MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica- Prime Minister Andrew Holness says the Government has instituted robust checks and balances to ensure transparency and accountability in the New Social Housing Programme (NSHP).

The NSHP is designed to provide housing solutions to Jamaica’s most vulnerable citizens.

Holness, who visited several communities in St James on Friday where five houses were handed over to needy residents meeting the programme’s requirements, said there is a legislative framework underpinning the NSHP, which highlights the role of the Ministry of Housing and the Housing Act.

“The Housing Act directs the Minister of Housing to hold and use lands in such a way as to provide housing, either commercially or socially, for persons who are in need. This legal mandate ensures that social housing initiatives are carried out with due diligence, requiring thorough assessments before benefits are distributed,” he explained.

Holness also addressed concerns regarding the programme’s adjudication process, pointing out that there is a system in place to assess the needs and the beneficiaries before any housing solution is provided, and reinforced the programme’s fairness and equity.

While acknowledging that the NSHP is not above or beyond being scrutinised, the Prime Minister said it is important that any findings should be accurate to avoid ambiguity or inadvertently tainting a programme through which excellent work is being done in providing homes for some of the society’s neediest.

He added that an inaccurate portrayal of the NSHP could create a misleading narrative suggesting that the programme is acting against the public’s interests.

Holness reiterated the Government’s commitment to maximising the best interests of the public through the NSHP, emphasising that the initiative is structured to comply with all relevant laws and regulations.

He asserted that the programme’s transparency is further enhanced by the establishment of comprehensive oversight mechanisms to prevent any form of impropriety.

-JIS