http://www.gibconnect.com/~thekey/press/ THE KEY PRESS RELEASE en Thu, 17 May 2012 13:46:53 GMT http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss UseBB Ocean Village deal down to GSD Government incompetence

“The deal was done for electoral purposes and the deal has cost the taxpayer about £ 4 million in lost revenue.”

It is obvious that the Leader of the Opposition Peter Caruana has still not come to terms with the fact that he lost the general election. It is also clear that he has failed to realize that one of the main reasons that contributed to his election defeat was precisely his intolerant and dictatorial approach to most issues and an inability to respect the fact that different people are entitled to different views.

In the same way, a different Government is perfectly entitled to a different policy in relation to the agreement with Ocean Village or indeed in relation to any other matter. Mr Caruana, not content with having dictated from Government what the then Opposition and everyone else had to do , now also wants to dictate from the Opposition benches what the new Government should and should not be doing as well. The GSLP/Liberal Government does not need Mr Caruana’s permission to implement our commitments.

During the general election campaign, the GSLP/Liberals called on the then GSD Government to publish the details of the agreement with Ocean Village.
They did not publish the details. Given that the content is now in the public domain, Gibraltar knows why the GSD administration did not publish it. It is the policy of the new Government that people are entitled to information of this kind. Mr Caruana may very well think that this should all have been kept secret from the public, that is his right, but what he cannot do with any degree of credibility is to criticize the new Government for the increased level of transparency that we have shown on this and on other issues. Given the failure of the GSD administration to publish the agreement, it is only logical that GSLP/Liberals should be consistent in Government with what we said in Opposition and publish it ourselves.

Moreover, the Opposition has completely misrepresented the policy of the new Government in relation to the composite agreement with Ocean Village.
The new
Government has not criticized the developer for having secured the best deal to suit his own commercial interests, we have been critical of the previous GSD Government for the political incompetence that led them to find themselves in the position where they had to sign such a deal in the first place.

It will be recalled that the strip of water next to the runway was already in public ownership. It was the GSD Government that proceeded to sell the water to Ocean Village just before the 2007 general election. The strip of water had been valued at about £300,000 in 2006. They then went into the 2007 election with a pledge to provide berths for small boats. In order to fulfill their pledge, they proceeded to negotiate the return of the waters that they had sold in the first place by making all kinds of concessions to the developer elsewhere in exchange. This was signed a matter of days before the 2011 election was called.

This deal was purely and simply motivated by electoral considerations with scant concern for the loss in revenue to the taxpayer. This loss in revenue, far from being plucked out of the air, has been calculated at about £ 4 million by the professionals who advise the Government on these matters. Indeed, the loss is probably even more because there were some aspects of the agreement that were not given a value when the calculation was done.

Therefore Mr Caruana cannot hide from the facts. The deal was done for electoral purposes and the deal has cost the taxpayer about £ 4 million in lost revenue. He may try to cloud the issue with the usual tactics of personal attacks, playing on words and making over the top comments.
This does not work any more because people are tired of this destructive approach to politics which should be a thing of the past.

The GSLP/Liberal Government will continue to scrutinize the way in which public money was spent by the GSD administration and the way in which certain contracts were allocated and will make further statements on these matters as and when we deem necessary whether Mr Caruana likes it or not.]]> http://www.gibconnect.com/~thekey/press/topic.php?post=998#post998 http://www.gibconnect.com/~thekey/press/post.php?topic=998&quotepost=998 Sat, 04 Feb 2012 14:50:59 GMT http://www.gibconnect.com/~thekey/press/topic.php?post=998#post998 GHA: new GSLP Liberal Government is dealing with the inherited GSD legacy.

The Opposition spokesperson on Health Isobel Ellul Hammond has expressed “dissatisfaction” with the Minister for Health Dr John Cortes for the handling of the recent norovirus outbreak in St Bernard’s Hospital.

Given that the procedures and the practices in place today are the same ones that the new Government inherited from the previous GSD administration, it is only logical to assume that she must have been equally dissatisfied with the way her party dealt with this issue when they were in Government.

Indeed, it will be recalled that in February last year there was a similar outbreak in St Bernard’s Hospital, which was deemed to be so serious that a number of wards actually had to be closed down. It was not until about a week later that the then GSD Government, through the GHA, saw it fit to inform the public and this also happened after reports in the press. In contrast, on this occasion, no wards needed to be closed. The GHA, and the Minister, were closely following the situation from the start, and had to determine the details and seriousness of the occurrence before being able to make any responsible and factual public statement. The fact that the virus died out in a few days meant that the issue was over before there was enough information to make any worthwhile statement. The slight re-occurrence several days later was much less significant. Standard infection-control procedures are in place to tackle the situation.

The Opposition are free to behave as if the world started with the change of Government on 9th December 2011 and as if they had not been in office for more than fifteen years prior to that. The reality is that everyone knows that the new Government has been in place for less than two months and is coping in many areas with the inadequate legacy that we have inherited.

The Opposition have said that the response is “irresponsible” and “ill-timed”. They have not said why, when they were in Government, they acted in the same way almost exactly a year ago and whether at the time this was also “irresponsible” and “ill-timed”!

The new Minister for Health Dr John Cortes has done a magnificent job already working round the clock to put right some of the things that the GSD Government was doing wrongly. This has included meeting staff, patients and relatives, and dealing with the continuing problem of lack of beds inherited from the GSD, who left the health service in a state of crisis only now being seriously tackled.]]> http://www.gibconnect.com/~thekey/press/topic.php?post=997#post997 http://www.gibconnect.com/~thekey/press/post.php?topic=997&quotepost=997 Sat, 04 Feb 2012 14:48:28 GMT http://www.gibconnect.com/~thekey/press/topic.php?post=997#post997 GHA TO HOLD MEETINGS IN PUBLIC

The Board of the Gibraltar Health Authority (GHA), set up under the Medical (Gibraltar Health Authority) Act, met last week for the first time under the chairmanship of the new Minister for Health and Environment Dr John Cortes.

At the meeting, a motion was passed unanimously, agreeing that future meetings of the Gibraltar Health Authority should be held in public. The motion was brought by the Minister as part of the new GSLP Liberal Government’s policy of open government, and fulfils another Manifesto Commitment.

This follows soon after the first public meeting of the Development and Planning Commission held last week.

In view of the sensitive nature of some of the matters dealt with by the Health Authority, public meetings of the Authority will be followed by "in-camera" sessions of the Board where matters relating to patients or staff, which clearly have to remain confidential, will be discussed.

The first public meeting of the GHA will be held next month.]]> http://www.gibconnect.com/~thekey/press/topic.php?post=996#post996 http://www.gibconnect.com/~thekey/press/post.php?topic=996&quotepost=996 Sat, 04 Feb 2012 14:46:00 GMT http://www.gibconnect.com/~thekey/press/topic.php?post=996#post996 GSLP Liberal Government releases concealed Upper Rock Report

“It is only right and proper that such a work, which is of general interest to the community, should be placed in the public domain.”

A report on the Upper Rock Nature Reserve which the former GSD administration had not made public for six years has been released today by Minister for the Environment Dr John Cortes. This is in line with the new Government's philosophy of openness and transparency.

The report, prepared in 2005, was part of an EU co-funded project which was researched and written by Charles Perez and Dr Keith Bensusan of the Gibraltar Ornithological & Natural History Society (GONHS) and presented to the Government at the time.

