; Lionel Town (Clarendon), $36.87

                  million; Mount Salem (St. James), $42.53 million; Four Paths (Clarendon), $37.86 million; and Adelphi (St James), $38.44 million.

      •          Ground was broken for a police post at the Ian Fleming international Airport in St. Mary, at a cost of $40 million.

      •          $500 million was invested to improve the JCF’s capacity and technological capability at Harman Barracks.

      •          $65.4 million was allocated for the construction of an additional classroom block at the National Police College of Jamaica in Twickenham Park, St. Catherine.

      •          The Tranquility Bay facility in St. Elizabeth was refurbished at a cost of

                  approximately $139 million for the training of new JCF recruits.

      •          The Jamaica National Service Corps (JNSC) received a $500-million multipurpose building at Up Park Camp

      New Vehicles/Marine Vessels

      •          JCF received 107 pickup trucks valued approximately $700 million, and 43 retrofitted compact sports utility vehicles which cost about $270 million.

      Decline In Major Crimes

      •                      As at December 2, murders were down by 1.2 per cent; robberies, down by 18.7 per cent; rapes, down by 15.5 per cent; and break-ins are 18.6 per cent lower than the same period in 2019.

      Government Invests in Technology to Fight Crime

      Posted on

      Significant investment was made in acquiring technology to boost crime-fighting.

      ICT

      •          $210 million was provided to upgrade and expand the computer-aided dispatch system to allow the police to better prioritise and record incident calls,

                  identify status and locations of officers and assets in the field, and effectively

                  deploy resources, among other inputs.

      •          $480 million was allocated to upgrade and expand the Jamaica Constabulary Force’s (JCF’s) radio and data communication networks.

      •          The JCF’s technology platform was expanded with the buildout of the Police Emergency Control Centre (PECC) backroom capacity to monitor up to 2,000 CCTV cameras.

      •          Connectivity at police stations was improved through the upgrading of the microwave data network.

      •          $40 million was spent to upgrade and improve efficiency of the traffic ticket management system. Traffic police were equipped with 100 smart android devices and portable printers to facilitate the electronic issuance of traffic tickets.

      •          The Jamaica Crime Observatory (JCO) Enhancement project received $16.7 million from Jamaica Social Investment Fund to acquire computer hardware and software for the JCF crime database.

      •          A human trafficking e-learning tool was launched.

      JamaicaEye

      •          $1.2 billion was allocated in the 2020/21 Budget to supply and install equipment and software under the ‘JamaicaEye’ CCTV surveillance system. Servers were expanded to accommodate 1,000 additional video feeds.

      •          An agreement was signed with the Jamaica Gasolene Retailers Association (JGRA) to allow feed from public-facing cameras at gas stations to assist crime-fighting efforts and maintain public order.

      Department of Correctional Services (DCS)

      •          Four inmates and one Correctional Officer at the St. Catherine Adult Correctional Centre were selected as the first recipients of full scholarships valued $300,000 each per year, to pursue online associate degrees with the University of the Commonwealth Caribbean (UCC).

      •          MOU signed to provide training to DCS staff along with wards and inmates transitioning out of correctional facilities.

      •          Wards at South Camp Juvenile Remand and Correctional Centre

                  received new multipurpose classrooms.

      Employment and Labour Services Strengthened

      Posted on

      Special measures were put in place to strengthen the delivery of employment and labour services, while continuing to provide support to the most vulnerable Jam-aicans, including persons with disabilities and the elderly.

      Labour Division

      •          Industrial Disputes Tribunal (IDT) Western Division office was officially opened in St. James.

      •          Agreements signed with the Jamaica Household Workers’ Union (JHWU) and University of Technology (UTech) to promote the services of the Ministry’s Labour Market Information System (LMIS).

      •          COVID-19 Labour Market Task Force assembled to address issues affecting employers and employees.

      •          The Ministry opened its parish office in St. Ann’s Bay. The new two-storey, state-of-the-art facility, built at a cost of more than $500 million, is designed to enhance service delivery to the people of St. Ann.

      Social Division

      •          An additional $1 billion was channelled into the Programme of Advancement Through Health and Education (PATH) to increase cash grants to beneficiaries.

      •          The Ministry received $40 million from UNICEF Jamaica to help some of the country’s most vulner-able households cope with the crippling impact of COVID-19. The funding covers cash transfer payments via PATH for approximately 2,700 families with children with disabilities, as well as pregnant and lactating women.

      •          Early encashment of pension vouchers was facilitated through post offices.

      •          $40 million was transferred to the Ministry to provide support to persons living with disabilities.

      •          The Ministry acquired two mobile units to promote the various benefits and services to citizens in rural sections of the island. The air-conditioned buses, outfitted with office areas, client number tracking systems, public address systems, and sanitising stations, were retrofitted at a cost of approximately $25.5 million with funding from the Government and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB).

      •          The ‘Innovative Approaches to the Development of Children with Intellectual Disabilities’ technical cooperation agreement was signed. This inter-vention seeks to provide direct support to children with intellectual disabilities and their parents, through identifying, adapting and testing effective parent-centred therapeutic approaches.

      •          Digicel Foundation donated 600 tablet computers to support students registered with the Jamaica Council for Persons with Disabilities (JCPD).