Entertainment and security ministers meet with promoters to discuss Noise Abatement Act

Minister Grange was speaking today after a meeting Minister of National Security Dr Horace Chang, the National Environmental Planning Agency (NEPA) and other stakeholders to consider amendments to the Noise Abatement Act which regulates entertainment events.

According to Grange, the meeting “looked at hours that would be approved, days, the extensions, entertainment zones, and other relevant matters.  I’m happy to say that we have arrived at a framework within which we will work”.

Dr Chang noted that “we have been having major challenges in our entertainment activities throughout the country and some places are particularly difficult, especially places like Negril, because of the current law that controls entertainment”.

Dr Chang said today’s meeting was the beginning of a process to deal with the challenges.

“Entertainment is one of our largest industries and an area [in which] we have more of our humble people with creative talent having the opportunity to develop and give individuals good income and improve their quality of life.  And we have to ensure that we put Jamaica’s entertainment industry on a solid legal footing,” the security minister told the meeting.

Acting Deputy Commissioner of Police Fitz Bailey, said he would discuss the proposals with the commissioner, other members of the high command, as well as divisional commanders.

“We will have further dialogue because we believe that it’s a partnership approach that needs to be taken to treat with the issue of entertainment because it is important to the development of Jamaica,” ACP Bailey said.

“We don’t want entertainers to see us as their enemies. We are friends. And we want to work as best as possible to resolve some of the issues that we are currently faced with.”

Meantime, the entertainment minister said the next step is to establish a small working group to “look at the immediate amendments that can be made to the noise abatement legislation and to see how we can within the immediate future address some of the problems and arrive at solutions in relation to events”.