KINGSTON, Jamaica — The second Supplementary Estimates for 2024/25 which sought to facilitate a realignment of Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to accommodate the newly renamed Ministry of Education, Skills, Youth and Information was approved by the House of Representatives on Tuesday.

The changes, reflected in the recurrent budgets of the various affected ministries, result from the recent re-assignment of subjects and departments, agencies and other public bodies which took effect on October 30, 2024.

The estimates breezed through the various processes to have it tabled and approved on the same day, with Tuesday’s sitting being suspended at two intervals to facilitate brief meetings of the Public Administration and Appropriations Committee (PAAC) and the Standing Finance Committee to look at the document.

According to Finance Minister Fayval Williams who moved the motion for the second Supplementary Estimates to be approved, the adjustments, which also impact the Office of the Prime Minister and the Jamaica Information Service (JIS), have no material impact on the fiscal budget.

“The MDAs that are giving up subjects reflect a reduction in their approved budgets, and the amounts reduced are reflected as increases in the MDAs to which the subjects have been assigned. The sums being transferred from the affected ministries, departments and agencies, represent balances on the approved budgets of the recently assigned subjects that have not been dispersed in warrants up to October 29, 2024. These balances will be used to fund the operations of the newly assigned subjects [at the] Ministry of Education, Skills, Youth, and information, and the Jamaica information Service,” Williams explained.

The changes reflect the transfer of all programmes, sub-programmes, activities and budgets related to the subject information from the Office of the Prime Minister to the Ministry of Education Skills Youth and Information. There is also a reduction in the total recurrent budget of the Office of the Prime Minister representing amounts transferred to support the subject information for the remainder of the fiscal year under the new parent ministry.

Additionally, the newly renamed Ministry of Education Skills, Youth and Information, was adjusted to incorporate the newly assigned subjects of information and skills. In addition to the programmes, sub-programmes, activities related to information, there is an increase in the total recurrent budget of the renamed ministry reflecting the sums transferred from the Office of the Prime Minister.

Further, the JIS was adjusted in the estimates to reflect its new status as a department of the Ministry of Education Skills, Youth and Information.