Saint Lucia is moving to place stronger oversight on its statutory bodies, following a high-level technical visit to Jamaica by the Parastatal Monitoring Department.
The two-day engagement, hosted by Jamaica’s Ministry of Finance and the Public Service, focused on public body monitoring, corporate governance, statutory reporting, compliance obligations and systems aimed at improving accountability across the parastatal sector.
The Parastatal Monitoring Department, which operates within the Office of the Prime Minister, is responsible for ensuring compliance among Saint Lucia’s statutory bodies. These entities, also known as parastatals, are created by law to perform specific functions on behalf of the Government.
Prime Minister Hon. Philip J. Pierre said the engagement reflects the Government’s push to improve accountability, transparency and prudent fiscal management across statutory bodies, while ensuring that lessons from Jamaica are adapted to Saint Lucia’s own circumstances.
For Pierre, the value of the exchange is not in copying another country’s framework, but in strengthening institutions so they operate with “greater efficiency, integrity and responsiveness to the people of Saint Lucia.” He said the collaboration also supports the Government’s wider agenda to build public institutions that inspire confidence and contribute to sustainable national development.
The Saint Lucian delegation was led by Permanent Secretary Ms. Josette Maxwell-Dalsou and included Senior Legal Officer Mrs. Gemyma Norville-Jules and Senior Information Officer Ms. Davina Lee.
In Jamaica, the delegation met with officials from the Ministry of Finance and the Public Service, which oversees the monitoring of public bodies. The engagement began with a high-level meeting involving Jamaica’s Minister of Finance, Hon. Fayval Williams, and senior government officials.
Those discussions centred on governance systems that go beyond routine compliance. Both sides noted that effective oversight must help protect public resources, improve decision-making and build public trust, particularly in small island developing states where statutory bodies often carry major national responsibilities.
Jamaica’s Financial Secretary, Ms. Darlene Morrison, welcomed the exchange as a useful example of regional cooperation, saying Jamaica was pleased to share its experience with Saint Lucia in support of a stronger governance framework for public bodies.
Morrison said the collaboration allowed for open regional dialogue and contributed to the continued advancement of corporate governance across the public sector. She also noted that Jamaica remained available to provide further support to the PMD if required.
A major feature of the visit was a corporate governance sensitisation forum, where officials examined statutory reporting requirements, compliance duties and the consequences of governance failures.
The forum also included a panel discussion on responsible, ethical and visionary leadership, with participation from Maxwell-Dalsou. The discussions reinforced that sound governance depends not only on laws and reporting systems, but also on leadership, values and institutional culture.
Maxwell-Dalsou said Jamaica’s model offered valuable lessons, but stressed that Saint Lucia’s reforms must be shaped around local realities, priorities and institutional needs.
She said the PMD’s focus is on developing “a practical and sustainable oversight framework” that strengthens accountability, supports better decision-making and increases confidence in statutory bodies.
Norville-Jules said the visit also demonstrated the importance of strong legislation in making oversight effective. She said Jamaica’s experience showed “how a strong legislative framework truly supports effective oversight in practice,” while reaffirming the need for Saint Lucia to strengthen its own legal structures and internal capacity.
The visit marks another step in the PMD’s work to improve how statutory bodies are monitored and supported. Officials say the focus is now on refining a governance framework that is practical, sustainable and better aligned with Saint Lucia’s institutional needs.
