By Kimone Witter
The National Identification and Registration Inspectorate (NIRI) should be operational by the end of this financial year.
Members of the Electoral Commission of Jamaica (ECJ), who were appointed last year to give independent oversight of the National Identification and Registration Authority (NIRA), say they are far advanced with preparations for the inspectorate.
In its regulatory role, the inspectorate will be responsible for undertaking audits, summoning the National Identification and Registration Authority as required and taking enforcement actions.
With the impending enactment of data protection legislation, the inspectorate is also preparing to monitor the policies, procedures and practices for ensuring the privacy and confidentiality of an individual's identity under the National Identification System (NIDS).
The ECJ Commissioners say the addition of the inspectorate to their portfolio of responsibilities is a welcomed expansion of the commission's current roles and functions.
Having assumed this new task, the commissioners say steps have been taken to reposition the ECJ to ensure the smooth integration of the inspectorate with existing operations.
The commissioners also note that the role and functions formerly held by the Political Ombudsman may soon be subsumed under the ECJ.
The Commissioners will be tasked with investigating actions by political parties, their supporters or members, deemed to have breached the Political Code of Conduct.
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