Falklands : Falklands Public Meeting Report (15/12/09)
Submitted by Falkland Islands News Network (Juanita Brock) 17.12.2009 (Article Archived on 14.01.2010)
A public meeting took place in the Court and Assembly Chamber of the Town Hall on Tuesday, 15 December 2009.
PUBLIC MEETING REPORT TUESDAY, 15 DECEMBER 2009
By J. Brock (FINN)
A public meeting took place in the Court and Assembly Chamber of the Town Hall on Tuesday, 15 December 2009. Present were MLAs Jan Cheek (JC – Chair), Dick Sawle (DS), Roger Edwards (RE), Bill Luxton (BL), Gavin Short (GS), Sharon Halford (SH), and Glenn Ross (GR). Apologies came from Emma Edwards (EE).
Possible Tsunami in the Falklands:
The first item on the agenda was a written question from Ginge Davis about the possibility of a tsunami hitting the Falklands and the fear that seismic equipment in place would not give adequate warning.
Dick Sawle answered the question by saying that he had consulted an oceanographer about the possibility and using what happened locally during the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami as an example, and received advice that we would need a lot more warning from the equipment we have to be effective. Mr Sawle mentioned the 90cm rise in Stanley and the huge effect at Fitzroy during the 2004 event. He went on to say we couldn’t do a lot about it. Mentioning that we were a bit like the UK in that we are on a continental shelf, he said we were close to the shelf edge but any damage to the Falklands is likely to come from seiching in restricted bays, etc (pendulous movement seen in large areas of water resembling a tide and created by wind, earth tremors or other atmospheric phenomena). The Oceanographer said that an adequate warning system would cost a huge amount of money and that even the UK cannot afford such a system but that he would be happy to be paid to do a study for us. “If it’s any consolation, I would be the first to go,” he added.
BFBS Programmes:
Phil Middleton said he read about where the BFBS system would include Sky News and would this mean we have to pay twice for the same news service. Dick Sawle said there would be a full answer in Friday’s Legislative Assembly. He added that the only channels that BFBS are presently talking about are BFBS-1, BFBS-2 and a children’s channel. Sky News could cost FIG extra to re-broadcast. He views TV and Radio a national service that is paid for by tax payers’ money. Mr Sawle said he found out today that it might not cost to receive SKY news but the jury was still out on that. He went on to say that there was a strong argument that FIG should not be in competition with KTV. The whole idea of a charge was raised by the last Assembly but this assembly had not discussed it yet. BFBS at MPA decided the content provided on their channels Ruth Taylor mentioned that there were 10 channels at MPA and that BFBS-2 repeats every two hours or so. She was corrected and it is every six hours. Mrs Taylor went on to say that something totally different should be substituted due to the repetitive nature of BFBS-2. Mr Sawle admitted he hadn’t watched BFBS in a good number of years. Sharon Halford mentioned that there were also copyright issues to consider because ITV programmes, for example, are provided free to the Armed forces but not allowed to be broadcast to civilians abroad. Mrs Halford went on to say that she wasn’t going to pay for the dish or for the service because she wasn’t going to have it installed. TV was not a top priority for discussion in meetings of Members of Legislative Assembly.
Assembly Priorities:
Dave Eynon wanted to know if Assembly Members were happy with what the previous Assembly had done and what were the priorities of this Assembly. Mrs Cheek answered that housing would be discussed at the first meeting next year.
Doctors at the KEMH:
Mr Eynon went on to ask about the shortage of Doctors at the KEMH. Roger Edwards says he met the new GP at the Hospital last week. Stella Prindle-Middleton mentioned the high cost of Locums and their frequent coming and going. Jan Cheek agreed with Sharon Halford and Mrs Prindle-Middleton that Locums were hired on due to a lack of Doctors but that a new GP has now been hired on.
Budget Strategy:
Roger Spink asked if the budget strategy was high on the list of priorities to be discussed and Members said that work on the budget would start in January.
