News from the OPM

The Office of the Prime Minister notes the concern raised in the public domain regarding the new sand mining operation by Duncan’s Bay Development Company in Duncan’s Bay, Trelawny. The Government of Jamaica is confident that it has followed protocol to protect the citizens and the environment in this matter. Proceeding on legal and technical advice and further advice from the municipal corporation and the Mines and Geology Unit among others and based on the recommendation of the National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA), Prime Minister Andrew Holness made the decision to allow the appeal from Duncan’s Bay Development Company Limited, thereby granting the environment permit for the mining and quarrying of beach sand at Duncan’s Bay, Trelawny. The permit was subsequently granted along with specific conditions outlined that must be upheld by Duncan’s Bay Development Company. Some of the specific conditions are: No sand should be removed from the foreshore of the property; No clearance of vegetation cover outside of the boundaries stipulated under the mining license; All work should be carried out by the company between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. from Mondays to Fridays. There shall be no work on weekends and Public Holidays;…

Prime Minister Andrew Holness says preserving our culture is important. He was speaking at the Ward Theatre, Downtown Kingston yesterday (May 23), the site of one of two (2) National Labour Day projects. The prime minister said that when culture gets side lined because of social issues, it is often left to be destroyed. He added that Jamaicans cannot allow this monument of our culture, this storage of our heritage to be destroyed. “Culture is a store of value. We see wealth sometimes exclusively in monetary terms, we see wealth sometimes exclusively in economic terms, what we can trade, what we can sell, but it’s very rare that we see wealth in culture”, explained Prime Minister Holness. Prior to its falling into disrepair, the Ward Theatre was the epicentre for the development of Jamaican theatrical activity since 1912. Meanwhile, the prime minister also visited the Central Police Station, which was the second national project. He said the project was significant to the government’s push to improve safety and security. “Having this as a national Labour Day project is symbolic. The people have come out to restore, and rebuild and preserve the physical symbol of law enforcement”, stated the Prime Minister.…

Prime Minister Andrew Holness today (May 23) received 3000 bags of cement from Caribbean Cement Company Limited, to assist in recovery efforts following the heavy rains last week. Prime Minister Holness thanked Carib Cement for the kind contribution to help those affected. “I am heartened by the response of Carib Cement to assist Jamaicans who have been adversely affected by the rains. Jamaica is privileged to have a private sector that continues to make significant contributions to the development of the country. The Government is committed to strengthening the partnership, with the private sector, in building Jamaica,” says the prime minister. In expressing his thanks to the company the prime minister encouraged other members of the private sector to assist in the recovery efforts. “On behalf of the people of Jamaica, I want to thank the management of Carib Cement, for their benevolence. This contribution will allow the government to assist more individuals. I am encouraging other members of the private sector to assist in the recovery efforts”, continued Prime Minister Holness. The Government, through the various agencies, has already started recovery works across the affected parishes as well as the distribution of relief supplies. Officials from the Office of…

Prime Minister Andrew Holness says the Government has been working to advance the interests of workers and improve people’s standard of living through its economic policies and several initiatives. Speaking in an address to the nation to mark Labour Day 2017, Mr. Holness noted that unemployment in 2017 is lower than in 2016. He said there are nearly 22,000 more employed in this year, with several initiatives to come to further boost employment. “We are opening up more employment opportunities to our people. I recently announced the Housing, Opportunity, production and Employment(HOPE) programme which aims to provide employment to some 15,00 of our unattached, at-risk young people,” said Mr. Holness. In addition, the Prime Minister highlighted that there are significant employment opportunities opening up in the BPO sector, tourism and the mining sector where an additional 3,000 persons are expected to be employed as a result of some $2 billion in investments being poured into that sector. There are also employment opportunities in the special economic zones and logistic centered activities. “Workers can have confidence that they have a bright future and that things are aligning in their interests. Last year, the economy grew by 1.4%, the highest in four…

