Social Development Commission brings state services closer to Tavern residents

Just over 300 people residing in Tavern, St Andrew, registered for free birth certificates for the first time recently at the Hope Tavern Sports Complex.

The Social Development Commission (SDC) spearheaded an initiative allowing community residents of all ages to gain access to various services provided by the State, such as the National Insurance Scheme and taxpayer registration number (TRN).

Alistair Scott, field supervisor of the SDC with responsibility for Papine, said the Registrar General's Department got on board to also help reduce the number of young people without access to state services.

"We approached the (members of parliament [MPs]) to contribute one per cent of their constituency development funds (CDF) to help people get their birth certificates," Scott told The Gleaner yesterday.

Dr St Aubyn Bartlett, MP for Eastern St Andrew, contributed $250,000 of his $20-million CDF.

He recalled a period during which it took three months to recruit 20 casual workers, as most individuals in the Tavern area did not register for TRNs and were unable to work.

"A number of people are unable to access services and they are essentially stateless. I am calling for other MPs to sponsor people in their constituencies as well," Bartlett said.