Parliamentary Committee Begins Work of Job Description

In a few months, Members of Parliament may gain a clearer understanding of their roles. For the first time, a Joint Select Committee comprising members from both the Upper and Lower Houses has been entrusted with defining the job description for MPs. If everything proceeds according to plan, MPs could receive detailed job descriptions early in 2024.

Before receiving a salary increase earlier this year, a Member of Parliament earned 4.3 million dollars annually. Their current annual salary of 12.5 million dollars is nearly three times the previous amount, and it will increase to just over 14 million next year. However, the nature of their work varies depending on who you ask. The answer may differ between what an MP assumes their role to be and what their constituents expect of them. This situation could soon change, as the select group of parliamentarians tasked with defining the MP’s job description held their inaugural meeting at the Jamaica Conference Centre on Tuesday morning. Committee Chair and Speaker of the House of Representatives, Marisa Dalrymple Philibert, described the committee’s mission as a bold move by the Prime Minister. Mrs. Dalrymple-Philibert proposed that the committee should produce a report by the end of the current parliamentary year in February 2024. Watch the report: