•
•
•
• ' I ' ·
SPEAKING NOTES
FOR
PRIME MINISTER
RT. HON. P.J. PATTERSON
FOR
LIVE AND DIRECT
MANCHESTER HIGH SCHOOL
APRIL 4, 2001
Salutations .
It's a good time to be with you when so many positive things are
taking place in your parish.
- Refurbished, expanded and upgraded hospital - a show
piece
- New lease on life for Mandeville Market
- New Roads
I
UWI LIBRARIES
•
•
•
JUSTICE
• Justice in the land is not only a function of the law, but of the
relations which govern social action -
o Within families
o Between members of the communities
o In our public and private institutions
• Continuation of the modernization of our laws
• New legislations will focus on -
o Family Property Act (Spousal Rights)
o Maintenance Act
o Justice of the Peace Jurisdiction Act
o Dangerous Drug (Amendment) Act
• Crime control initiatives will continue
• Reduction of overcrowding in prison (Comment on Justice
Lloyd Ellis' recommendations)
UWI LIBRARIES
•
•
•
• Implementation of "Citizens Justice Reform Project -
o This will embrace the integrated approach to crime
prevention and forge stronger community partnerships
• Comment on recent developments in Braeton
o Role of Government vs role of the judiciary
o Due Process and the Law
o Citizens / police relations relationship (both must act
responsibly)
o Parents and their Children - particularly young boys
UWI LIBRARIES
•
•
•
ECONOMIC GROWTH
• Main strategy in the recreation of new employment
• Tourism Sector
o Finalisation of the Tourism Master Plan
o Community-based tourism
• Information Technology
o Re-orientation of economy (knowledge-based and service
oriented)
• Small Business Sector
o Will experience intensified support
• Bauxite and Alumina Sector
o Industry continues to rebound
o Continuation of partnership arrangements (sale of Alcan's
share will not change situation)
o Continuation of the Bauxite Community Development
Project
UWI LIBRARIES
•
•
•
• Agricultural Sector
o To focus on efficiency, competitiveness and value added
output
o Amend~ f ~ ustry Act
o Will continue to provide legitimate protection to local
industries --
► A Safeguard Act consistent with the
provisions of the World Trade
Organisations (WTO) will be enacted .
jJ ,- ~ v--,_,t.-- -It ->'I- ,· ~ ~ ft;:
cf..,-,' ~ ~ vf ~:,_ ~:,.., /4 j '~
0- (/VI
~ J
hi .,.,.ll Iv- ~ AJ ~ ~ ',,_fa_ ~
~~ rv-Y .M-f~ /JJp:;__ ,-v/4 ~
~~~.~~ r J (_,,_-4-
~ M1 tf: μ1o ~ .
UWI LIBRARIES
•
•
•
Early Childhood Education
❖ A Government priority
❖ Recognition of seven additional Basic Schools for salary subsidies and
nutrition grant
❖ Training and Certification of 1377 Basic School teachers, islandwide.
Computer services at main Libraries in Mandeville, Porus and Christiana
Bookmobile services offered in 5 8 districts, once per month.
Newport Vocational Training Centre
■ Enrollment - 400 (216 males, 184 females). Areas of training
include furniture manufacturing, welding and fabrication, food
preparation etc.
■ Training in Cosmetology now taking place at the Knox Community
College
UWI LIBRARIES
•
•
•
Proposed Programme
Knox Community College has been selected to deliver the Caribbean Institute
of Technology ( CIT) programme to train fifty ( 50) persons annually in
programming skills. (Training is scheduled to begin during the second or
third quarter of the calendar year).
FOR THE FUTURE
❖ Additional 4 20 Primary School places in Christiana area
UWI LIBRARIES
•
•
•
Up-grading of five All Age Schools:
♦ Villa Road, Mandeville
• New Forest
♦ New Green
♦ Hatfield
- Up-grading of seven Comprehensive Schools to High Schools
• Bellefield
• Christiana
• Cross Keys
• May Day
• Mile Gully
• Winston Jones
• Porus Primary
♦ Ferguson All Age
♦ Ramble All Age
♦ Mizpah All Age
- Benefiting from joint USAID/GOJ programme in 72 schools
to increase levels of literacy and numeracy
UWI LIBRARIES
• NATIONAL YOUTH SERVICE (NYS)
Current activities:-
• Participation in Jamaica/Canada Youth Exchange Programme.
• Provision of financial assistance for 400 NYS participants at a cost of $Sm
to assist with their academic and career development.
• Provision of ten ( 10) full scholarships to Cuba for the academic year
• 2001 /2002 in the areas of Engineering, Pharmacy, Computer Science,
infomatics and Nursing .
•
9
UWI LIBRARIES
• FUTURE ACTIVITIES
• To recruit, train and place five hundred (500) participants in public sector
agencies, and ministries for the purpose of career orientation and character
development.