While Government officials looked into the report, no reply was very forthcoming nor was the report made public or given its full credit.

The Report, entitled Upper Rock Nature Reserve - A Management and Action Plan, runs to nearly 300 pages and includes many photographs. It was prepared following interviews with many stakeholders and considerable original research, including traffic surveys.

The new Government is pleased to release it to the public. It does not constitute Government policy on the Upper Rock, and is just one of the documents it will consider in formulating a plan for the area, but it wishes to acknowledge and recognize the work involved in producing it and the amount of information contained.

The document will be of interest to many, including those interested in natural history, and to educationalists.

Minister for the Environment John Cortes commented, "Government will soon be calling for members of the public, organsations, commercial entities and others to submit their ideas on the future of the Upper Rock, just as it has done on marine issues and on traffic. The report released today is only one of the many documents that will be considered, but it is only right and proper that such a work, which is of general interest to the community, should be placed in the public domain. "

Copies of the publication are available at the Department of the Environment in Duke of Kent House, the Nature Shop in Casemates, and will be available on the Government website and the GONHS website.]]> http://www.gibconnect.com/~thekey/press/topic.php?post=995#post995 http://www.gibconnect.com/~thekey/press/post.php?topic=995&quotepost=995 Sat, 04 Feb 2012 14:44:14 GMT http://www.gibconnect.com/~thekey/press/topic.php?post=995#post995 Fresh start for Laguna Youth Club

Laguna Youth Club reopened on Monday 15th December 2011 following its
closure for refurbishment. The youth club will once again offer
youngsters in the North district a wide variety of opportunities to
develop their personal abilities and contribute to our community in
general.

A meeting was held with the youngsters, parents and the Laguna Tenants
Association on Monday 16th January 2012 to offer the opportunity to
meet the new team of youth workers responsible for the youth club.

Youngsters will be encouraged to get involved in the decision making
process of what goes on, as the youth club will hold regular meetings to
discuss activities and events of interest to user groups. The different
programmes will include organised events on some weekends throughout the
year.

Monday 23rd January 2012 was our first event, which involved
beautifying our immediate environment by clearing rubbish and overgrown
plants that had accumulated in the rear patio. The next phase of our
programme will be held on Saturday 4th February 2012 where the
youngsters will paint over unsightly graffiti so as to give the youth
club a very much needed face lift.

To take the programme focus away from the youth club, members from
Laguna Youth Club will also have the opportunity to go on a countryside
walk to a river in the mountains near Algeciras on Saturday 25th
February 2012. Members will consider the importance of abiding by the
Country Code towards respecting our environment.

In addition to the environment project, a life skills programme will
run concurrently and will begin with a focus on food hygiene, kitchen
safety and cooking. This will beheld at the youth club every Tuesday
night.]]> http://www.gibconnect.com/~thekey/press/topic.php?post=994#post994 http://www.gibconnect.com/~thekey/press/post.php?topic=994&quotepost=994 Sat, 04 Feb 2012 14:41:37 GMT http://www.gibconnect.com/~thekey/press/topic.php?post=994#post994 GSLP Liberal Government has put its “Future Jobs Strategy in place

The new GSLP Liberal Government has today commenced the implementation of its policy commitment to have the future jobs strategy in place by no later than the 1st February.

The initial stage in this process is the incorporation of all the persons who were until yesterday (January 31) in VTS schemes which paid an allowance of up to £450 a month. These persons fall into a number of categories including those in sheltered employment and undergoing training in nursing and in other areas. In addition, there are a number who are placed with private employers but where there has been no commitment to provide employment at the firm’s expense at the end of the training period and invariably many if not most of those in such schemes have finished the training only to return to the unemployment lists.

Under the system introduced today, each of those employers will be contacted and asked to enter into a binding agreement with the government to provide employment or refund the expense incurred by Government in the wages incurred by trainees from now up to the point of completion of the training. Since not all employers will be in a position to enter unto such a commitment, the trainees that are in those areas will be transferred to other areas where the commitment will be provided. Alongside this scheme, there is a scheme for unemployed graduates and for graduates currently on a £450 a month allowance.

The assessment of the employment service is that the persons resident in Gibraltar and seeking employment is in excess of 1300. This is higher than the figure indicated by the GSD during the election campaign when they claimed that providing employment on the minimum wage to everybody who was unemployed would cost £11m, which at an annual cost of £10k per person unemployed, would translate into 1100 unemployed.

This therefore is the real level of unemployment and not the 450-500 persons a month that has been given in the past as the level of unemployment and which led the GSD Government consistently to boast that we had an unemployment level last year of 2% or under. The real figure has been and continues to be in the range of 8-9% of the resident working population, when one includes all the categories of people seeking employment, including those on training schemes, those wait listed and other Gibraltar residents primarily British, Moroccan and other nationalities.

This is the position as was explained in Parliament in answer to questions recently and as has been further directly explained by Employment Minister Joe Bossano to those taking up employment with the wholly-owned Government company at the meeting attended by some 400 young people today.]]> http://www.gibconnect.com/~thekey/press/topic.php?post=993#post993 http://www.gibconnect.com/~thekey/press/post.php?topic=993&quotepost=993 Fri, 03 Feb 2012 11:07:22 GMT http://www.gibconnect.com/~thekey/press/topic.php?post=993#post993 GSLP Liberal Government’s final word on Algeciras Ferry (Medex) statement

The GSLP Liberal Government says it does not understand why Mr Jose Rodriguez of Medex Lines, the company running the Algeciras ferry, continues to purposely mislead the public with his false statements and innuendo against the Government.

In his latest spate of remarks, Mr Rodriguez has tried to politicise the Medex saga even further by suggesting that the Government’s true aim is to rubbish the collapsed ferry link project because it was a GSD initiative. This is of course absurd and simply not true.

The Government has no desire to politicise this matter any further. It has already said everything it needs to in connection with this issue.]]> http://www.gibconnect.com/~thekey/press/topic.php?post=992#post992 http://www.gibconnect.com/~thekey/press/post.php?topic=992&quotepost=992 Fri, 03 Feb 2012 11:06:30 GMT http://www.gibconnect.com/~thekey/press/topic.php?post=992#post992 Government slams GSD Opposition misinformation over supply of information

“The new administration has done more for direct democracy in less than two months than the GSD ever did in nearly sixteen years.”

The GSLP/Liberal Government has already provided more unsolicited statistical information to the public than the GSD Opposition ever did in nearly sixteen years in office.

Therefore the claim by the Opposition that it faces an “impregnable wall” in Parliament is complete nonsense.

Moreover, monthly meetings of the Parliament for questions have now commenced, meaning that the days of 2 or 3 meetings a year, as became the norm under the previous GSD administration, are now a thing of the past.

Opposition member Damon Bossino should therefore take all these factors into consideration before criticising the democratic credentials of the GSLP/Liberal Government. The new administration has done more for direct democracy in less than two months than the GSD ever did in nearly sixteen years.

The plain fact is that the Government has not refused to answer questions on any matter.

The problem is that the Opposition do not agree with the answers provided and believe that they should get the answer that they want.

Mr Bossino must understand that the issue is not that the Opposition engages with the Government at question-time, but rather that the Opposition tables questions seeking information which the Government answers. The rules of the Parliament do not allow questions to be a pretext for debate.

