Labour Ministry seeks return of $533 million in Solidarity funds

The Ministry of Labour and Social Security says it has asked the Ministry of Finance to release about $533 million in unused Solidarity Programme funds that were returned to the Consolidated Fund when the financial year closed.

The ministry issued the clarification on Thursday after Wednesday’s meeting of Parliament’s Public Administration and Appropriations Committee, where members questioned why roughly $770 million appeared to remain unspent from the Government’s $1 billion programme for vulnerable Jamaicans. The ministry said $230.4 million went directly to beneficiaries, while $236.2 million was used through the rehabilitation and social pension fund to support vulnerable people. The remaining $533 million, it said, could not be spent before the year ended.

The Solidarity Programme began in June 2025 to assist elderly people, low-income formal workers, persons with disabilities, medically vulnerable persons and unemployed young adults aged 18 to 35 who were not in school or training. More than 18,000 applications were received, and 11,521 people were approved for payment. The ministry said some approved beneficiaries have not yet collected their money, and the payment deadline has been extended to June 30, 2026.

In a separate matter, North Carolina resident Troy Murray, 57, has been sentenced to more than 10 years in prison for a seven-year scheme involving the sale of elderly Americans’ personal data to Jamaican lottery fraud operators. Assistant Attorney General A. Tyson Duva said Murray must also serve three years of supervised release and forfeit more than US$5.2 million. Prosecutors said he sold at least 22,000 lead lists containing details on more than seven million elderly Americans between 2016 and 2023, with victim losses estimated above US$9.5 million.

In Trelawny, the International Red Cross, through its parish branch, has delivered $21 million in Hurricane Melissa relief to 300 families in northern communities. Branch director Aneta Carvalo said assessments are now being done in southern Trelawny ahead of another possible donation. The branch, now in its 20th year, has 80 registered volunteers.

Jamaicans for Justice Executive Director Mikuel Jackson said the group will keep pressing for transparency around the National Reconstruction and Resilience Authority now that its legislation is in force. JFJ wants clearer written rules on consultation, stronger oversight, adequate resources for real-time audits by the Auditor General, and greater care in how national leaders speak about civil society groups seeking accountability.