Andrea Downer, Features Writer

In April this year, Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller announced that a citizens' response and monitoring unit would be set up to take and address complaints from members of the public.

Press Secretary to the Prime Minister, Lincoln Robinson, told The Gleaner the unit should become operational by mid-July.

"The unit is about ready to get going. All the approval for its establishment has been obtained from the Ministry of Finance and it should become operational this month," Robinson said.

According to Robinson, the unit, which will have a maximum of five members, will include a national coordinator who will be based at the Office of the Prime Minister in Kingston, and three regional project officers, who will be assigned to all three counties. He said an administrative staff member for the national coordinator is among personnel to be hired.

The unit will take complaints from members of the public via a hotline.

"They will take complaints about anything, from a pothole to bad road, or even lack of water," Robinson said. "The regional officers will take the calls for a particular region and they will then report the concern to the appropriate ministry or agency, and liaise with that agency on the action, and report back to the citizens," he continued.

Stating that the unit's activities and progress will be closely monitored, as it will be directly under the Office of the Prime Minister, Robinson noted that there were no specific timelines for addressing complaints received from members of the public.

Report directly to the Prime Minister

"The National Coordinator will report directly to the Prime Minister. At this stage, what we are asking for is efficient and speedy turnaround," Robinson stated.

He dismissed suggestions that the members of the unit would be duplicating the roles of public servants in various government agencies and that the very small unit is likely to be overwhelmed by what they would be expected to accomplish.

Robinson revealed that the project officer for Cornwall would operate out of the Office of the Prime Minister in Montego Bay, while the project officer for Middlesex would operate out of the National Works Agency's office in Mandeville. Surrey's project officer would share location with the national coordinator at the OPM's office at Hope Road in Kingston.

Mr. Robinson was unable to confirm whether any of the positions had already been filled, but disclosed that the unit had been approved as a project unit which has a two-year lifespan.