The Government approved a 35 percent fare increase for public transport operators in October 2023. The increase was to be implemented in two phases, 19 percent in October 2023 and 16 percent in April 2024.

The limited use of donated funds was highlighted by the Auditor General in a report tabled in Parliament on Tuesday. The AG noted that as of February, only $26 million of the over one billion dollars donated had been used.

The announcement was made by Agriculture Minister Floyd Green during his Sectoral Debate presentation in Parliament, yesterday. He noted that protected agriculture is critical in building resilience in the climate-vulnerable sector.

The Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM) says the relatively low rate of cash expenditure from donated funds following Hurricane Melissa was not due to inaction or a lack of recovery activity. The agency says it reflected prudent financial management in light of the availability of almost $J400M in donated building materials and sundries which were already supporting the government-directed roof repair programme.

The Opposition People's National Party has blasted the government following an Auditor General report that as at February this year, only $26 million has been spent from the more than $1 billion donated for Hurricane Melissa relief.  This was highlighted in a report tabled in Parliament yesterday.