AUGUST EXCO BROADCAST
It was quite a short ExCo this month but as usual there were lots of interesting items for discussion.
Childcare and child allowances both featured. ExCo heard an update on the possible future of 3 Jersey Road which FIG wants to acquire and then lease to the Childcare group. Councillors agreed that FIG could enter into a land swap agreement with Stanley Services whereby the Government would grant the company a long lease at a peppercorn rent for the land which Stanley Services currently occupy, plus a bit extra, and in return the company would give FIG the freehold title of 3 Jersey Road.
Child allowance was another paper considered which will be of interest to those with families. Councillors agreed to a change in the eligibility criteria for people receiving child allowances. In future this will only be available for children until they reach 17 years old and will be restricted to the children of Permanent Residents or Status holders who are subject to the tax regime of the Falklands. But it will be extended so that legal guardians as well as parents are eligible to receive an allowance for children in their care. These changes will be taken into account in next year’s budget and will enter into force in 2006.
Also on a financial theme, Councillors agreed the fees for next year’s fishing licences. These had already been discussed in the Fisheries Committee and ExCo agreed the Committee’s recommendations. There is an increase to Skate licences of 2%, but other fees remain unchanged. With the exception of the loligo licence the fees have been set for the whole of 2005.
Councillors agreed last year that the Falklands should offer to host the Red Ensign Conference in 2005. This is a meeting for all those British territories which have ships registered under the Red Ensign. This month Councillors looked in more detail at the proposals for the conference programme and approved funding of up to £21K for the various arrangements, although this will have to come from savings made elsewhere in the Fisheries Department Budget.
ExCo considered the future of the Doctor’s house at Fox Bay. This has been vacant now for about 10 years - although the surgery attached to the house is used by dentists and other medical staff . As the property needs a fair amount of work Councillors decided that it should be sold by public tender --with the proviso that the new owner should continue to allow use of the surgery and access to washing facilities by the dentist and visiting medical staff.
There has also been an application by the Antarctic Research Trust to purchase four islands - Brandy, Rum, Whiskey and Sealion Easterly Islands. Because the Trust are not resident in the Falklands they need a licence from ExCo to do this. ExCo took note of the fact that the Trust was registered as a charity in the Falklands and had had a long and fruitful record of co-operation with Falklands Conservation. They also noted the intentions of the Trust to maintain the islands in a pristine state. Taking all this into consideration they agreed to the licence.
Councillors approved a new Broadcasting Bill which will be forwarded to Legislative Council. The Bill will make it an offence to use an unauthorised satellite broadcast decoder. Broadly speaking this means a decoder which is being used without being paid for - it is important to prevent this for copyright reasons, among others. The Bill does not grant a monopoly on provision of decoders to any one company.
Councillors also discussed employment law - in particular for public officers - those employed by the Government. There have been discussions recently on whether the Employment Protection Ordinance should be extended to public officers who are currently exempt. Councillors asked for more information on the implications of extending the legislation. Their main concern was that public employees should be protected in the best way possible and they therefore want to consider at a meeting later this year whether extending the legislation would be the best way of doing this.
And finally, Councillors approved a new booklet giving guidance to owners of listed buildings. The booklet gives information on maintenance and building works as well as on materials and designs. It was produced by the Historic Buildings Committee and is available from the Environmental Planning Department.
The next meeting of ExCo will be on 30 September.