The Opposition spokesman asked a series of less than interesting questions about a bus time-table. He also pursued a line of questioning on a consultation process in traffic planning in respect of which he was told that further details would be available soon. Not satisfied with this, he continued to ask the same question.

The Government has answered all the questions put by the Opposition. In fact our answers were much fuller than much of what we ever got from the GSD while they were in office. Mr Bossino and his colleagues would do well to read up on how their Leader treated Parliament in the past before making baseless accusations of this kind.]]> http://www.gibconnect.com/~thekey/press/topic.php?post=991#post991 http://www.gibconnect.com/~thekey/press/post.php?topic=991&quotepost=991 Fri, 03 Feb 2012 11:05:11 GMT http://www.gibconnect.com/~thekey/press/topic.php?post=991#post991 GSLP Liberal Government honours manifesto on Guaranteed Superannuation Fund – Pension Scheme

In line with its manifesto commitment, the GSLP Liberal Government is pleased to announce the introduction the ‘Guaranteed Superannuation Fund - Pension Scheme’.

This is a defined-contribution occupational pension scheme, which is available to employees in both the Public Sector and the Private Sector, as well as to self-employed persons in Gibraltar.

All funds in the pension scheme will be invested in the Gibraltar Savings Bank and will therefore be fully guaranteed by the Government.
The scheme will be administered by the Treasury Department of the Government and administration and investment management charges will be nominal.

Further details and application forms are available at the offices of the Treasury Department, Treasury Building, 23 John Mackintosh Square.
Contact: Telephone
20070073; Email vbautista@treasury.gov.gi

Full Commutation on Final Salary Schemes The Government is also pleased to announce that commutation of up to 100%, which is currently available for defined-contribution pension schemes, will be extended to all approved final-salary pension schemes in Gibraltar.]]> http://www.gibconnect.com/~thekey/press/topic.php?post=990#post990 http://www.gibconnect.com/~thekey/press/post.php?topic=990&quotepost=990 Fri, 03 Feb 2012 11:04:07 GMT http://www.gibconnect.com/~thekey/press/topic.php?post=990#post990 GSLP Liberal Government declares it is not in the business of “political persecution” of Medex – the Algeciras ferry operator

“Mr Rodriguez may be trying to make political inroads with the PP government by attacking the Government of Gibraltar with these falsehoods”

The Government notes with astonishment the untrue statements made by Medex Lines S.L. in an article entitled “Medex Lines recrimina a Gibraltar su "persecución política" a la naviera” publicised in the Europa Sur website on the 29th January 2012 (http://www.europasur.es/article/maritimas/1171186/medex/lines/recrimina/gibraltar/s
u/persecucion/politica/la/naviera.html).

The Government of Gibraltar is not in the business of “political persecution” with Medex Lines or otherwise.

It was not until Monday 23rd of January 2012 that Neil Costa MP, the Minister with responsibility for the Port and Mr Jose Rodriguez, who represents the ferry operator first met to discuss the ferry operation.
At the meeting, Mr Rodriguez explained why the Company was facing closure. He said that the reason why the operation was not sustainable was because during the off peak season the Company did not generate enough revenue to cover operational costs. He also said it was not the first time the operation faced closure due to the business not being sustainable. Transcoma S.A., the company that initially setup the Service, pulled out after it decided to consolidate its core business and sell off or close all other business interests. Transcoma made a loss of over 600,000€ the first year the ferry service came into operation. The ferry service business was sold to another investor who rebranded it as Medex Lines. The new investor has now also pulled out of the operation.

At the meeting of 23rd January 2012, Mr Rodriguez approached the Government requesting assistance in securing interest from a Gibraltar company to take over the running of the operation. The Government agreed to give urgent attention to this issue and discuss the matter in Cabinet at the first opportunity. A few days later, on Friday 27th January 2012, Medex Lines circulated a statement announcing the imminent closure of the ferry link. This was then followed by the article in Europa Sur website.

The Government would be happy to support a regular ferry service between Gibraltar and Algeciras. It would also be prepared to support an application which seeks to set up a regular cargo service between the Ports.

Mr Rodriguez may be trying to make political inroads with the PP government by attacking the Government of Gibraltar with these falsehoods and without allowing the Government an opportunity to deal with his request for support. It is unfortunate he has chosen to do this, especially as he claims to be a great supporter of Gibraltar.]]> http://www.gibconnect.com/~thekey/press/topic.php?post=989#post989 http://www.gibconnect.com/~thekey/press/post.php?topic=989&quotepost=989 Fri, 03 Feb 2012 11:02:40 GMT http://www.gibconnect.com/~thekey/press/topic.php?post=989#post989 GSD Opposition's sour grapes over government’s new planning reforms

The GSD Opposition need to come out of Government mode and realise that they have lost the election and are now in Opposition. It is obvious from their public statements that they do not understand that the new Government was elected to implement our policies and our manifesto and not the policies and the manifesto of the GSD.

The recent statement on the reforms to the Development and Planning Commission by Opposition Member Selwyn Figueras is a case in point. Mr Figueras accuses the new Government in the same breath both of not having gone far enough and of having gone too far. He has said, on the one hand that the Government has performed a u-turn by not submitting Government projects to the DPC for approval. Then, on the other hand, he has said that "Gibraltar simply cannot function without the Government retaining the last word on projects it undertakes".

It is obvious that the new Opposition is on a learning curve. However, they must not fall into the habit of following their Leader who has had us accustomed over the years to interpreting what the position of everyone else should be and in the process misrepresenting it completely.

The position of the Government is as explained by the Government and not as explained by the Opposition.

The new Government has already stated that at this stage, Government projects will be submitted to the Development and Planning Commission for an opinion and for guidance.

The new Government has also made clear that in the second stage of its reforms, the approval of the Development and Planning Commission will be required for Government projects.

It is therefore a bit rich for Mr Figueras to accuse the new Government of a "u-turn" or of "grandstanding" when the GSD are themselves totally opposed to increasing the transparency of the DPC in the first place and when this is something that they never did when they were in power. The Opposition cannot run with the hare and hunt with the hounds at the same time.

The Opposition shows unbelievable hypocrisy in expressing concern as to who would advise DPC on technical matters. When in Government, the GSD systematically failed even to inform the Town Planner of its projects, let alone ask for advice, opting instead to bulldoze them through without the advice of the Town Planning Department. In complete contrast, the Town Planning Department will now be able to fulfil its role in advising on all projects.

The Government also condemns the Opposition's personal attack on the Town Planner.

Not content with questioning his role within the confines of Parliament, the Opposition has chosen to do so again, questioning his ability to effectively chair the DPC and suggesting that it is bizarre for him to do so. The Town Planner is a highly experienced professional fully capable of chairing the DPC, which he did most successfully at the first public meeting last Wednesday. Indeed the seismic significance in terms of open government and transparency of the public meeting seems to have escaped Opposition spokesman Selwyn Figueras completely.

What is indeed bizarre is that the Leader of the Opposition, who was clearly well aware as Chief Minister that he repeatedly failed to consult Town Planning or the DPC on his projects should now allow one of his junior Opposition members to criticise the new Government for not being as secretive as the last GSD administration! In a very short period of time, the GSLP/Liberal Government has opened up the planning process. There are still more reforms to come and no amount of sour grapes from the Opposition is going to derail them.]]> http://www.gibconnect.com/~thekey/press/topic.php?post=988#post988 http://www.gibconnect.com/~thekey/press/post.php?topic=988&quotepost=988 Fri, 03 Feb 2012 11:01:25 GMT http://www.gibconnect.com/~thekey/press/topic.php?post=988#post988 CHIEF MINISTER REACTS TO MR CARUANA'S STATEMENT ON PUBLIC FINANCES

“We will not allow him to pretend that black is white.”

