Grange proposes amendment to Legal Deposit Act
KINGSTON, Jamaica (JIS) – The Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport is proposing amendments to the Legal Deposit Act that will make it mandatory for publishers of literary, audio-visual, sound or film recordings to deposit copies of their work with the National Library of Jamaica.
Portfolio minister, Olivia Grange said the proposed amendment is consistent with the government’s commitment to preserve and enhance the historic and social value of Jamaica’s cultural assets.“So much of our works remain a secret or are kept within the confines of our homes and offices when, in fact, we should be taking advantage of this facility – the Legal Deposits – which is the official repository to safeguard the creative works of our people,” she stated. The minister was making her 2017/18 Sectoral Debate presentation in the House of Representatives on May 30.Grange highlighted extensive research on and documentation of Jamaican music that was undertaken by South St Andrew Member of Parliament, Dr Omar Davies, noting that “we need to ensure that this work is preserved and available to present and future generations”.“The proposed amendments will foster greater access to publications by allowing the deposits to be made electronically. There has been consultation with a wide cross section of publishers before developing our proposals, which we expect to debate in this House during the year,” Grange said.Meanwhile, the minister has emphasised the need to expedite passage of the proposed Entertainment Industry Act, which aims to provide a framework for an incentive regime for entertainment and the creative industries generally.Grange said although the Act has been in draft stage since 2005, entertainment practitioners currently benefit from diverse support, including incentives under the Fiscal Incentives Act, for example the waiver of customs duties on production equipment such as film and music.“We also have a tour support programme for artistes to perform on international stages. This level of engagement is vast and it takes funding to ensure that our creative practitioners, including our entertainers, are afforded quality opportunities,” Grange said.She added that the ministry has received an allocation of $82.17 million for the financial year 2017/18 to strengthen the work of the Entertainment Division.