S.Atlantic : Sartma Daily (19/12/05)
Submitted by SARTMA.com (Juanita Brock) 20.12.2005 (Article Archived on 27.12.2005)
a brief run-down of South Atlantic news
SARTMA DAILY (19/12/05)
Compiled by J. Brock (FINN)
CONTENTS:
Section 1: Article by FINN
Section 2: Committee News
Section 3: Falkland Wool Growers Report
Section 4: News from Ascension and St. Helena
Section 5: Announcements
Section 1:
INFANT/JUNIOR SCHOOL: “DITCH THE OLD DONKEY WE USE THE QUADS FOR BETHLEHEM”
By J. Brock (FINN)
A Falklands rendition of the Christmas Story has been presented at Christ Church Cathedral by the Infant/Junior School. Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? He’s in a Stanley peat Shed cometh the answer via mobile phone, internet and newspaper.
On Friday afternoon at 1400hrs H. E. the Governor Mr. Howard Pearce, Mrs. Caroline Pearce and baby Suzanna along with the Director of Education, Mrs. Sylvia Cole and Councillors were chimed in with carols by the older students.
Singing traditional Christmas Carols (Little Donley not included) the Nativity story unfolded with Joseph and Mary arriving at the peat Shed on quad bikes. Shepherds and shepherdesses from as far as the North Camp came to see the child, discretely placed in the manger by Mrs. Anna Stenning, and to give him gifts of sheepskins and woollen products.
Unfortunately, the three kings got stopped by Customs, who paid particular attention to the biological material brought in by two of the kings and the amount of unclaimed dosh brought in by the third king.
It all ended up with smiles when the kings cleared customs and could present their gifts to the baby Jesus. As usual, the school children gave an excellent performance and everyone went away humming Christmas music.
Many thanks goes to all who helped with the Students, especially Shirley Adams Leach, and the teachers as well as Paul Sweeting for allowing the concert to take place in the Cathedral.
Photographs of the concert are available on SARTMA.COM and falklandnews.com.
Section 2:
COMMITTEE NEWS:
STANDING FINANCE COMMITTEE MEETING FRIDAY, 16 DECEMBER 2005
By J. Brock (FINN)
A meeting of the Standing Finance Committee took place in the Liberation Room of the Secretariat at 0800hrs on Friday, 16 December 2005. Present were Cllrs Robertson (Chair, Clausen, Hansen, Stevens, Rendell and Davies as well as Keith Padgett, Derek Howatt and Chris Simpkins. Hulga Burroughs took the minutes.
Firstly there were certain comments about principle and it was decided to submit the comments at the appropriate time when the items came up in the agenda. This was followed by the confirmation of the minutes of the meeting held on Friday, 25 November 2005. Matters arising from those minutes were also discussed.
The eligibility for rent rebates and the mechanism for offsetting those in the budget received little comment and the purpose of providing relief for people who could not otherwise pay their rent was upheld.
The Virement Report, however, did provoke discussion on several of its general areas. There was a discussion relating to a consultancy that was not allowed but provided for in respect of Education in that additional funds would be needed for the Director of Education’s contract. Additional costs were incurred for the Educational Psychologist that was not allotted for in the 2005/06 Budget.
Cllr Rendell noticed that the fat in the Students’ Higher Education budget was not being used up. Keith Padgett mentioned that it was because one or two students could put a strain on the resources. Derek Howatt mentioned that an excess had always been budgeted. Keith Padgett said that thus far the Education budget had been spared budget cuts though it could be embarrassing if they could not fund an overseas student. Chris Simpkins he thought the Education Department would be able to come up with the money. The Re-advertisement of the Special Education Co-ordinator was not provided for in the budget as re-advertisement was not expected.
Additional funding was required for settling invoices for forensic work for the Police Department additional funding was found for the DNA tests. £2,000.00 can now be paid as money has been found.