The Chief Minister, Fabian Picardo, has noted the statement by the Leader of the Opposition on the challenging state of public finances as has become apparent after the General Election.

Speaking from London, Mr Picardo said: "I have noted that Mr Caruana has chosen to insult me whilst accepting the accuracy of the figures from the Treasury which I have quoted. These figures, which come from the same impeccable source as Mr Caruana had when in Government, confirm that the recurring losses of government companies have not been reflected in government accounts whilst he was in office.

The Leader of the Opposition has accepted that the £59m due from companies to the Government have not been repaid and has infact risen to £87m already and that therefore the usable cash available to the new Government after the election was only £20m.

Those are very important and very clear admissions indeed on the part of the Leader of the Opposition.

In essence, the facts are that Mr Caruana has confirmed the whole of the substance of everything I said in my Ministerial Statement of last week.
As he is doing in relation to the reality of the recent disclosures now catching up with him, the Leader of the Opposition is simply trying to hide from the effects of the truth. We will not allow him to pretend that black is white.

In the interim, what really matters to the people of Gibraltar is providing solutions, making public finances strong again and changing Gibraltar for the better. Many of my meetings in London are designed to do this, strengthening our position - because that is what really matters to all of us. I am confident we are well on the road to doing that."

GSD Government’s scandalous deal with Ocean Village

The new Government has investigated the deal that was negotiated and signed by the previous administration with the Ocean Village group nine days before they called the general election. When in Opposition and during the general election campaign, calls were made for the then GSD Government to publish the deal. They failed to do so. In the public interest and in keeping with the position that we took during the general election, the new Government has decided to publish the deal in full so that the electorate can judge for themselves whether this represented a good deal for the taxpayer.

The new Government is in no doubt that the deal was rushed through for electoral reasons in order to accommodate the promise made by the previous administration to provide more berths for small boats. It will be recalled that on 19th October 2011 a Government press release announced their intention to construct 221 new moorings for small boat owners parallel to the runway and adjacent to Marina Bay. They said at the time that there had been “protracted negotiations with the developers of Marina Bay who own these waters”. However, no details were made available as to the nature of the negotiations and what the developers had been given in exchange.

This area of water next to the runway was valued at £267,000 in October 2006. It was sold to the Ocean Village group before the 2007 general elections. In a deal signed just before they called the 2011 elections, the Government assumed public ownership of the waters once more. The information available to the new Government indicates that this has cost the taxpayer millions of pounds in premiums and other fees that have been simply waived and brushed aside by the previous administration.

The deal with the Ocean Village group is summarised as follows.
1. Gardens of Beauty (site of old Casino in Europa Road) No objection by the Government to the extension of the planning permit to 31st July 2014.
No premium to be charged for such an extension. The extension to the planning permit has not been valued.

2. Old Key Transport Site
No objection to planning application. No premium to be charged for new 150 year lease, even though the grant of the lease was valued at £125,000. The entirety of the proposed development was outside the Ocean Village demised areas. The company only had a license over a small part of the site.

3. Tourist Information Kiosk
Government would not object to the Ocean Village group building a tourist information kiosk in the south-west corner of Majestic Ocean Plaza.

4. Car parking requirements
No objection to ratio of 1 parking space for each 180m2 of commercial space, 1:1.2 parking spaces for residential except studio apartments where it is 1:1, 200 parking spaces for visitors for the Marina Bay and Ocean Village areas, for Royal Ocean Plaza ratio to be 1:1.

The agreement is silent on the question of additional development rights obtained with the latest planning permits which is valued at between £2.36 million and £2.8 million.

5. Presence at the cruise liner terminal and coach park Government permits Ocean Village to have presence at Cruise Liner Terminal to promote Ocean Village. Signage at Coach Park advertising facilities, amenities located in Ocean Village/Marina Bay. No premium or charge for this presence.

6. The Waterside Villas
Government to support Outline Planning Application, no further premium.
Government to support vehicular access to villas. This is an additional development area of 1060 m2 valued at £196,000. Vehicular access means that the aim is for cars to drive into Marina Bay in between Tradewinds and the Mexican restaurant and then proceed (in the direction of what is now the sea), up a parallel access road, towards the project.

7. Sails
Government will not object to enclosing and change of use of the terraces in the Sails 1 and Sails 2 and in the future of Sails 3. This is the area on top of the restaurants. No premium charged. This would have been £32,500 premium in each case.

8. Fourth floor Leisure Island
Change of use from Leisure to office valued at £400,000. Premium will not be charged.

9. Lucas Imossi Site
Approved already for residential use. No premium charged. Premium value of redevelopment of the site to residential is £1.1 million. No objection if they apply for a scheme that involves office block or hotel. No premium to be charged either.
10. Watergardens area of water

Gradual reduction of berths and at end of the process lease over area of water for 150years with no premium on the same terms as waters they already hold. This has not been valued given the gradual approach.

11. Government tenders
Government will put out tender for 15,000 m2 of office space. Then goes on to stipulate the terms and conditions of the tender. When tender awarded land shall be leased for 150 years at a nominal rent. If a company that is already building or about to build office accommodation is awarded the tender then they would have 72 months from the date of commencement to complete the development.

12. Dry stacking and storage facility
A section of land on possible Western Beach reclamation designated to Ocean Village group for dry staking and general storage purposes. Will be provided elsewhere if there is no reclamation. 150 year lease at nominal rent and payment of £10,000 for the lease. With direct access to the sea and the public highway such as to permit articulated lorries.

13. Development Aid
No objection and no charge or premium in respect of any Development Aid Application of 40% in respect of World Trade Centre.
Commenting on the matter, Acting Chief Minister Dr Joseph Garcia said:
"This means that the lost income to the taxpayer as a result of the deal is about £4 million.

This loss came about in order to get back a strip of water that we are told was valued at less than £300,000. The new Government does not have the same interest in this strip of water and is taking advice on the deal that was signed only a matter of days before the previous administration became a caretaker Government. This is absolutely scandalous.”]]> http://www.gibconnect.com/~thekey/press/topic.php?post=987#post987 http://www.gibconnect.com/~thekey/press/post.php?topic=987&quotepost=987 Fri, 03 Feb 2012 10:57:16 GMT http://www.gibconnect.com/~thekey/press/topic.php?post=987#post987 Feetham stymied over statistical data questions in Parliament

In a statement published on Wednesday, GSD Opposition Member Daniel Feetham said that the new Opposition would not adopt the "politically sterile" tactics of "asking a barrage of statistical questions" at Thursday’s meeting of Parliament.

Mr Feetham failed to mention that the reason why they cannot ask the same statistical questions that used to be asked in the past is because the new Government has now published the statistical information that they themselves used to request in Parliament.

