PERMANENT secretary in the Office of the Prime Minister Ambassador Rocky Meade says unresolved land titling issues continue to delay the distribution of modular homes to Hurricane Melissa victims.

Speaking during Wednesday’s meeting of Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC), Meade said verifying ownership or legal authority to build on land remains one of the biggest obstacles to rolling out the housing programme, even as the Government seeks to accelerate recovery efforts.

The issue emerged as committee members pressed officials for an update on the delivery of 2,500 modular homes intended for families who suffered total or near-total loss during Hurricane Melissa.

Meade disclosed that about 1,200 units are now in Jamaica, with work underway to prepare foundations and instal utilities before they are handed over to beneficiaries.

He, however, acknowledged that land ownership has complicated the process.

“It is a consideration, that is a part of what has delayed us. It is an important consideration because, of course, the Government can’t facilitate construction on property that we are not sure that the recipient is authorised to benefit from, so it is actually one of the things that has delayed us,” said Meade.

The admission prompted concern from PAC Chairman Julian Robinson who questioned how the Government intends to assist people living in informal settlements who may have lost everything but cannot readily prove ownership of the land they occupy.

Meade said those residents are not being excluded from assistance, explaining that Government-controlled lands are being used to accommodate some beneficiaries while broader efforts continue to tackle Jamaica’s long-standing land titling challenges.

“We’ve actually done some construction on land under the control of the NLA [National Land Agency], so where persons are in need and they can’t show that they have authority to construct on land, we’ve been using government lands to provide some solution. So…if they can’t show that they own or have authority to construct on a piece of land, then there are Government-controlled lands that we are putting some of these solutions on so people can have shelter in the interim,” he explained.

The discussion also turned to whether families should be allowed to rebuild in communities repeatedly affected by flooding.

Responding to questions from Member of Parliament for St James Central Heroy Clarke, director general in the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM), Commander Alvin Gayle, said the Government had no intention of placing modular homes in areas considered highly vulnerable to future disasters.

“There is a programme underway to really have us look at the matter concerning no-build zones…so, we will not be putting any modular units in locations that we think are particularly vulnerable — [and] the idea is not to rebuild in spaces that would have had significant impact,” he said.

However Robinson, while supporting the policy, cautioned that relocating families from flood-prone communities could become one of the most politically and socially sensitive aspects of the recovery programme if residents and their elected representatives are not adequately consulted.

“That’s probably one of the most sensitive issues for any elected representative in terms of relocation — and I think everybody appreciates you don’t want to spend resources putting people back in a flood-prone area — but the need for consultation is important, both for the representatives and for the communities that are going to be affected by that,” he said.

In response, Meade noted that relocation forms part of a broader Government strategy aimed not only at rebuilding homes but also at shifting public infrastructure away from disaster-prone locations where necessary.

“There is a policy intent to relocate, not just housing solutions but townships, if it’s necessary… the Government will choose a location where it will set up its services, and the hope and intention is that businesses, et cetera, will cluster around that space. So that is where it’s being pushed from the higher level, that Government service centres will not be re-established in vulnerable spaces, and we hope that the townships will then grow around the new spaces,” he said.

MEADE… the Government can’t facilitate construction on property that we are not sure that the recipient is authorised to benefit from