A question was asked whether we were still saving money for a new deep water jetty. The money allocated was for New Haven for the ferry port. It was not related to FIPASS and that will be maintained for the time being. Andrea Clausen asked about fire protection and Keith Padgett said funding had been allowed for it and said it would be practical for a protection programme to be initiated in phases
There also had been insufficient funding to cover the 1100 litre bins located at Stanley Growers that needed to be addressed, however it was deferred.
Funding for FIRS brought much discussion as the money had to be transferred into the Media Trust’s area. There were some loose ends because the transfer took place on 15 August and not at the beginning of the financial year on July 01.
Items relating to the Falkland Islands Education and Training Council were discussed. Some who were on the programme were very low skilled and have a difficult time finding work. Immigration policy had to be looked at in respect of people coming to the Falklands purely to find work that a local person could do. There was a suggestion that another method be used to accommodate people who never seemed to be able to get a job but it was decided that the Unemployment Programme was the best option. Richard Stevens mentioned that some on the programme had problems with alcohol abuse. Chris Simpkins said he was not qualified to comment on that but did feel the majority of people on the programme had problems finding permanent, gainful employment. Derek Howatt said that wherever possible the goal of the Unemployment programme was to get people back to work.
Extra funding was needed to cover Honorarium costs for two Acting judges and the Supreme Court Judge. All items relating to the Falkland Islands Development Board were deferred until after their meeting on Tuesday.
Exco Papers to be put in the Public domain include ones on the Budget Framework Strategy, Electricity Tariff, Taxation of Defence Contractors’ Employees, Establishment of the new post of Theatre Nurse and Regulation of Civil Aviation.
Raising the Electricity Tariff to .17p provoked discussion but it was felt unavoidable due to the high costs of hydrocarbons products. There was disappointment in that people who bought cards got a good deal in that each time the rate went up all of the card metres had to be re-calibrated whereas those who had their metres read paid the increase from the beginning. Andrea Clausen asked for a report to see if the problem could be rectified.
The Theatre Nurse had to be multi-skilled in that the Surgeon and the Anaesthetist had Theatre Nurses and there was a difficulty covering if one should be off sick or on holiday. A multi skilled Theatre Nurse would help solve the problem.
Finally, the Civil Aviation Department Audit brought some discussion about self regulation. This is preferred but auditing and inspecting the airframes would be done by the same Canadian Company that does the BAS Aircraft. Privately owned aircraft would also be maintained by the company but at a lower price because the aircraft are smaller.
Section 3:
WOOL REPORT: for the week ending Friday 16th December 2005
Auctions
Starting the week at 640 A cents, the Australian Eastern Market Indicator (EMI) lost six cents on Tuesday, drifted another two cents on Wednesday and added a cent on Thursday. The EMI thus closed the week down seven cents at 633A cents. Demand in Australia is weak and ABARE are now forecasting wool prices to average 670 A cents in the 2005/2006 season. Australian auctions now have a three weeks recess for Christmas and New Year holidays with sales resuming on 10th January 2006.
In New Zealand, the Merino Indicator was quoted at 828 NZ cents; the Mid-micron Indicator was quoted four cents lower on the week at 523 cents. The Fine Crossbred Indicator (33-35µ) was quoted down five cents at 325 NZ cents and the Coarse Crossbred Indicator (35.1+µ) was also down five to 305 cents. The Lamb Indicator was not quoted.
In South Africa the Cape Wools Overall Merino Indicator was quoted down 0.5 percent on the week from 2,232 to 2,222 SA cents per kg clean.
Currencies
Towards the end of the week, the Australian dollar was trading weaker at A$2.35/£ whilst the New Zealand dollar was also weaker at 2.49 NZ cents/£.
FWG Agency
Again many thanks to all those who kindly had me to stay during my recent visit to the Falklands. My thanks also to all those who kindly provided meals and snacks, assisted my communications and helped with my travel by lending vehicles or driving me to the next destination. Please forgive me if I don’t catch up with you on this particular visit.