The rules of Parliament do not allow questions to be asked if the information is already in the public domain. This means that Mr Feetham could not ask for this statistical data even if he wanted to!]]> http://www.gibconnect.com/~thekey/press/topic.php?post=986#post986 http://www.gibconnect.com/~thekey/press/post.php?topic=986&quotepost=986 Fri, 20 Jan 2012 20:44:24 GMT http://www.gibconnect.com/~thekey/press/topic.php?post=986#post986 Former GSD Government got its priorities wrong over tunnel and air terminal

“There are plenty more projects like the new KGV hospital and the alzheimers and dementia home which are of more urgent social need to the community and which should have been come first.”

It is obvious that the GSLP – Liberal Government and the GSD Opposition are not going to agree on the need for the new air terminal building and the value of the tunnel project. This is because we have different policies on the issue which means that we will continue to regard the projects from a different perspective.

The bottom line is that it is not only a question of policy; it is also a question of priority.

The new Government does not consider that the priority given by the previous Government to the air terminal and to the tunnel was appropriate. There are plenty more projects like the new KGV hospital and the alzheimers and dementia home which are of more urgent social need to the community and which should have been come first. Instead the previous Government chose to pump millions and millions of pounds into the tunnel and the air terminal. The fact that labour was withdrawn from other sites in order to open the air terminal for public viewing before the general election is proof enough that the priorities of the previous administration were of an electoral nature.

It is well known that the new Government would have preferred to expand, refurbish and modernize the existing air terminal instead of constructing a new one on a different site next to the frontier fence.

This would have cost considerably less than 75 million euros.

The relocation had nothing to do with “courage” or “foresight” it was simply the result of a political agreement with the Spanish Government that bound the GSD administration to move the building next to the frontier. Having said all this, the argument about the air terminal is academic at this stage because it is already there and we have to try and make it work, even though we would clearly not have gone down that road. While political debate is healthy, we should not lose sight of the fact that on most days there are only three flights which have come and gone by around 3pm!

It is wrong to suggest that the Government is dragging its feet on the completion of the new air terminal. The new Government actually accorded the project a considerable degree of importance once we were elected because of the financial liability that the previous Government had left behind.

This was reflected in the visit by the Chief Minister soon after the election and the two visits by the Deputy Chief Minister, one of which was with the Minister for Tourism. The problem is that from the very start of our term of office the completion dates that have been supplied to the new Government are not the same as the completion dates that the old Government say were given to them. The only logical conclusion is that the viewing and partial opening was accelerated for electoral reasons.

The fact is that the cost of the terminal has escalated from the moment the project was first announced and before the tender had been even awarded. These costs have continued to spiral without an explanation or a reason why. It is significant to note that the 75 million euros does not include the cost of relocating the MOD and Gibraltar Government facilities that have had to be moved as a result of the air terminal and associated works.

This run into well over £10 million at the last count.

The situation with regard to the tunnel is even worse. The GSD is taking a position on this which is similar to that which they adopted on the Theatre Royal project which is that it had to be completed no matter the cost. This position was only abandoned very late in the day and many millions of pounds later. The Opposition now accept that completion would cost in excess of £50 million, in addition to what has been spent already, but they inexplicably add that this represents a “good, worthwhile and necessary investment”. This does not make any sense.

How can it be a “good, worthwhile and necessary investment” when the estimated cost of completion and the money paid out together represents more than double the original tender price?

Commenting on the matter, the Deputy Chief Minister Dr Joseph Garcia said: “In a democratic society Government and Opposition normally have diverging views on a wide range of issues and this is perfectly acceptable and something that we respect. However, the new Government has an obligation to hold the Opposition to account for what they have done during their time in Government. This we intend to do.”]]> http://www.gibconnect.com/~thekey/press/topic.php?post=985#post985 http://www.gibconnect.com/~thekey/press/post.php?topic=985&quotepost=985 Fri, 20 Jan 2012 20:42:25 GMT http://www.gibconnect.com/~thekey/press/topic.php?post=985#post985 GHA STATEMENT ON PIP Implants

The GHA has been following the issue of PIP Implants and the concern in regard to the lack of medical grade silicone within this particular type of implant. The implants involved are called Poly Implant Prosthèse (PIP) and were manufactured by a French company.

The concern first arose in early 2010, when it was found that the manufacturer had apparently filled the implant with industrial grade silicone rather than medical grade silicone, rendering them more likely to rupture, and the products were banned for further use. In January 2011, the US Food & Drugs Administration published a study showing a very small risk of lymphoma ( a type of cancer) linked to any breast implant, but this cancer link has been now been firmly discounted by medical experts.

In December 2011, following a case of lymphoma in a woman who had had the PIP implant, the French authorities advised removal of all PIP implants as a precautionary measure. Other European regulators, including the UK, believe that this would be an over-reaction given that cancers or ruptures have not been reported in other countries and have advised users of these implants that there is not enough evidence to recommend their early removal. Surgical removal of implants itself carries its own risks.

The NHS Medical Director, Professor Sir Bruce Keogh, who led an expert review group, said: “On the basis of the information we have, we do not think it is necessary to recommend the routine removal of these implants.”

The expert review group also advised that there was no evidence to date of any increased risk of cancer associated with this particular type of implant.

The GHA can now confirm that no patients have had PIP implants fitted at St Bernard’s Hospital or through the GHA on referral to the Royal Marsden Hospital.

The GHA is not aware of any PIP implants being fitted on referral by the GHA in any other NHS facilities. However, the GHA is aware that any patients fitted with such implants will be notified by that NHS trust. The GHA will assist any GHA referred patient in obtaining that information, if they need help.

If any women, who have received PIP implants as GHA sponsored patients are identified, and they wish to receive more personalised advice or are worried, they should book a consultation with GP or their surgeon via their GP, who will offer clinical advice on the best way forward. This may include further tests, such as scans or MRI. If a woman and her doctor decide that removal and replacement of PIP implants is the right thing to do, the GHA will arrange for this.

With regard to Gibraltar residents who have had breast implants fitted privately, they have been advised to check with the hospital, clinic or surgeon who fitted them. If they have been fitted with PIP implants by a hospital, clinic or surgeon, they may be entitled to have them replaced, by that clinic free of charge.

If the hospital, clinic or surgeon that fitted the prosthesis is unavailable or unwilling to replace the implant; then the GHA will offer a consultation with the visiting consultant plastic surgeon to discuss the way forward. If removal and replacement of the implant is advised, and the original implants have been inserted for medical reasons this will be carried out free of charge.

For those entitled patients whose implants were originally inserted for cosmetic reasons there will be a charge for the implants.]]> http://www.gibconnect.com/~thekey/press/topic.php?post=984#post984 http://www.gibconnect.com/~thekey/press/post.php?topic=984&quotepost=984 Wed, 18 Jan 2012 08:35:07 GMT http://www.gibconnect.com/~thekey/press/topic.php?post=984#post984 GSLP Liberal Government Opening of Calpe Ward to ease pressure

"The Government will not hesitate to fulfil its duty to further bring the many failures of the former administration into the public domain and especially any that were concealed for electoral purposes."


Minister for Health Dr John Cortes has announced that the Government Has approved the opening of Calpe Ward in St Bernard’s Hospital. The Gibraltar Health Authority and the Care Agency have already put the necessary steps in motion to equip and staff a new 18 bed unit in order to relieve pressure on beds and allow capacity for acute cases and for surgery. This will prevent patients having to wait overnight in the Accident & Emergency Department and will avoid the need to cancel elective surgery. Elderly patients, in particular, will be able to move into this ward and allow space in the Acute wards. This measure will enable the GHA to provide beds for acute cases, which had been lost due to the lack of commitment to and understanding of Gibraltar’s health needs by the former GSD Government.

