Sectoral debate resumes as Bartlett outlines tourism recovery and opposition presses water and youth reforms

The House of Representatives resumed its sectoral debate on Tuesday, 23 June 2026, at Gordon House, with presentations led by Tourism Minister Ed Bartlett and two opposition members before the sitting moved to minimum wage business.

Bartlett, member for St. James East Central, framed his address around trust and confidence in the sector. He said Hurricane Melissa, which struck on 28 October 2025, interrupted momentum but did not break the industry, noting that Jamaica officially reopened tourism on 15 December 2025. He reported 3.7 million visitors in 2025 and outlined a shift from Tourism 2.0 to Tourism 3.0, including a 10-by-10-by-10 growth target of 10 million visitors and US$10 billion in earnings over 10 years. The minister also paid tribute to retiring Tourism Enhancement Fund chairman Godfrey Dyer and highlighted worker training, linkages with farmers, and planned air connectivity expansion.

Ian Hylton Hills, opposition spokesman on water and MP for Westmoreland Western, opened his fourth-term contribution by noting that roughly 24% of Jamaican households remain without piped water. He questioned the distribution of water projects, cited the Western Resilience Project valued at about US$425 million, and called for transparent project listing, linked transmission systems, and consolidated water governance.

Isa Buchanan, MP for Portland Eastern, challenged the government's record on school safety and child protection, citing 55 critical school incidents in one reporting year and more than 13,500 child protection reports. He supported republican reform but opposed a phased approach that would retain the Privy Council as final court, and pressed the government to debate a United States migration memorandum signed on 10 June, under which up to 25 third-country nationals could be received every fortnight. He also referenced 14 Haitian nationals who came ashore at Port Antonio earlier in the week.

House Leader Juliet Holness later suspended the sectoral debate until the next sitting, when presentations are expected from Olivia Grange, Denise Daly and Fayval Williams. The House then debated orders to raise the national minimum wage from $16,000 to $17,000 per 40-hour week, effective 1 July 2026, with opposition members arguing the move fell short of a pre-election pledge to reach $18,500 in the first budget.