#BudgetDebate2018: Gov’t mulls LAMP, NLA merger
KINGSTON, Jamaica — The Government is considering a merger of the Land Administration and Management Programme (LAMP) and the National Land Agency (NLA).
Prime Minister Andrew Holness, who made the disclosure during his contribution to the Budget Debate this afternoon, explained that historically in Jamaica, land ownership practices are informal and he concurred with Leader of the Opposition, Dr Peter Phillips when he stated that “there is no single area of our national life that requires a more radical treatment than the issue of land and land titling”.
“That is why in January 2017, long before the Dr Phillips took office, his Cabinet considered and gave approval for the merger.”
Holness said the merger of LAMP into the NLA will create a new land titling agency and legal machinery that will start officially April 1, 2018 and last for a transitional period of 12 months.
Holness further added that the merger is to create a public body that is purposely designed, tasked and resourced to systematically see to the titling of all parcels of land in Jamaica in keeping with our Public Sector Rationalisation Plan.
“Among the recommendations approved by Cabinet is that Jamaica adopts Systematic Land Registration, which is a process of land titling of a designated area using a participatory approach and an adjudication mechanism,” he added.
He further stated that the “Government is cognisant of our land management environment, as well as, the topography of our island and the culture of our people, therefore, there will be a massive public education programme to sensitise people accordingly.
“These policies will be implemented within a legislative framework, which requires amendments to the Registration of Titles Act, the Registration of Titles Cadastral Mapping & Tenure Clarification (Special Provisions) Act (SPA) & the Limitation of Actions Act, et al.”
Meanwhile, he said it is projected that 20,000 parcels of land will be registered with titles over a three-year period and will be partly funded by the National Housing Trust in the sum of $2 billion.
“It is possible that within a generation we could have 80 per cent of all parcels of land titled in Jamaica. We are not just talk and theory and commissions when it comes to land ownership and titling. We are substance. We are taking action to transform lives”, the prime minister further stated.