In reply to the press release from the Opposition, the Government notes that there is nothing disingenuous about its original statement. The inescapable proof of the short-sighted and failed planning by the GSD is evident in the structural bed shortage that has existed throughout the last eight years in the new St. Bernard's Hospital.

Whilst the Government accepts an increase in beds for the elderly under the GSD, such extra capacity, as seen in the light of the increasing operation cancellations, was clearly insufficient. The GSD simply did not have the foresight to increase resources in community and domiciliary care and the support required given the reality of a growing elderly population. In fact the GSD appeared to opt for tackling the problem by wanting to institutionalise our elderly. The spectacular failure of the GSD to factor in the growing elderly population and the impact on cancelled operations is confirmed by the Opposition’s reference to the three projects they initiated in government, which, it should be noted, took the GSD fifteen years to commence and which were nowhere near completion when the election was called.

The opening of Calpe Ward by the Government will relieve critical short-term needs. Unlike the previous administration, this Government recognizes that this is not a long-term solution given that it is virtually certain that the additional beds will also be occupied in the medium term by long term residents. For that reason, the Government, together with the Gibraltar Health Authority and the Care Agency, are working within a policy to further and adequately increase the overall provision for Dementia and Alzheimer patients. To that end, the Government has commenced a professional assessment of Gibraltar’s needs in order to develop an Alzheimer and Dementia Strategy which will include considering ways of boosting the community health service and domiciliary care.

Contrary to the baseless accusations of the GSD, the new Minister for Health, Dr. John Cortes, evidently has more of a grip on the realities of Gibraltar’s health needs than the former administration after their failed policies in eradicating these problems. The Government, with just a little over a month in office, has already taken firm and decisive short-term action whilst considering long-term solutions.

It is the height of political hypocrisy for the GSD to suggest that the new Government is somehow accountable for the systematic failure of the previous GSD administration to resolve the issue of bed shortage and to claim that the one-month old Government should not have pointed the finger at the now Opposition. The Government will not hesitate to fulfil its duty to further bring the many failures of the former administration into the public domain and especially any that were concealed for electoral purposes.]]> http://www.gibconnect.com/~thekey/press/topic.php?post=983#post983 http://www.gibconnect.com/~thekey/press/post.php?topic=983&quotepost=983 Wed, 18 Jan 2012 08:34:08 GMT http://www.gibconnect.com/~thekey/press/topic.php?post=983#post983 GSLP Liberal Government announces end of Government Debentures and an expanded role for the Gibraltar Savings Bank

In line with its manifesto commitment to at least halve the current level of Gross Public Debt by the end of its first term in office, the GSLP Liberal Government has decided that the sale of Government Debentures will be discontinued with immediate effect.

However, the Government is mindful of the many members of our community, in particular our pensioners, who have come to depend on the availability of such debentures as a secure home for their savings.

In view of this, and in making a start on another of the Government’s commitments, which is to expand the role of the Gibraltar Savings Bank, the Government is pleased to announce that the following 3 new issues of Gibraltar Savings Bank Monthly Income Debentures, which are fully guaranteed by the Government, will become available with immediate effect:

1) 1 Month’s Notice Debentures - paying 2% per annum (maximum holding
£20,000)

2) 3-Year Fixed Maturity Debentures - paying 3.5% per annum - maturing on 1st February 2015;

and

3) 5-year Fixed Maturity Debentures – paying 5% per annum – maturing on 1st February 2017.

Prospectuses and application forms are available at the offices of the Gibraltar Savings Bank, Treasury Building, 23 John Mackintosh Square. These can also be downloaded from the Government of Gibraltar Website at:
http://www.gibraltar.gov.gi/]]> http://www.gibconnect.com/~thekey/press/topic.php?post=982#post982 http://www.gibconnect.com/~thekey/press/post.php?topic=982&quotepost=982 Tue, 17 Jan 2012 15:16:15 GMT http://www.gibconnect.com/~thekey/press/topic.php?post=982#post982 GSLP Liberal Government starts consultation process on bullying at work

The GSLP Liberal Government, in accordance with its electoral commitment and its policy of open Government, has commenced publication of Command Papers. Draft legislation will be published online as “Command Papers” for a consultation period of two weeks from the date of publication.

The first Command Paper to be published is on a law to prevent bullying at work.

The Right to Dignity at Work Bill has been published on the Government’s Laws of Gibraltar website -www.gibraltarlaws.gov.gi.

The Minister with responsibility for Justice, Gilbert Licudi, said:

“In publishing this draft Bill we are meeting two manifesto commitments. Firstly, all draft Bills will be published as Command Papers to give the public the opportunity to comment before the Bill itself is published. And secondly, we promised that we would introduce legislation to prevent bullying at work within 100 days of the election.”

The public is invited to send any comments on Command Papers to command.papers@gibraltar.gov.gi or addressed to “Command Papers Consultation, Ministry of Education, Financial Services, Gaming, Telecommunications & Justice, Suite 771, Europort, Gibraltar.]]> http://www.gibconnect.com/~thekey/press/topic.php?post=981#post981 http://www.gibconnect.com/~thekey/press/post.php?topic=981&quotepost=981 Tue, 17 Jan 2012 15:15:28 GMT http://www.gibconnect.com/~thekey/press/topic.php?post=981#post981 GSLP Liberal Government responds to GSD over air terminal and tunnel

"The Government was elected on the basis of its own commitments made to the electorate in our own manifesto. We have not been elected to implement and defend the commitments of the GSD."

It is obvious that the Opposition have learnt nothing from their defeat at the polls just over a month ago following their statement which was critical of the policy of the Government in relation to the air terminal and the tunnel. They must understand that the Government was elected on the basis of its own commitments made to the electorate in our own manifesto. We have not been elected to implement and defend the commitments of the GSD.

The Opposition have said that it would be a “complete folly” for arrivals to revert to the old air terminal while the new air terminal building is completed. What is a “complete folly” is their decision to operate two different air terminal buildings at the same time in the first place. If they had not done this, in a poorly planned and rushed manner, simply for electoral purposes then the new Government and Gibraltar as a whole would not find itself in the predicament that it is in today. In any case, the Government has not said that it is going to close down the new air terminal building. The Deputy Chief Minister has said that an effort was being made to reduce operating costs in the new air terminal and then assess the situation.

Moreover, the expense of constructing an air terminal designed for a million passengers a year when Gibraltar had barely 150,000 in the last published official figures, has saddled the taxpayers of Gibraltar with astronomical levels of debt which it now becomes the responsibility of the new Government to deal with. The irony is that the taxpayers of Gibraltar have already paid a “heavy price” in respect of the air terminal which is the price-tag of 75 million euros at the last count.

The operating costs of the new air terminal are obviously much higher than the old one and additional to the capital costs. For example, the latest available figures show cleaning of the new terminal for the initial period of arrivals from 25th November to 10th December cost £88,281,90. This was the cost for fifteen days only!

