Prime Minister Andrew Holness has mandated that all government ministers hold quarterly review briefings with board chairmen of entities under their portfolios.

The decree comes in the wake of a damming report from the Auditor General on issues plaguing Petrojam, in which the AG noted concern with lack of adequate oversight by responsible ministers.

Speaking at a press conference today (Dec 10) at the Office of the Prime Minister, Mr. Holness said some ministers already have regular meetings with boards, but now he is making those meetings mandatory for all ministers.

He urged ministers to always ask questions, to always seek answers, to not only rely on information from permanent secretaries, and to avoid meddling.

Holness stressed that it should no longer be the case, that ministers do not know what is happening at the entities within their portfolios.

Mr. Holness also mandated that all ministers hold bi-annual meetings with the full boards.

While noting the Auditor Generals report’s reference to use of limited resources, Mr. Holness urged ministers to ensure public entities abide by their mission.