Public Jetty:
Ruth Taylor asked about tenders for the public jetty and whether two months was too short a time to complete the work. Gavin Short said his gut feeling was it wasn’t long enough. Glenn Ross and Stephen Luxton agreed and Dick Sawle said that the weakened condition of the jetty was putting the public at danger. Roger Edwards mentioned that it was not good to have a construction site at the jetty during tourist season. Tim Miller wanted to know if the jetty would be extended into the harbour in any way so that smaller cruise ships could tie up next to it. Gavin Short said it would be a like for like replacement. Dick Sawle said he understood the shape of the head could be altered. Sharon Halford mentioned that small ships could come along side the new structure. Peter McGill was adamant that the job should be done properly. Dick Sawle said there were papers presented to Assembly Members but there would be expressions of interest and a proper assessment prior to any price being affixed to the project. Mike Forrest wanted to know if the project was in the budget. Dick Sawle repeated that he wanted to see expressions of interest before any figure was discussed.
Complaints Commissioner:
Mike Forrest asked about the progress in finding a Complaints Commissioner. Jan Cheek said Assembly Members were awaiting the legislation or regulation. Gavin Short said it was due next year. Jan Cheek said she would let him know when the regulation or legislation was in place. Dick Sawle said the role of a public complaints commissioner has not been defined yet. The person or persons must have teeth. In the UK the Complaints Commissioner doesn’t have teeth but people listen to what he has to say and they heed his advice.
Argentine Rugby Visit:
Tim Miller brought up the Argentine Rugby visit and the film crew they brought along with them. These cameramen have been observed filming outside the Infant/Junior School. Jan Cheek said they had been spoken to about this. Several people had been consulted but Members wanted to keep this low-key so not to feed the propaganda machine. Shirley Hirtle mentioned that she saw young children surrounding the Rugby players earlier on Tuesday afternoon. Evidently a senior civil servant has been instrumental in the visit. Jan Cheek said nothing was wrong with anyone pursuing a sport that interests them in their own time. Glenn Ross said that the planned visit had changed significantly from when it was presented to the previous Council. Phil Middleton brought up the CRV checks that all in the UK working with children must undergo. Glenn Ross said that legally, ad-hoc coaching was not covered. Phil Middleton acknowledged that the country of origin may not check the players out but their association should. Bill Luxton said there was a lot of sneaking around on the quiet to organise this visit and that we needed to watch out for this in the future. Roger Edwards mentioned that the people who authorised this had a measure of gullibility when they made the decision. Glenda McGill mentioned that she heard of four medical doctors travelling with the players yet no Rugby is being played here. Jan Cheek said that every few years these visits happen. Willie Bowles mentioned that the pitch used to be where the Eliza Cove minefield now is. Speaking of mines, Ruth Taylor mentioned that the Zimbabwean mine clearance experts were moved out of their accommodation at Lookout Lodge to let the Rugby Team and others in the party have accommodation. They now were at the Ross Complex for the duration of the Rugby players’ stay. It turns out that the rooms and pitch fees, etc had been pre-paid. Gavin Short expects more such visits that Tim Miller feels are wrapped in politics.
Chris Doyle’s Report:
A question was asked about Chris Doyle’s Report and Dick Sawle mentioned it was received on Monday night. He only skimmed through it but the report, minus commercial in confidence figures, would be put out for public consultation. He went on to say that suggestions in the report were not regulations and Bill Luxton urged through reading so that we can come up to the standards of the rest of the world. Mike Forrest asked why Cable & Wireless Accounts were not in the public domain like they were in other countries where such monopolies operated. Dick Sawle agreed saying the letter that he and Mike Forrest wrote was included in the context of the report. Mike Forrest said it was difficult to ascertain what an improved service from Cable & Wireless would cost. He said he can’t believe we would get a better service for nothing.
Port Development:
Dave Eynon asked about progress on the port development project. Dick Sawle said there were two more areas added to the short list and Members would be looking at those.
Wind Turbines:
The final question was asked by Phil Middleton about the new Wind Turbines. He felt they might be too close to the road and would be affected by the dust. Glen Ross said they were located 90 metres from the road and that their size made them look closer. He had opened ventilation doors to the south – away from any dust. Experts would come back to open the project in mid January. The project had been put on hold due to bad weather in November. Dave Eynon asked about another three and Mr Ross added that another phase – No. 3 would be carried out next but that it is not known what the affect of the hydrocarbons industry will have on the project. Another three wind turbines would be considered at another time.
|
