A NUMBER of public sector agencies with revenue earning potential have been put on alert to find creative means to become self-sustaining by next year.

Prime Minister Bruce Golding put the agencies on notice yesterday during a meeting of the Standing Finance Committee of Parliament in Gordon House.

Agencies such as the Real Estate Board and the Firearm Licensing Authority will be axed from the budget for the next financial year.

The Real Estate Board has recently introduced new fees for its services.

Golding said taxpayers should not be spending money to regulate the granting of firearm licences.

"A number of these agencies have been told you have one year," he declared.

Cuts have been made in the budget to the Planning Institute of Jamaica and the Statistical Institute of Jamaica. These agencies have also been encouraged to come up with ideas to fund some of their programmes.

On another matter, the prime minister has hinted at the imposition of fees on some media entities now using radio frequencies free of cost.

"There are users of frequencies that are required by statute to pay fees. There are others that are not and I believe that there is an inequity in that arrangement," said the prime minister, adding that he would be holding discussions on the matter.