Gov’t takes second stab at law-reform targets

Governor General Sir Patrick Allen used Thursday’s Throne Speech to resurrect commitments pitched in the lead-up to the 2020-2021 parliamentary year, an admission that some key legislative ambitions remained stillborn.

The governor general told Parliament that the Holness administration intended, in the new fiscal year set to begin in April, to table the Teaching Council legislation and amend the Corrections Act.

The Jamaica Teaching Council Bill seeks to establish the Jamaica Teaching Council and a system of licensing teachers to improve the status of the teaching profession. The Corrections (Amendment) Act would have updated and strengthened the law and made it more aligned with technological advances and tougher penalties for breaches.

But these were, however, among a slew of legislative targets the Government had committed to table but did not in the last fiscal year.

On education, the administration will present the findings of the Orlando Patterson-chaired Jamaica Education Transformation Commission in the first quarter.

New items on the legislative agenda include amendments to the Office of Utilities Regulation (OUR) Act.

The act will be amended to incorporate emerging service sectors into the OUR’s regulatory mandate and streamline its powers.

“This will create a more robust regulatory framework to promote investment expansion in utilities and consumer satisfaction,” Sir Patrick stated.

Additionally, the Water Resources Act is to be amended to give it regulatory functions and require it to provide technical support for floodplain mapping and warning systems development.

Meanwhile, the governor general said the process to have the National Identification and Registration Act in place is progressing.

“The Government tabled a new National Identification and Registration Bill, which is currently being reviewed by a joint select committee of Parliament,” he said.

Sir Patrick also said that the transformation of the Registrar General’s Department into the National Identification and Registration Authority, as well as the digital certificate birth solution, was approximately 90 per cent complete.