FINN(COM) DAILY RECORD: TUESDAY, 31 AUGUST 2004
Compiled by J. Brock (FINN)
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.
INTERNET NEWS:
LAN CHILE FARES TO INCREASE:
Chilean airline, LanChile is rising its charges by 4% due to rising fuel costs. This change will affect both domestic and international flights. Fuel costs have risen by 50% during the past year. Price changes will vary. Normal fares from Punta Arenas to Santiago are almost unchanged but an economy return fare on the same route comes with conditions and restrictions and has risen from £101.00 to £107.00.
CHILE IMPOSES RESTRICTIONS ON FISHING VESSELS USING ITS PORTS:
Chile is to impose new restrictions on fishing vessels operating on the high seas and wishing to use the country’s ports. They will now have to abide by some regulations currently applied to Chilean fishing vessels operating in the Country’s EEZ, regarding satellite positioning control, regular observers and catch volume. Horhe Cofre, President of the Chilean Fishing Commission, praises the legislation.
ICE:
Scientists are gathering in Austria to discuss global warming and its affect on the polar ice caps. New Space technology that will see through darkness and bad weather will be used to monitor changes during the winter and during foul weather. The technology has been in use for the past two years. Now scientists can predict how long it will take ice to melt when it drifts into warmer waters.
FIBS NEWS DIRECT: 31 AUGUST 2004
OLYMPIC COACH TO VISIT:
The Falklands are to get a visit from a man who coached one GB member to Olympic Gold in September 2000. Ian Colley, team manager of manager of the British Clay Target Shooting Team He coached a gold medallist in Sydney and will be visiting the Islands for two weeks in February to help improve the skills of shooters here. Steve Dent (SD) tells us more.
SD: Ian Colley is an Olympic Team manager, which is equivalent to getting Sven Bjorn Eriksen down to look after the football club. We managed this through Saul Pitaluga. He asked him if he’d mind going to the Falklands to do coaching. We have been lucky enough to get some funding from the Shackleton Fund and from the Nat West Coaching Scheme, to get him down. The Military very kindly offered to fly Ian down at Military rates. The coaching fees are quite high but look at the quality of the coach we are getting down. It would be a good chance for the local lads to get expert coaching.
SF: And, how do people actually get involved?
SD: It’s early days ant we are not at the point of getting people in. What we are saying to people is that we are now at the point where we are starting to get ready for the Island Games in Shetland in 2005 and the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne in 2006. We have to step up our training programmes. If people are interested in Shotgun coaching, then come on down. Loads of people have expressed an interest but now is the time to do it. Get involved now and when Ian comes down, you’ve got a little bit of experience under your belt. Hopefully, we will get a good team of shooters to go away to the Games.
SG: Ian will be offering tutoring on a group and individual basis. He will be staying at Hillside Camp as he will also be spending some of his time coaching the Military.
COURT NEWS:
There’s a new addition to the Court list this week. BFBS Presenter, Hermina Graham, will be charged with Drink Driving on Wednesday. The charge relates to an incident which occurred on Sunday.
NEW SCHOOL YEAR:
The new School year starts on Wednesday.
NEW SHELTERED ACCOMMODATION:
The new sheltered accommodation on Villiers Street held an open day on Saturday. It attracted about 30 people. Vikki Butler (VB) talks about the feedback she received.
VB: It was quite positive. I think people were surprised about how spacious they were. They were also pleased about how they were situated in Stanley. People actually made comments about the fittings in the kitchen and were looking forward to maybe moving in.
SF: What’s the difference between these new sheltered accommodation houses and the existing ones?
VB: The main difference is the location. The other units are nearer the hospital. The main difference is the location. People may feel that they are more independent.
SF: How would you describe the day overall?
VB: It was very positive. It shows that we are moving forward, really.
SF: Vikki hopes the new residents will be moving in within the next month.
(100X Transcription Service)
