Justice Minister calls for greater efficiency in administration of laws

KINGSTON, Jamaica (JIS) — Justice Minister Mark Golding has called for greater efficiency in the administration of laws in order to eliminate the need to bring legislation to Parliament to correct technical errors.

Golding was speaking in the Senate Friday (June 26) as he piloted the Conch (Export Levy) (Validation and Indemnity) Act. The legislation, which was passed in the House of Representatives on Tuesday (July 23), seeks to confirm as lawful, the acts done in good faith by officers of the Veterinary Services Division in the collection of levies from conch exporters in relation to the 2011 conch season.Golding said that the bringing of Bills to validate the acts done in good faith is happening “too often.”“It would be best if we could be so efficient in our administration of legislation and of delegated powers that we do things meticulously and ensure that we have followed every bureaucratic and legislative requirement at the time it is required to be followed and we don’t have to bring legislation afterwards to correct some technical error that has been made, which is what this validation Bill is really about,” he said.For his part, Leader of Opposition Business, Senator Arthur Williams, recommended that the Permanent Secretaries Board conduct a review of the kinds of matters that the Parliament has had to validate because of “administrative slip-ups” so as to improve the system.The Conch (Export Levy) Act of 2009 provides for the mandatory payment of conch levies by exporters of conch to the Veterinary Services Division of the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries.The Principal Act requires that for any subsequent conch season, the rate ought to be prescribed from time to time by the Minister, by Order, subject to affirmative resolution of the House of Representatives.There was no levy prescribed for conch exported during 2011 season, which spanned the periods March 1 to March 23; and April 4 to July 30.However, the officers of the Veterinary Services Division, acting in good faith, continued to collect in the 2011conch season, a levy at the rate imposed for the 2010 conch season.As result, it became necessary to validate and confirm as lawful, the acts of the officers in collecting the levy, which was US$1 per pound of conch exported.The Bill was passed with no amendment.Like our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/jamaicaobserverFollow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/JamaicaObserver

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Justice Minister calls for greater efficiency in administration of laws

LIME, Cisco show how modern PBX systems boost efficiency and productivity

Business

Friday, July 19, 2013

TELECOMMUNICATIONS firm LIME and global leader in information technology solutions, Cisco have partnered to offer the public and private sectors cutting-edge PBX business telephone systems designed to boost their efficiency and productivity.Cisco unveiled its Unified Communications system, which the technology company said makes a bold step forward ahead of conventional PBX systems.The new system will feature advanced capabilities that incorporate mobile devices, multimedia and video communication while offering employees increased flexibility to get work done even while away from the office, the IT provider said.Speaking at the Cisco Collaborations Seminar at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel on Tuesday, LIME’s Vice-president of Corporate and SME Sales Edward Gabbidon stressed the importance for local businesses to make the investment in the PBX system now, in order to reap the benefits of a leaner, more efficient organisation much sooner.While addressing the group of key decision-makers, which included IT managers and public sector administrators, Gabbidon said, “LIME offers that bridge to business transformation with the new CISCO Unified Communications system that will run our robust and reliable network, deliver best-in-class technology that will propel your business to the next level of competitiveness.”Gabbidon welcomed Cisco’s move to allay the up-front cost of installing its Unified Communications Solution through the US-based firm’s attractive payment plan.Additionally, Cisco’s territory systems engineer Garfield Gordon expressed that the solution’s scalability allows organisations to build it out over time and in line with their ability to fund the capital cost.LIME has been partnering with Cisco for 10 years.

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LIME, Cisco show how modern PBX systems boost efficiency and productivity