KINGSTON, Jamaica — Difficulty finding a willing and qualified retired high court judge has delayed the work of the Data Protection Oversight Committee.

This was revealed by the Minister of Science, Technology and Special Projects, Dr Andrew Wheatley, during his June 3 contribution to the Sectoral Debate in the House of Representatives. He also provided an update on delays to the work of the Office of Information Commissioner (OIC), despite the Data Protection Act being passed since 2020.

Wheatley described the Data Protection Act as “one of the most important pieces of legislation this Government has placed on the books” He noted that it established the framework for how personal data in Jamaica is collected, used, and protected. “It created the Office of the Information Commissioner as our national data protection regulator. It is a law we should be proud of,” he said.