With Thanks and Regards, Robert
Section 4:
NEWS FROM ASCENSION ISLAND AND ST. HELENA
Compiled by J. Brock (SARTMA)
Most of the local press on St. Helena covers the recent debate on Ascension’s Status Holders and what they can expect. The answer seems to be – not a lot. One newspaper on St. Helena equates what is happening on Ascension Island with what happened on Diego Garcia 40 years ago. I was afraid that would happen.
The following press releases were sent to me independently by Ascension Islanders who are concerned about what is happening.
The Islander Newspaper at http://www/the-islander.org.ac has more about what the people think should happen. It’s well worth the read.
PRESS RELEASE FROM THE ASCENSION ISLAND COUNCIL
Following the public meeting at which the FCO and Minister’s ‘emergent thinking’ was relayed to Ascension Island, the Council held an informal meeting to discuss the way forward. Two immediate actions were decided upon. The first being to hold a public meeting to gauge your opinion and wishes concerning the future of Ascension, which will be held at the Georgetown Cinema on Thursday 15th December at 7.30pm. The second was to write directly to Lord Triesman to convey Council’s dismay at the way in which the decision making process is occurring, especially as the promised face to face summit seemed to have been cancelled. To ensure all Islanders are kept fully up to date with our actions, a summary of the main points of this letter appears below.
• Council was very disappointed with the methods employed by FCO. We had been informed that all stakeholders/users would be participating in a non decision making debate which turned out to be untrue. Only selected users were consulted and involved and decisions had been made prior to both the meeting with Council and the public meeting,
• The ‘summit proper’ promised for March 06 seems to have been cancelled without any reason being given to Council.
We have requested the meeting be honoured.
• The Council Election was held on a false premise as it appears that the decision on Ascension’s future had been made prior to this event.
“ Legitimate expectations have been raised by Robin Cook’s 1999 White Paper entitled Partnership for Progress and Prosperity, encouragement by FCO officials (including the previous Governor and Administrator) and the availability of funding to drive forward legislation for Right of Abode and Land Tenure.
• We will be seeking legal advice concerning statements made describing voluntary relinquishment of human rights by all workers on Ascension Island.
We strongly urge all Ascension taxpayers to attend the meeting on Thursday. The implications of the FCO’s decision are not simply going to affect those who may have wanted to buy property or a business. The wishes of the FCO and the MOD will have far reaching effects on all Ascension taxpayers as there will be consequences on island funding. This will have an impact on all aspects of island life from education and health care, to the state of the roads, to the amount of money you have in your pocket.
We urge you to attend this important meeting and support your Council by airing your views on these important issues.
PRESS RELEASE from HE Governor Clancy
A UK Government team, comprised of officials from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Ministry of Defence, visited Ascension Island from 29-30 November.
The team had private meetings with the Island Council; and held an open public meeting. At these, they welcomed the changes the Island had undergone in the past few years, and the establishment, following consultation, of the Island Council in 2002. They paid tribute to the constructive approach of the former Island Council; and to all those involved in the conduct of the recent successful elections. They said that the UK Government believed that the introduction of democracy to Ascension had worked well.
The team noted that, in considering the future of Ascension Island, Ministers had borne in mind the 1999 White Paper on the Overseas Territories, which recognised the uniqueness of each territory, and that each territory needed a framework to suit its own particular circumstances. However, the UK Government could face unacceptable risks if it were to take action now which could or would establish, or lead to the establishment of, a permanent and settled community in Ascension.
The team indicated that UK Ministers were therefore moving strongly towards the view that it would not be appropriate to grant permanent right of abode and rights to property/land ownership to people currently living on Ascension. They recognised that uncertainty on this issue should be brought to an end. No final decision had been taken, although Ministers’ thinking on the subject was well advanced. They would report back the results of their visit to the responsible Minister, Lord Triesman. He would then write to the Island Council with a definitive view in the next few months.
