House reviews BOJ policy, justice reforms and JPS blackout response

Jamaica’s House of Representatives on June 10 moved through a packed sitting that included Bank of Jamaica policy scrutiny, sectoral debate presentations, an update on the Jamaica Public Service Company licence negotiations and passage of civil aviation amendments.

The sitting was suspended briefly for the Standing Finance Committee to consider the Bank of Jamaica’s monetary policy statement for the six months ended March 2026, along with reports dated February 24 and May 26, 2026. Members questioned the BOJ team on rural inflation, medium-term growth expectations, climate-related credit risks, banking competition, electronic know-your-customer systems, ATM reliability and Jamaica’s removal from the FATF grey list.

The BOJ said rural inflation is usually slightly higher than in the Kingston Metropolitan Area and other urban centres, largely because of agricultural price swings, transport and energy costs. Officials also pointed to labour productivity, skills and infrastructure as major constraints on faster growth.

Justice Minister Delroy Chuck used his sectoral presentation to outline plans for new or upgraded court facilities, including courts in St. Elizabeth, Westmoreland, St. Ann and Trelawny under the national reconstruction programme. He also highlighted work on an integrated electronic case management system with support from Rwanda, saying the courts are being moved away from paper-based processes.

Opposition MP Natalie Nita Garvey called for deeper local government reform, stronger municipal financing, digitised services and greater citizen participation. She argued that local authorities remain too dependent on central government and need more power to deliver services such as garbage collection, drain cleaning, permit processing and community development.

Transport, Telecommunications and Energy Minister Daryl Vaz told the House that JPS licence talks are under way, while the Government is also preparing alternative ownership options if negotiations fail. He said the June 5 islandwide blackout was unacceptable and that the preliminary JPS report had not conclusively identified the root cause. Vaz said a final report is expected through the Office of Utilities Regulation and that future arrangements must include stronger accountability, resilience and consumer protection.

The House also approved extensions for seven zones of special operations, covering Mount Salem, Denham Town, August Town, Greenwich Town, Norwood, Parade Gardens and Savanna-la-Mar. Later, members passed the Civil Aviation Amendment Act, 2026, with five amendments, to bring Jamaica’s aviation laws closer to international standards ahead of a scheduled ICAO safety oversight audit in 2027.