State in Jamaica

The Governor-General represents the Jamaican monarch, while the Prime Minister leads the Government. Sir Patrick Allen is the Governor-General and Andrew Holness is the Prime Minister according to the current state information. The Cabinet directs government policy and is collectively responsible to Parliament; it includes at least 11 other ministers and at least two senators. The Prime Minister proposes ministers and the Governor-General makes the formal appointments. The Governor-General also appoints several senior officeholders, including the Prime Minister, Cabinet members, the Chief Justice, the President of the Court of Appeal, the Director of Public Prosecutions and members of the service commissions. Parliament consists of the King, the Senate and the elected House of Representatives. The Senate has 21 members: 13 are appointed on the Prime Minister's advice and 8 on the advice of the Opposition Leader. Parliament makes laws for the peace, order and good government of Jamaica. A Bill becomes law after the Governor-General gives assent. Elections determine representation and government formation, but election administration itself belongs to the separate Elections topic. The formal administration includes ministries, departments, agencies and statutory bodies. The Cabinet Office supports the Prime Minister and Cabinet, coordinates policy across ministries and works on public-service performance and transformation. A Permanent Secretary is the senior civil servant in a ministry. The Public Service Commission handles appointments, dismissal and discipline in the civil service; the Police Service Commission and Judicial Service Commission have corresponding functions in their fields. Government services are commonly accessed through GOV.JM and the responsible ministry, department or agency. Jamaica has two spheres of government: central government and local government. The 14 local authorities comprise 12 Parish Councils, the Kingston & St Andrew Municipal Corporation and the Portmore Municipal Corporation. Councillors and mayors form the political arm, while a secretary, manager, town clerk or chief administrative officer leads the administrative arm. Local authorities may handle parochial roads, drains and gullies, street lights, markets, cemeteries, parks, sanitation, poor relief, planning and development control, trade licences, vending and parking. They can issue by-laws and receive revenue from user fees, penalties, trade licences and property taxes. The Ministry of Local Government and Community Development provides oversight. Jamaica's court system includes Justices of the Peace and Petty Sessions, Parish Courts, the Supreme Court, the Court of Appeal and the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council. Parish Courts cover functions such as criminal, civil, family, traffic, drug, tax, coroner, children and small-claims matters. The Supreme Court has unlimited first-instance criminal, civil and constitutional jurisdiction and includes specialist functions such as judicial review, commercial, revenue and gun-court work. The Court of Appeal hears appeals, while the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council is generally the highest national appeal court. The Caribbean Court of Justice has jurisdiction under the CARICOM Treaty but is not Jamaica's general final national court. The Director of Public Prosecutions is constitutionally independent and may start, authorize, take over or end prosecutions; the Attorney General advises the Government on legal matters. The Ministry of Finance and the Public Service manages fiscal and economic policy, revenue, national allocations, public debt, public-sector financial management and compensation or service conditions. Jamaica's financial year runs from April to March. The Government presents Estimates of Revenue and Expenditure for parliamentary approval, while public bodies carry out sector-specific functions. Costs depend on the service or procedure; local fees, taxes and other charges may apply. The Auditor General's Department independently examines public finances, performance and compliance and reports to Parliament. The Integrity Commission receives corruption complaints, investigates and prosecutes corruption matters, handles declarations by public officials, monitors government contracts and licences and administers protected disclosures. The Office of the Public Defender investigates complaints about constitutional breaches or maladministration by ministries, departments, agencies, statutory bodies and government-controlled companies. The Access to Information Act 2002 has operated since 2004. Any person may request access to non-exempt official documents and may seek correction of their own incomplete, misleading or outdated personal information. A request goes to the relevant public authority or its Access to Information Responsible Officer, not directly to the ATI Unit in the Office of the Prime Minister. The authority generally has up to 30 days to respond, with a justified extension of up to 30 additional days; a transferred request may take up to 14 days. An internal review must generally be requested within 30 days, and an appeal to the Appeal Tribunal within 60 days. Exemptions include certain security and intelligence data, judicial functions and protected private or national interests. The Ministry of National Security coordinates national security policy. The Jamaica Constabulary Force, or JCF, maintains law and order, protects life and property, prevents and detects crime and preserves peace; emergency calls use 119 and Crime Stop uses 311. The Jamaica Defence Force, or JDF, consists of the Army, Air Wing and Coast Guard. Under the Defence Board and the general authority of the Prime Minister, it addresses external threats and sovereignty and may support the JCF with internal security, protect airspace and maritime integrity, conduct search and rescue, assist with disaster relief and counter-narcotics or counter-terrorism operations and perform state ceremonies.