Recognising that this would not be universally welcomed, the team emphasised that much thought had been, and was continuing to be, given to this issue. Naturally, this took account of all factors, including any expectations on the part of those living on the island. The UK believed the approach was in the best interests of the island as a whole. It was the UK Government’s hope that there would be continued satisfying and rewarding employment prospects for St Helenians and others on Ascension Island, based on the anticipated continued presence of the principal ‘Users’.
The team noted that Ascension was unique. All those who were on the island were there for a particular purpose, either because they were associated with the British or US military forces; or were involved in some way in communication; or worked for the Ascension Island Government in supporting the key Users. The Island must continue to meet the latter’s needs, as without them, the economy of the island and its very raison d’etre would be in jeopardy.
Related to this was the UK Government’s duty to minimise risk to UK taxpayers. The UK Government should not create new responsibilities or contingent liabilities in respect of Ascension Island that would or could involve substantial ongoing financial obligations for future generations of taxpayers.
In these circumstances, granting right of abode/ property rights would require the UK to take on significant new contingent liabilities, with potentially very great risk for the British taxpayer. Granting such rights would also change the special nature of the island, because of the security and other provisions which the Users would need to put in place.
The team said the UK Government was very focussed on the island and wanted to work with the Island Council and the new Administrator, to ensure that, within the framework of the present arrangements, the Island offered a prosperous well-run and healthy environment for the Users and those working on the island alike.
The team undertook to report to Ministers on the points made to it by the Council and members of the public, and to look at what improvements could be made within existing parameters.
Section 5:
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
The Stanley Leisure Center will be having a “Santa’s Grotto” 0n Friday, 23 December 2005 from 1300 to 1600. All ages are welcome but under 5s must be accompanied by an adult. The entrance fee is £5.00 per child. You can book your place by calling the Stanley Leisure Centre on 27291 or you can e-mail krozee.leisure@sec.gov.fk.
Standard Chartered Bank would like to advise all customers that the following arrangements will apply in relation to the Christmas and New Year period: Friday, 23 December 2005, Closing at 1300hrs, Monday, 26 December 2005, Tuesday, 27 December 2005, Wednesday, 28 December 2005, Closed, Thursday, 29 December 2005, usual working hours, Friday, 30 December 2005, closing at 1200hrs, Monday, 02 January 2006, Closed. Normal Business hours will resume on Tuesday, 03 January 2006.
There will be an extraordinary meeting of the Royal British Legion on Monday, 19 December 2005 at 2000hrs at Hillside Mess. All Members are urged to attend. For further details, please contact Bruce Wilkes after hours on 22438.
The Stanley Leisure Centre would like to remind customers that the pool will be open to adults on Tuesday between 2000 and 2100. And, on Thursdays the pool will be closed for private hire between 1900 and 2000.
If you have borrowed a cat cage from the Veterinary Service and have not yet returned it, please do so as soon as possible.
A place exists on the Planning and Building Committee for a lay member to serve a term of three years. Meetings are on the 1st Thursday of every month. Interested people can give their names to Fiona Wallace, Secretary to the Planning and Building Committee on Phone 27390. You can also e-mail fwallace.planning@taxation.gov.fk. Applications close on Friday, 06 January 2006.
Would People on repeat medications please check their supplies for the Christmas-new Year period. Any medications needing a top-up between Wednesday, 21 December 2005 and Friday, 06 January 2006, please order between Monday, 05 December and Monday, 19 December 2005 to ensure supply for the Christmas and New Year break.
Death Notice: It is with sadness that FINN heard of the death of Mrs. Joyce Jewkes, wife of former Governor Mr. Gordon Jewkes (1985 – 1988) on Wednesday, 14 December 2005. People wishing to send messages of condolence can write Sir Gordon at: Apartment
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