GLENDEVON, St James — Deputy Prime Minister Dr Horace Chang has confirmed that there are changes being made at the senior level of the civil service by Prime Minister Andrew Holness.

Among the ministries and offices impacted are the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM), the Cabinet, and the Ministry of National Security.

The changes will see Ambassador Alison Stone-Roofe moving from the foreign ministry to replace Courtney Williams at the security ministry. At the same time, Williams will be appointed the country’s first fiscal commissioner, while current permanent secretary at OPM, Audrey Sewell is to fill the post of Cabinet secretary, replacing Ambassador Douglas Saunders who previously announced his retirement but had remained on the job until a successor was found.

Chang, who is also the national security minister, was responding to questions from the Jamaica Observer while speaking with reporters following the handover of free Wi-Fi service to the community of Glendevon by the Universal Service Fund, at Glendevon Primary and Infant School in St James on Friday.

“Ambassador Stone-Roofe has served in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for several years. She is a former ambassador to Brazil and served as chief technical director in the ministry. She’s an outstanding public servant. [She] has experience and the kind of competence that will do well in succeeding and providing the quality leadership required in the Ministry of National Security,” Dr Chang said, adding, “We are a ministry that has a lot of work to do and we have had some very strong permanent secretaries [in the past].”

In relation to Williams, Dr Chang said he is one the best fiscal economists and will do well as the country’s first fiscal commissioner.

“Mr Williams is certainly Jamaica’s best, if not the region’s best fiscal economist. He handled our fiscal programme in the critical time, working with the IMF [International Monetary Fund) and in the Ministry of Finance where he was the deputy finance secretary,” stated Dr Chang.

He said Williams’ new post is crucial to the continued management of Jamaica’s economic framework.