By Lavern Clarke, Staff reporter
THE POSITIONS of chairman and director-general of the Statistical Institute of Jamaica will now be held by separate individuals following an approved amendment to the Statistics Act last week Tuesday that sought changes in the agency's board structure.
Minister of Finance Dr. Omar Davies who piloted the bill amending the act, also received legislative approval to increase the number of board members to a maximum of nine. The law it seeks to replace allows for a board of no less than three and no more than six directors.
However, the The Wednesday Business has learned that the Minister has been contravening the law for the past six years, having increased the board to nine back in 1996.
"It (the legislation) is really rectifying an error," Wednesday Business was told last week. The bill still has to hurdle the Senate before it becomes law.
Attempts at comment from the Ministry on why the resizing occurred ahead of the legislative change and why it took so long to amend the law, were unsuccessful.
At present, the 56-year-old Statin has eight directors, one less than the maximum just approved by the lower House. It lost one board member recently, merchant banker Peter Melhado who resigned.
The remaining directors are chairman Sonia Jackson; Dr. Carol Archer, planner/lecturer at the University of Technology and a defeated parliamentary candidate in the last election; Dr. Peter-John Gordon, Planning Institute of Jamaica; Collin Bullock, deputy governor at the Bank of Jamaica; Dr. Pat Anderson, sociology department, University of the West Indies; Allison Moore, Commissioner of Customs; Valrie Nam, Statin's director of censuses and demography; and Rose Henry of the Finance Ministry.
Dr. Davies has not changed the Board members since the new Administration took office in October, but may still do so, Wednesday Business was advised. He is expected to name a new chairman when he fills the vacancy left by Melhado.
The minister indicated to the house that the resizing was to allow for wider representation of sector interests on the board.
At present, Miss Jackson continues to hold both titles of director-general and chairman. The bill Dr. Davies piloted said the new chairman would be appointed from among the additional three board members.
The same legislation also amends Statin's fiscal year to end March 31 to harmonise the reporting periods of the various agencies that fall under the Ministry. The year previously ran from January-December. Davies assured the house that the calendar reporting done by the Statistical Institute would continue, but said the agency would also produce figures in line with the fiscal calendar.
