Fayval Williams Details $67-Billion Hurricane Melissa Relief Spending Across Ministries

Finance and Public Service Minister Fayval Williams on Wednesday set out how the Government distributed $67 billion among ministries and related agencies to help restore key sectors after Hurricane Melissa damaged sections of Jamaica on October 28 last year.

Williams gave the details during a post-Cabinet media briefing at Jamaica House in St Andrew, explaining that the money was assigned through the third and fourth supplementary estimates in the previous financial year.

She said the third supplementary included $189 million for the Office of the Prime Minister and $3.4 billion for the Ministry of Tourism. According to Williams, the tourism money covered repairs to damaged infrastructure and support for people employed in the industry.

The Ministry of Economic Growth and Infrastructure Development was provided with $7.5 billion for road rehabilitation and debris removal. The Ministry of Finance and Public Service received $57 million, while $3.2 billion went to the Ministry of Water, Environment and Climate Change.

Williams said the Ministry of Labour and Social Security was allocated $1.2 billion, and the Ministry of Education received $2.3 billion. The Ministry of Health got $1.965 billion, with $35 million of that amount set aside specifically for Bellevue Hospital in Kingston.

Other allocations under the third supplementary included $280 million for the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sports, $3 billion for the Ministry of Agriculture, and $20 million for the Ministry of Industry and Commerce. The energy ministry received $1.5 billion, while $4.6 billion was directed to the Ministry of Local Government and Community Development.

Williams said those ministry allocations amounted to $29.4 billion. With a $25-billion loan to the Jamaica Public Service Company added, the third supplementary total reached $53.6 billion.

Under the fourth supplementary, she said $3 billion was placed at the Ministry of Finance. A further $10 billion went to the Ministry of Labour for the Restoration of Owner or Occupant Family Shelters programme, while the Ministry of Health and Wellness received $400 million. Williams said the combined sums came to $67 billion.