MEMBERS of the Cabinet marked Ash Wednesday at Jamaica House yesterday, huddled in a meeting with Prime Minister Andrew Holness discussing issues related to the 2017/18 budget.

The Jamaica Observer was unable to get an official response from Jamaica House about the agenda of the meeting. However, sources said that the meeting would deal with a number of issues arising from the 2017/18 estimates of expenditure, as well as the revenue measures which are expected to finance the gap in the estmates.

The Standing Finance Committee of the House of Representatives, which began reviewing the estimates on Tuesday, is expected to resume the review this morning at 10:00 at Gordon House. Ministries to make presentations are: Ministry of Labour and Social Security; Ministry of Education, Youth and Information; Ministry of Health; Ministry of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries; Ministry of Science, Energy and Technology; and Ministry of Transport and Mining.

With Tuesday’s sitting of the Standing Finance Committee running late into the night, Speaker of the House Pearnel Charles restricted Minister of Transport and Mining Mike Henry to dealing only with the transport portfolio.

Henry is today expected to address concerns raised by the Opposition about the bauxite levy today.