Solidarity Programme funds returned as NaRRA appointment and police camera delays draw scrutiny

Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Labour and Social Security Deon Jennings has told Parliament that roughly $770 million of the $1 billion set aside for the Government’s Solidarity Programme was sent back to support debt reduction.

Jennings made the disclosure on Wednesday as lawmakers pressed officials on why most of the money aimed at helping vulnerable Jamaicans had not been used, even after the programme received thousands of applications.

Three major private-sector groups have also responded positively to the appointment of Ambassador Antony Anderson as chief executive officer of the National Reconstruction and Resilience Authority, NaRRA. The Jamaica Chamber of Commerce, the Small Business Association of Jamaica and the Incorporated Master Builders Association of Jamaica said they welcomed the move, while signalling that they intend to keep close watch on how the authority carries out its mandate.

Former Police Commissioner Rear Admiral Hardley Lewin, meanwhile, has criticised the Government over delays in fully rolling out body-worn cameras for high-risk police operations. Lewin argued that the slow implementation weakens probes into fatal police shootings because the Independent Commission of Investigations is often forced to rely heavily on police accounts when there are no witnesses available to challenge those versions.

In crime news, 33-year-old James Stephenson, also known as Tutu, of Mansfield Heights in Ocho Rios, St Ann, has been charged with the murder of St Catherine farmer Clement Mills. He has also been charged in connection with injuries suffered by Mills’ wife during a May 15 gun attack.

In sport, Jamaica’s Reggae Boyz moved into the Unity Cup final after beating India 2-0 in Wednesday’s semi-final in London. Jamaica are scheduled to face Nigeria in Saturday’s final.

At midday, the US dollar was selling for $158.09, the British pound for $215.43 and the Canadian dollar for $116.41. Friday’s forecast calls for windy, hazy conditions across most parishes.