The Government has been told that there were at least five areas where false partitions were erected in order to cover up the building site behind them for the public viewing. These were the baggage reclaim area on the first floor to the north end of the terminal, the check-in area on the ground floor at the east end of that, the steps in the same area for people accessing from Spain were blocked off, the access to the staff offices on the first floor and the very nerve centre of the building the unfinished control room was actually hidden behind a false wall. The last one was more than just a simple partition. Some of these were removed after the public viewing. The Government has no doubt that these were put up to give a false impression to visitors that the building was nearly complete when in fact it was not. Indeed, the suggestion that departures from the new air terminal might commence in February is nothing short of wishful thinking. The new Government has been given a completion date of May 2012. This shows the extent to which the public viewing was nothing more than an electoral stunt on the part of the previous administration.

The tunnel under the runway in its present form is the policy of the GSD. It is not the policy of the new Government. What was correctly described by the Deputy Chief Minister as a “financial disaster” is not the possibility that the contractor OHL might take legal action, but the fact that the estimated completion cost of the tunnel has been given as £55 million. This sum is in addition to that which has already been paid, which is about £13 million. The Government has been told that another £13 million more has also been invoiced. It is without question a financial disaster that a project which was supposed to cost the taxpayer about £ 30 million will now end up costing more than double.
This happened during the watch of the GSD and is another “heavy price” that the people of Gibraltar will have to pay for many years into the future. The implication that the completion of the tunnel might somehow lead to less queues is absurd. All it will mean is that traffic will queue into the tunnel and down Devil’s Tower Road in the opposite direction that the queues are today. It will be recalled that the queues were supposed to be tackled by the much heralded Cordoba agreement and as everyone knows this has not happened.

Commenting on the matter, the Deputy Chief Minister Dr Joseph Garcia
said:

“It is only logical that the new Government will prioritise our own manifesto commitments over those of the Opposition. That is what Governments do and that is why we are the Government and they are not.
The economic cost of the “visions” that the GSD has had over 16 years in office and the financial liabilities that we have inherited from them as a result is precisely what Gibraltar simply cannot afford.
We are all paying a “heavy price” already as a result.”]]> http://www.gibconnect.com/~thekey/press/topic.php?post=980#post980 http://www.gibconnect.com/~thekey/press/post.php?topic=980&quotepost=980 Tue, 17 Jan 2012 15:14:17 GMT http://www.gibconnect.com/~thekey/press/topic.php?post=980#post980 GSD HID PROBLEMS SURROUNDING MOD GENERATING STATION

“This is typical of the many problems we are uncovering"

Plumes of smoke rising from the former Inter Services Generating Station last week were the result of a problem that occurred when one of its engines failed to restart. This Press Release seeks to clarify the matter for public reassurance.

A problem arose when one of the engines was stopped during the Christmas holiday period to repair an engine cooler water leak and Gibraltar Mechanical & Electrical Services (GMES) technicians attempted to restart it.

The restarting process for engines of this type would have initially led to some black smoke which would be due to the start up of the engine on no load. The situation deteriorated because the engine could not take on load over a certain threshold resulting in the additional white/grey smoke that was seen at the exhaust, due to water (steam) or oil being burnt.

The Gibraltar Electricity Authority instructed GMES to shut down the engine, which is currently being assessed by technicians and may require to be overhauled before it is brought back into service.

A number of problems are being identified in relation to this power station, which were not made public at the time the former Government agreed to take it over as part of the latest agreement with the Ministry of Defence a short time before the General Election on the 8th December. They include the need to overhaul some of the engines, which are well past the due date for proper maintenance, and which will be at considerable cost to the Gibraltar taxpayer.

These problems are presently being assessed and will be made public by the Ministry for the Environment in due course.

Environment Minister, Dr John Cortes, said: “This is typical of the many problems we are uncovering. At no time did the previous GSD administration indicate at these problems when they took over the MOD Power Station.

We will ensure that any relevant information is put in the public domain as it becomes available.]]> http://www.gibconnect.com/~thekey/press/topic.php?post=979#post979 http://www.gibconnect.com/~thekey/press/post.php?topic=979&quotepost=979 Wed, 11 Jan 2012 16:25:24 GMT http://www.gibconnect.com/~thekey/press/topic.php?post=979#post979 Minister lays in to GSD over chronic lack of planning compounding bed shortages

"The GSD have a lot to answer for to the people of Gibraltar."

The Government is deeply concerned that the bed situation at St Bernard's Hospital has reached crisis levels as a consequence of the lack of planning of the previous administration. On Monday night four patients aged between 74 and 99 had to spend the night in the Accident & Emergency Department, as there were no beds available in the appropriate wards.

Once again, this has unfortunately led to the cancellation of non-emergency operations. Equally as seriously, the ability of the hospital to admit either surgical or medical emergencies is seriously compromised.

In order to understand the size of the problem, it is important to note that the number of operations cancelled over the past six years due to non-availability of beds was as follows:

2006. 63
2007. 59
2008. 62
2009. 81
2010. 118
2011. 114

It must have been clear therefore to the previous GSD administration that the problem of bed shortages was increasing at an alarming rate. The complete absence of forward planning by the GSD and the failure to devise and implement a solution is simply unacceptable. This is the case especially as, whilst in Opposition, Minister Neil Costa had continually pressed the GSD on this very important issue and highlighting the systematic and structural problem. Whereas the GSD gave the Gibraltar Parliament various explanations, none of them excused their appalling failure to provide a sufficient number of beds.

The Government notes that the current crisis has been created as a result of a fundamental lack of understanding of the problems faced by our health service by the ex-GSD Government in general and successive GSD Ministers for Health in particular. It is clear that the GSD either failed to carry out or did not implement a proper assessment of medium to long term needs.

The failed solutions implemented by the GSD were short-sighted and short term, such as increasing bed capacity in some wards from 30 to 34. In tackling the reality of an increasing elderly population, the ineffectual answer of the GSD was to accommodate as many elderly people as possible in what should have been acute beds. For example two surgical wards were reduced to one, reducing the amount of surgery possible and mixing trauma and non trauma patients in the same ward, which is neither advisable nor desirable.
There are nearly 80 long-term patients, mainly elderly persons in St Bernard's Hospital.

The attempt to tackle the acute shortage of beds by planning a dementia home after almost sixteen years in Government is far too little too late. In fact the residential home is nowhere near completion and is having to be redesigned. In addition, the crucial policy shift to increase the community health service, including domiciliary care and health promotion was not made. This outdated approach to health care has left our health service in crisis.

That the GSD should have allowed this problem to worsen to the current state is unforgivable, not least as in answer to Questions the previous Minister for Health had replied to say that operation cancellations happen even in the Houston Medical Centre. Such flippant replies demean the very serious and real trauma experienced by patients awaiting an operation, in particular, in very serious cases.

Fortunately, the GHA counts with extremely committed and extremely hard working health care professionals who provide the highest quality care in what are difficult circumstances. The policy is to provide maximum care for all our patients, including the long term patients. Patients having to spend a night in A&E are provided with a proper bed and the full range of procedures.
However, the situation is far from acceptable.

Commenting on the matter, the Minister for Health and the Environment John Cortes said: "The Government and the Gibraltar Health Authority are working hard on finding short term solutions to resolve the current critical situation whilst we urgently review the way we provide health care in order to find a long term solution to the problems facing health care provision in Gibraltar inherited from the previous Government. The GSD have a lot to answer for to the people of Gibraltar.”]]> http://www.gibconnect.com/~thekey/press/topic.php?post=978#post978 http://www.gibconnect.com/~thekey/press/post.php?topic=978&quotepost=978 Wed, 11 Jan 2012 16:24:20 GMT http://www.gibconnect.com/~thekey/press/topic.php?post=978#post978 GSLP Liberal government acts on traffic policy

As part of its manifesto commitments and responding to the concerns of
residents the GSLP Liberal Government has announced a number of actions
and consultations covering: a Comprehensive Traffic Plan; new pedestrian
crossings and District Parking Schemes

COMPREHENSIVE TRAFFIC PLAN

As part of its manifesto commitments and as a matter of priority the
Government will draw up a comprehensive traffic plan encompassing the whole of Gibraltar which will be the result of a major review of the existing traffic arrangements.

