The Registrar General's Department (RGD) is boasting an 88 per cent success rate in processing applications from Jamaicans overseas in 2005.

Dr. Patricia Holness, registrar general and deputy keeper of the record, made the announce- ment recently while addressing Jamaicans at the Jamaica National Building Society (JNBS) Outlook for the Future series in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Dr. Holness, who is also the chief executive officer of the RGD, disclosed that of the 500 applications received from the Florida area in 2005, 440 were successfully completed. She noted that the RGD encountered difficulty in processing the remaining 60 because of inaccurate information provided and the absence of return addresses. She pointed to applications presented without entry numbers, declarants not available to sign requests made to update records, and family members returning overseas before registering a family death, as the main challenges faced in processing applications.

Decline in return mail

Dr. Holness also announced that in 2004/2005, the RGD saw a sharp decline in the number of mail to overseas applicants which were returned to the organisation. When compared with 2003/2004, there was a 60 per cent decline in return mail moving from 138 to 56 in 2004/2005.

Highlighting statistics which pointed to improved service delivery to overseas applicants, Dr. Holness noted that this was in keeping with the RGD's thrust to increase the rate at which it meets customer demand.

This, she said, was stimulated by the RGD's attainment of executive agency status in 1999. Since then, the organisation has increased its staff complement and has evolved into a more technologically-advanced and customer service-focused entity, resulting in improved service and wider offerings for all Jamaicans, regardless of whether they reside locally or overseas.

The JNBS Outlook on the Future series of forums, which began in 2003, provides informa-tion on issues of concern to the Jamaican community overseas. The event, which saw attendance from scores of Jamaicans living in Florida, also saw presentations from Cabinet Secretary, Dr. Carlton Davis, and Sophia Williams of the National Land Agency.