The Parliament of Jamaica will host an official Orientation Day for the 10 new members of the House of Representatives at Gordon House on Tuesday, September 30.
Nine of the 10 new Members of Parliament (MPs) were elected on the People’s National Party ticket in the September 3 General Election, the other on the Jamaica Labour Party ticket.
The orientation will provide members with an overview of the operations of Parliament and the services available to support them in carrying out their duties, said a statement from Gordon House.
It explained that sessions will include presentations from the clerk, the marshal and representatives of key departments such as human resources, accounts, Hansard, the legal counsel’s office and communications.
“The Orientation Day will also provide new members with the opportunity to familiarise themselves with the physical spaces and resources of Gordon House and the JMEA Annex, including the Chamber, conference rooms, library and members’ lounge.
“Dedicated sessions for human resources and accounts consultations, as well as ID and official portrait photographs, will ensure that members are properly set up to execute their functions from the very first sitting,” added the statement.
Leader of Government Business in the House of Representatives, Floyd Green, underscored the importance of the exercise, stating that, “For our new members, orientation is really about laying the groundwork for service. They are stepping into Parliament at a critical time for Jamaica and it’s important that they have the tools, knowledge and support to hit the ground running. Our process will ensure that they can provide the most effective representation and also that they appreciate their roles as legislatures”.
“We are also in the process of finalising the membership of the select sessional committees of the House in a bid to ensure that by the first sitting of the House, committees can be established and can start their work immediately,” said Green.
All sessional committees were chaired by Opposition members from 2007 until 2020 when Prime Minister Andrew Holness overturned the convention that was introduced by former Prime Minister Bruce Golding.
Since 2020, only the Public Accounts Committee and Public Administration and Appropriations Committee are chaired by the Opposition.
Opposition Leader Mark Golding again signalled his opposition to the change when new MPs were sworn-in on September 18.