Jamaica has signed a visa waiver agreement with the Dominican Republic. It is one of several bilateral agreements brokered by Prime Minister Andrew Holness during a recent official visit to the country. The visa waiver will facilitate easier travelling for holders of diplomatic and official passports between Jamaica and the Domincan Republic. Prime Minister Holness signed a communiqué with the President of the Dominican Republic His Excellency Danilo Medina, which sets out a raft of agreements between both countries in the areas of travel, tourism, commerce, education and agriculture. There is also an agreement to finalise arrangements to sign a multi-destination tourism framework in the upcoming months. In addition, a joint business and investment council will be established in the next few months, which will allow both private and public sector to collaborate on how to facilitate an increase in business and trade relations between the two countries. Both Prime Minister Holness and His Excellency Medina, stressed the importance of increasing levels of trade and bilateral investment including the investments of Jamaican firms in the Dominican financial sector, as well as Dominican investments in different economic sectors of Jamaica. Prime Minister Holness expressed an interest in the social programmes that…

Prime Minister Andrew Holness has cut short his visit to the Dominican Republic and returned to the island last night to deal with the damage caused by heavy rainfall in sections of the island. He will today tour the worst affected parishes with representatives from the emergency services and representatives. The island has been experiencing persistent heavy rainfall over the past three days which has severely impacted several parishes including, Kingston and St. Andrew, St. Catherine, Clarendon, Manchester, as well as St. Mary, Portland and St. Ann in the north. Yesterday, the prime minister ordered the following measures to be put in place to deal the ongoing weather event: The Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM) to activate the National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC); All parish Emergency Operation Centre activated; All parish representatives have mobilized to attend their respective EOCs and; Shelter managers put on standby in the event shelters need to be opened to respond to any evacuations. The government’s team are conducting a preliminary assessment to ascertain the level of damage to affected areas. The National Meteorological Service says outburst of showers will continue over the next few days until Thursday. https://opm.gov.jm/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Flood-Assessment-2017.mp4

The government will update the country this afternoon (May 16) on the heavy rainfall affecting the island at a press conference to be held at the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM). The press conference will commence at 4:00 p.m. Prior to the press conference, Acting Prime Minister, Hon. Dr. Horace Chang will meet with Heads of Emergency Agencies at 3:00 p.m. at OPM to be fully briefed on the situation. Due to the weather system affecting the island, there will be no sitting of Parliament today as Members of Parliament, especially in flood prone areas, are in their respective constituencies to organise and provide relief assistance.

Prime Minister Andrew Holness has instructed that all national emergency systems to be activated as heavy rainfall continues to affect sections of the island. The emergency agencies include the National Works Agency (NWA) and the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM), as well as local representatives. The prime minister says all the agencies should mobilize their resources to deal with the impact of the extraordinary rain event and to support residents who may need assistance in flooded areas. The prime minister is urging persons to be on high alert as the rain is expected to continue throughout the day. Extensive flooding has so far been reported in the parishes of St. Catherine, Clarendon, Manchester, St. Thomas and St. Ann. In the meantime, following discussions with Prime Minister Holness, the acting prime minister Dr. Horace Chang will make a statement in parliament this afternoon on the emergency processes that have been activated and the preliminary assessment of damage cause by the heavy rainfall. The island remains under a Flash Flood Warning for low-lying and flood prone areas. The National Meteorological Service issued the warning for the parishes of St. Mary, Portland, St. Thomas, Kingston, St.Andrew, St. Catherine, Clarendon, Manchester,…

Prime Minister Andrew Holness left the island this evening (May 15) for an official visit to the Dominican Republic. Prime Minister Holness will hold a series of meetings with His Excellency Danilo Medina, President of Dominican Republic and representatives from the private sector. The meetings are geared towards strengthening bilateral ties between both countries and to explore mutually beneficial investment opportunities. Arising from the Dominican Republic’s offer of assistance to share knowledge and ideas on infrastructure development, Mr Holness will tour the Juan Bosch Housing Project. The Prime Minister’s delegation includes the Hon. Edmund Bartlett, Minister of Tourism and Senator the Hon. Kamina Johnson Smith, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign. Also accompanying the prime minister are Senator Aubyn Hill, Ambassador Nigel Clarke and Robert Morgan, Director of Communications in the Office of the Prime Minister. Mr Holness and his delegation will return to the island on Wednesday, May 17. While he is off the island, the Hon. Dr. Horace Chang, Minister without portfolio in the Office of the Prime Minister will be in charge of government.