The Plan will contain set targets and objectives for the building of new roads and the provision of more parking spaces. In this connection the Government welcomes the involvement of all interested parties and looks forward to receive their comments and or ideas that will be taken into account when formulating the plan.

Submissions, in writing, should to be addressed to the Ministry for Traffic, Health & Safety and Technical Services or via email at mthst@gibraltar.gov.gi by not later than Monday 30th January 2012

Bishop Caruana Road & Europort Road – New Pedestrian Crossings

Following the opening of Bishop Caruana Road, an assessment of the
vehicular and pedestrian movements in the area, including Europort Road, has been undertaken by the Government’s Technical Services Department. Arising from this, two new zebra crossings will be placed in the area, one at the northern end of Bishop Caruana Road close to Bishop Canilla House, and the other by the northern end of Europort Road before it reaches the roundabout. Works to provide the necessary infrastructure for such crossings began on Monday 9 January 2012 and will continue for a period not exceeding ten days. During this time, there will be some minor traffic flow restrictions whilst the necessary excavations and pavement alterations are undertaken.

The Government would like to take this opportunity to apologise to the
general public for any inconvenience these works might cause to them.

The Government has also been made aware, following representations
received from various parties, of concerns about speeding vehicles along this new stretch of road.

These new crossings will serve to introduce an element of traffic calming in the area and the Government reminds drivers that the established speed limit for the Bishop Caruana Road and Europort Road is 30 kph. Road safety is important to the Government and it has acted quickly upon being elected to ensure that an improvement to the situation is being delivered.

District Parking Schemes

Following the introduction of the North District Parking Scheme by the previous administration there have been numerous submissions from residents of the area and the public at large that need to be assessed. In view of this and pending evaluation of the scheme for the South District which is currently on hold, the Government wishes to invite residents, who may wish to do so, to put forward any further comments or ideas before a decision is taken to extend the scheme to other areas of Gibraltar.

Submissions, in writing, should to be addressed to the Ministry for Traffic, Health & Safety and Technical Services or via email at mthst@gibraltar.gov.gi by no later than Monday 30th January 2012]]> http://www.gibconnect.com/~thekey/press/topic.php?post=977#post977 http://www.gibconnect.com/~thekey/press/post.php?topic=977&quotepost=977 Wed, 11 Jan 2012 16:22:48 GMT http://www.gibconnect.com/~thekey/press/topic.php?post=977#post977 GSLP Liberal Government introduces new Fishing Arrangements at North Mole

Only members of the Gibraltar Federation of Sea Anglers or locally registered fishing club can use North Mole.

The GSLP Liberal Government, in line with its manifesto commitments, has revised the entry procedures for those persons who wish to fish at the North Mole.

The Gibraltar Port Authority, after consultation with the Gibraltar Federation of Sea Anglers, has changed its entry procedures and will now only allow anglers to access the North Mole if they are members of the Gibraltar Federation of Sea Anglers or any locally registered fishing club.

Therefore, as from Monday 9th January 2012, only members of the Gibraltar Federation of Sea Anglers and any registered fishing club will be allowed to fish from the North Mole.

This arrangement relates exclusively to fishing at the Port of Gibraltar; fishing in other areas of Gibraltar is governed by the relevant laws of Gibraltar.

Commenting on this, the Minister for the Port, the Hon Neil Costa said:
“I am delighted to be able to announce the implementation of this manifesto commitment. The Government will continue to work to ensure the proper regulation of fishing to ensure conservation as a top priority.”]]> http://www.gibconnect.com/~thekey/press/topic.php?post=976#post976 http://www.gibconnect.com/~thekey/press/post.php?topic=976&quotepost=976 Wed, 11 Jan 2012 10:52:57 GMT http://www.gibconnect.com/~thekey/press/topic.php?post=976#post976 GSLP Liberal's introduce Citizens’ Charter for Responsive Government

The new GSLP Liberal Government is pleased to announce today, on the day marking the first month in office, its commitment with the electorate to make its machinery more responsive to the concerns of ordinary people.

It is not acceptable to the Government that members of the public, businesses or associations should have to wait an inordinately long time for a response from Ministers to their correspondence. In the past, the uncertainty created by these delays has meant that ordinary people found that their lives went on hold pending a reply from a Minister.
Business plans have also frequently had to be put on ice as businessmen have waited months on end for the Government to take a decision.

The first undertaking of the new Citizens’ Charter for responsive Government is that everyone will receive confirmation of receipt of their letter or document within 14 days.

The second undertaking is that a definitive response will be sent within 21 days thereafter; with provision for an extension of time as required.

If the person is not satisfied with the response from Government, and writes back on the same issue, the same criteria will apply again, which is 14 days for an acknowledgement and 21 days thereafter for a substantive response.

Following this process, representations can be made to the Ombudsman if the citizen remains dissatisfied or if the letters are not replied to in a timely manner.

This pledge, as promised, will take effect within 30 days of the election of a GSLP/Liberal Government. It will apply to relevant correspondence received on or after 9th January 2012.

This is being circulated in an internal bulletin to all Government departments.

Commenting on the matter, the Chief Minister Fabian Picardo said:

“Our aim is to set specific deadlines by which the Government must reply to correspondence from the public, be it ordinary citizens, businesses or associations. It is obvious that a change of this magnitude may require some fine tuning in the future but we are determined to make it work. Government is about people and people must have the right to ensure that they are treated in a prompt and proper manner in their dealings with Ministers.”]]> http://www.gibconnect.com/~thekey/press/topic.php?post=975#post975 http://www.gibconnect.com/~thekey/press/post.php?topic=975&quotepost=975 Tue, 10 Jan 2012 15:21:51 GMT http://www.gibconnect.com/~thekey/press/topic.php?post=975#post975 GSLP Liberal Government publishes official statistics on-line

In accordance with the commitment made in the general election manifesto of the GSLP/Liberals, which is now the policy of the Government, the programme for the publication of official statistics on-line has commenced today, marking the one month anniversary in office.

The data, which will go live tomorrow, covers practically every sphere of Government activity and includes relevant economic and financial data as well.
Every effort will be
made to ensure that the official statistics are as up to date as possible.

The new Government has used as a base for this project the statistical information that was requested in answer to questions in Parliament by the GSLP/Liberals when in Opposition. This means that all the data available to the old Opposition will now be readily available to the new Opposition without even having to ask for it. The possibility is also there to include additional data streams on different subjects if required.

The latest Government statistics will be available on www.gibraltar.gov.gi

Commenting on the matter, the Chief Minister Fabian Picardo said:

“ This represents a subst]]> http://www.gibconnect.com/~thekey/press/topic.php?post=974#post974 http://www.gibconnect.com/~thekey/press/post.php?topic=974&quotepost=974 Tue, 10 Jan 2012 15:18:53 GMT http://www.gibconnect.com/~thekey/press/topic.php?post=974#post974