Jamaicans abroad have been asked to make submissions to be discussed at a parliamentary committee on diaspora affairs.

The committee was appointed in March 2008 and its chairman and members named but since that time no meetings have been held.

When The Gleaner contacted the junior minister for foreign affairs on Monday to confirm his status as chairman of the parliamentary committee, he explained that the Clerk to the Houses of Parliament had written to the head of the Jamaica Diaspora Institute, Professor Neville Ying, requesting submis-sions from a number of groups in the diaspora. "What we did was to send a request out to the UK (United Kingdom) Canada and the United States asking for submis-sions on topics they would like to discuss," he explained.

First sitting

Dr Robinson said a meeting would be held with Professor Ying to review the submissions and select three main topics for the first sitting of the committee.

Commenting on some of the matters that might form the basis of the committee's deliberations, the junior minister for foreign affairs said the dual citizenship debate and representation on behalf of the diaspora in the Senate and or Houses of Parliament would be high on the agenda.

As part of its terms of reference, the parliamentary committee has been mandated to determine a national approach to policy on diaspora matters. It has also been asked to explore constitutional amendments or other policy shifts on parliamentary representation for Jamaicans overseas.