KINGSTON, Jamaica —The House of Representatives is expected to start debating a private member’s motion brought by Opposition MP Fitz Jackson to give the Bank of Jamaica control over the fees and charges customers have to pay from commercial banking services.

Member of Parliament for St Catherine South, Fitz Jackson, wants Parliament to approve his private member’s Bill — the Banking Services (Amendment) Act 2016 — which seeks to amend the Banking Services Act to have the Bank of Jamaica (BOJ) regulate the financial institutions’ use of fees and charges and to protect the customers from these fees and charges.

“It is of note that the banks, since 2013, have totally disregarded public concerns over fee charges by their continuing increases of these charges, and even the imposition of new charges,” Jackson said, recently.

He is expected to get strong support from fellow MPs including Minister of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries, Karl Samuda, who chaired the Economy and Production Committee of the House of Representatives which backed his decision to table the private Bill.

The House is also expected to complete debate on the Caribbean Maritime University Act, 2016, and The Arbitration Act, 2016, and resume debate on the much delayed Road Traffic Act, 2016.

Balford Henry