\
- to train and place 2,5000 as Teachers Aide to assist with the
literacy and early childhood education programme.
To train and place 500 cadets in the Jamaica Constabulary Force,
Jamaica Defence Force and the Jamaica Fire Brigade.
• - 250 Sport Aides for sports development.
- 1,000 Health ides for clinics and hospitals.
- 750 IT Aides
•
ID
UWI LIBRARIES
•
•
•
EDUCATION
• National Education Policy
o More attention to be paid to -
■ Quality of programmes at the high school level
■ Improve the levels of literacy and numeracy
• Support for Early Childhood Sector
o Establishment of Early Childhood Commission to
interface with the Child Development Agency in order to
achieve the necessary national and international goals .
UWI LIBRARIES
•
•
•
HEALTH
Your ultramodern hospital
❖ a major accomplishment
Mandeville Regional Hospital
• Refurbished at a value of$ 757m.
• Services expanded in areas such as:- operating theatre, physiotherapy,
radiology, surgical wards, medical wards, paediatrics wards, dietary,
laundry, accident and emergency and the outpatients clinics .
• Morgue and incinerator built.
• Generator system capable of supplying the entire hospital with power in
the event of a power failure.
• Underground water tank capable of giving the hospital seven ( 7) days
supply is to be commissioned.
• Nine (9) different clinics operating Mondays to Fridays.
• Ambulance recently donated by Red Stripe.
• Additional work to be carried out including the construction of a helipad .
I
UWI LIBRARIES
• HEALTH
• Special emphasis on battling the HIV/AIDS epidemic
• Creation of National Health Fund -
o To allow for the start up of a chronic diseases response
and prevention initiative
• National Insurance Scheme (NIS) to develop special health
insurance plan for pensioners
• Government will continue to protect and improve on high
• standard in health status achieved in Jamaica
• Seek to maintain the tradition of good health at low cost
•
UWI LIBRARIES
• Health care being delivered from:
•
•
❖ 2 7 Health Centres
❖ 2 Hospitals
over 300 beds
Emergency treatment for Street People
Successful control programme for rodent infestation in Mandeville -
programme being expanded.
Expanded immunisation to achieve 100% coverage for infants 0- 11 months
against:
■ Tuberculosis
■ Diphtheria
■ Poliomyelitis UWI LIBRARIES
•
•
•
Issues being dealt with at the community level include: -
• Parish Council Reform Programme
• Parish Development Committee
• The Town and Country Planning Provisional Development Order.
• Local Sustainable Development Planning.
Partnerships/Programme Initiatives
Parish Council
• Social Development Commission developing broad-based community
interest and participation in leading genuine support for the Parish Council
activities:-
■ Municipal police
■ New Bus Park for Mandeville
■ Measures to ease traffic congestion in Mandeville
■ Town beautification project.
• Televised council meetings on community cable and the
presentation of its budget to communities .
rs
UWI LIBRARIES
•
•
•
ROADS
Road Rehabilitation Programme
1 Six ( 6) road section or 13.1 km - cost of $291.1 m. works at varying
stages of
Completion.
2. Rehabilitation of seven (7) road sections or 78.6km - cost of
$123.6m. All works
~
3.
to be started by the beginning of ~ t financial year.
"HUB" programme - rehabilitation of two (2) road sections - 11.2km
- cost of $21.29m. work to start at beginning of new financial year .
Roads completed or nearly completed :-
~ . Jetta:; Resswood to St. ~ ike Town Road,) e to Red
Berry, 14th Street to Bethel & , Old Greenvale Road.
Others due to start are:Battersea
Road,
Baskie to Blue Mountain,
The Comfort Hall Bridge is 85% completed .
UWI LIBRARIES
•
•
•
AGRICULTURE
1 . Improvement in Food Crop Production
- Drought Relief Programme
1,055 farmers have received assistance to restart crop and limited
products.
Farmers received seeds, fertilizer, livestock, feed and water tanks.
• Stocked Nursery at Comfort Hall farms - to supply yam plants for
production of miniset yam. Farmers to receive additional training in
miniset technology for yellow yam production in the upcoming financial
year .
• Goat Commercialisation Project in Collaboration with CARD I and the
Jamaica Goat Breeders Society.
- Training for farmers at the Sam Motta Sheep and Goat
Demonstration Training centre in Knockpatrick.
- The Mile Gully Revolving Herd Programme is in an advance stage of
preparation.
• The Jamaica Bauxite Institute Central Manchester Projects.
Community councils now in the process of selecting another
group of potential beneficiaries for the programme which involves
training in the cultivation of crop such as peanut, yam, sweet
potato, and pepper mint and animal husbandry .
UWI LIBRARIES
