Falklands : General Purposes Committee Report (31/03/08)
Submitted by Falkland Islands News Network (Juanita Brock) 01.04.2008 (Article Archived on 15.04.2008)
meeting of the General Purposes Committee took place last week and on Monday, 31 March 2008 Cllr Mike Summers briefed the media on what happened during this important committee meeting.
GENERAL PURPOSES COMMITTEE REPORT 31/03/08
By J. Brock (FINN)
A meeting of the General Purposes Committee took place last week and on Monday, 31 March 2008 Cllr Mike Summers briefed the media on what happened during this important committee meeting.
On the agenda were:
1. Ex-co Papers,
2. Clarification of Voting in Committees by Government Officers,
3. Restricting parking on St. Mary’s Walk,
4. FIMCO issues,
5. Possible date to look at the draft Constitution,
6. A look at Councillors’ pay,
7. the letter sent to Meg Munn about constitutional issues,
8. A discussion about the Chief Executive, Public servants and their interaction with Councillors,
9. A review of the process with Councillors completing their review
10. New member for the Rural Strategy Group
11. Evidence for the Foreign Affairs Select Committee
12. A visit by Mr Aita, a guest of Fortuna working for Nissui, who discussed the deep water port.
Cllr Summers went over issues in the letter sent to Ms Meg Munn:
1. Changes to Status in that she must be satisfied with proposals and that they concur with United Nations and International obligations. Her approval is needed on this as the constitutional advisors and the Committee did not have the authority to approve this.
2. Consultation on Overseas appointments – a new policy in Overseas Territories.
3. Whether or not H. E. the Governor can take decisions regarding Mineral Resources rather than taking advice from Ex-co. Cllr Summers said that Councillors didn’t agree that H. E. the Governor should take these decisions without advice from Ex-co.
4. Should Ex-co be partly held in Public? Councillors want Ms Munn’s views on this.
When the letter is answered a draft Constitution will be received and it will be published for explanation and consultation.
Voting on Committees:
In the new structure, it is inappropriate for Public Servants to vote on Committees. They attend in an advisory role and not to vote.
FIMCO:
1. Councillors asked for a review on management issues. They were specifically uneasy about the killing of ewes in the Abattoir unless they could not breed. They felt the proposals went too far and advocate a policy of discouraging this by making the best use of breeding ewes.
2. This year there were logistical problems in getting some animals to the Abattoir on time. How to deal with this problem is a management and not a policy issue. Farmers are encouraged to work with the Meat Company as sometimes farming and killing priorities don’t mix. “You have to fix them,” said Cllr Summers.
3. There was a good season at the abattoir with losses significantly less than last year. This will be reflected in the amount of subsidy given to FIMCO.
Civil Servants Meeting with Councillors:
According to Cllr Summers this depends on the policy and style of the Chief Executive. Public servants should advise the Chief Executive if they are going to meet with Councillors and, if possible and/or practical, the Chief Executive should attend the meeting as well. As we have a portfolio system and not a ministerial system, the lines of communication are not as clear as in the Ministerial system. Advising the CEO would augment communications along the chain of command.
Rural Strategy Group:
Cllr Mike Rendell is the new member of the Rural Strategy Group that is headed by Cllr Ian Hansen. He was thought to be the best choice because of his links with tourism. The group’s remit is to recommend development, help the rural economy and advise on developing resources available to assist the people. It’s time to look at this again.
Strengths and Weaknesses of FIG:
This exercise, organised by the Chief Executive, is done by Councillors, Government Departments, the Chamber of Commerce and the Business Community, etc. Each group are looking at FIG’s strengths and weaknesses, which could include the Economy, Society and Commitment of Employees as well as the educational quality of Employees. The groups are working together towards publication of a report.
Mr. Aita:
Mr. Aita from the Japanese Company Nissui, who is a guest of Fortuna Limited, visited Councillors and talked about the deep water port, and his involvement with ports in South America, how he sees things going in regards to our plans for a port, the type of infrastructure needed to support the port as well as the port itself, and his projects elsewhere.
Mr Aita gave good advice about the market for white fish as well as the transition from Reefer to Containers for shipping fish. Cllr Summers said it was a transition that needed to be done relatively quickly.
Port Development Officer:
For the past 2 or 3 years the Development Corporation has set aside money for the post of Port Development Officer. The money has been transferred to FIG as this post will be under FIG’s remit. The Chief Executive will assist in recruiting this person who will have the appropriate experience to help decide where the port should be and the logistics of keeping the site dredged. The contract would run for 2 or 3 years.
FIDC Interim Manager:
Tim Thorogood has the CVs of several interim managers who will be here for approximately 6 months while a contract person is recruited. There are educational requirements that the person should have. Also, the educational requirements of the Financial Controller will also be reviewed.
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