RSS feed. http://www.gbc.gi/news/ Copyright 2012 GBC en-uk Mon, 20 May 2013 16:38:46 +0200 http://www.gbc.gi/news/news-details.php?id=1756 A By-Election for the vated left by the death of Charles Bruzon, will be held on the 4th July. The announcement was made by the Chief Minister in Parliament this afternoon. Fabian Picardo said the business of Government and of Parliament would continue whilst the by-election process was underway. He added that, although this is not a General Election, the process would make huge demands on the staff of the Parliament because of the monthly Parliament sessions. He said the timetable would not be abated by the calling of the by-election. Mr Picardo called it an historic occasion saying with all the surviving Chief Ministers present in the House today, he believed this was the first time in the history of the by-elections that a Chief Minister had made the announcement in Parliament. He added on doing so, that he was demonstrating, where possible and relevant, the Government would seek to make statements of national importance in Parliament. Mr Picardo also announced that the selection process for the The GSLP/Liberal candidate would be decided at tonight's Annual General Meeting, with the candidate presented to the electorate by the end of the meeting. Candidates are required to have signed nomination papers before noon on the 13th June.  http://www.gbc.gi/news/news-details.php?id=1750 The UK Prime Minister has written to Gibraltar and nine other UK territories asking for action to tackle company tax evasion by knocking down the walls of company secrecy. David Cameron says it’s important to know who "really owns and controls each and every company". In the letter, released yesterday by Downing Street, the Prime Minister said this issue goes right to the heart of Britain’s desire to knock down the walls of company secrecy. He has asked Gibraltar, Cayman Islands, Bermuda, the British Virgin Islands, Anguilla, Montserrat, Turks and Caicos Islands, Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man to set up central registries that contain information on the owners of every company, and for this information to be made available to law enforcement and tax collectors. The Prime Minister added that countries have the right to set low taxes, but that this financial model is sustainable only if what is owed is actually paid, and if there’s a level playing field across the world. Mr Cameron said there’s no point dealing with tax evasion in one country if the problem is simply displaced to another. On Wednesday, European leaders will meet in Brussels to agree a plan governing how EU countries should share tax data. http://www.gbc.gi/news/news-details.php?id=1749 Elderly Services workers have voted unanimously to accept Government proposals to reinstate parity with their counterparts in the Health Authority. The ballot was organised by Unite the Union, with 181 of 251 workers voting, all of them in favour of accepting equal salary, terms and conditions to GHA workers, with retrospection. The vote was overseen by notary public Steven Sanchez. A spokesperson for the Elderly Services workers thanked the Government for recognising their professionalism and the standard of care afforded to the elderly. Unite says parity had been unfairly withdrawn by the previous administration, adding it is another success story for its working class members. http://www.gbc.gi/news/news-details.php?id=1746 Fabian Picardo will stand unopposed for the position of Party Leader at the GSLP Party Conference tonight. It’s the first time he’s up for re-election since he took over from Joe Bosanno two years ago. Since he’s the only candidate, party rules do not require an election, but Mr Picardo has insisted on a show of hands.  Eight candidates are vying for election to five posts on the Executive, and three motions have been tabled. As it did with the GSD party conference recently, GBC will record a special programme with highlights from the conference. http://www.gbc.gi/news/news-details.php?id=1753 The Mayor of La Linea has written to the Spanish government warning that if the queue into Gibraltar isn’t controlled better, it could result in a tragedy. 
 Gemma Araujo wants the Spanish government to stop queue jumpers and prevent those waiting to join the queues from causing traffic chaos.

  Sra Araujo said there are a number of incidents between drivers every day.

 She told Javier de Torres, the government representative for Cadiz, that La Linea lacked the technical and human resources to control the situation.
 In her letter, the Mayor says that – while the access road to the border is a national road and the Guardia Civil should take responsibility for policing it – she doesn’t rule out giving more of a role to the Policia Local.
 Sra Araujo says such measures would bring benefits for the people of La Linea, the way it is perceived by visitors, and for the workers who cross the border on a daily basis. http://www.gbc.gi/news/news-details.php?id=1754 The Environmental Safety Group (ESG) has urged the Government to prevent any new residential areas springing up around the new Power Plant. In a follow-up to its previous statement where it broadly welcomed the announcement on the new plant, the ESG says it wants to clarify that there are many specifics not yet known that can only be fully understood once an environmental impact assessment is carried out. The group says its preferred site would have been Lathbury Barracks, but a good and cost effective power station that’s clean and quite is a massive improvement and a world apart to what we have at present. The ESG says it welcomes a system which would produce electricity and desalinate water at the same time using the same fuel. http://www.gbc.gi/news/news-details.php?id=1755 Despite a climate of incursions, criticism of the bunkering industry from Spain and the designation of a site of community importance in British Gibraltar Territorial Waters by Spain, Government officials have attended a maritime conference in Mallorca.  Jointly organised by the Government of the Balearic Islands and the Spanish Ministry for Foreign Affairs, it was principally aimed at showcasing the potencial growth of the maritime sector in the Mediterranean. The conference included workshops on issues such as maritime security, marine research and the environmental protection of marine areas. The Ministery for Health and the Environment says the conference proved to be an excellent opportunity to foster new contacts with experts in the maritime sector as well as with senior officials from Brussels. The Government is keen to continue participating in these European initiatives, with the aim of encouraging a more sustainable martime sector in British Gibraltar territorial waters, whilst raising internationally the issues and experiences gained in the management of the local marine environment. http://www.gbc.gi/news/news-details.php?id=1745 The floating hotel was among a number of subjects that featured prominently in yesterday’s session of Parliament.  The Opposition argued the Government is only paying lip service to the planning process and that the project at Ocean Village is a done deal.   Fabian Picardo said there’s been no direct commercial agreement between the Government and Ocean Village or Sunborn, a company based in Finland. The Chief Minister handled almost all the questions on the floating hotel, stating that a project valued at £150 million was important to Gibraltar’s macro economy. He congratulated Ocean Village for securing the deal with Sunborn, the owners of the yacht hotel, adding the area would be beautified in a manner befitting the luxurious nature of the yacht, and that he’d be meeting residents and the Environmental Safety Group to listen to their concerns. One environmental measure already taken is the relocation of spider crabs – this endangered species prompted numerous supplementary questions from Jaime Netto, who defiantly directed his questions at Dr John Cortes, despite the fact Mr Picardo said repeatedly that he was handling this subject. The Chief Minister said the Government is committed to helping this project succeed in any way it can, revealing that almost £140,000 has been spent already, though discussions on the projected final costs were still ongoing. The Leader of the Opposition was eager to establish whether the Government conducted a proper environmental impact assessment for this project before giving it the green light. Mr Picardo said an assessment was ongoing but that the advice he had suggested none of the works conducted to date would affect its results. Daniel Feetham wasn’t happy with the answer, claiming the project appeared to have been rushed with undue haste and without proper regard for the environment. The Chief Minister argued it was perfectly reasonable and proper to move on things not contingent on the results of the environmental impact assessment. Mr Feetham said the GSD’s principal position is that they welcome the investment, but that they think the Government is purporting to care for the environment while actually running roughshod over it with this project. The Chief Minister denied this, arguing his Government is doing exactly what it said it would, claiming the open meetings of the DPC are a manifestation of a ‘new dawn’. Moving on, and in response to questions from Selwyn Figueras about whether the Government was thinking of doing anything further to incentivise green transport, the Chief Minister said hybrid vehicles were being looked at to replace some of the Government fleet of cars.  He aslo said his administration will start looking at how facilities might be provided to charge electric vehicles in public parkings and also at existing and future housing estates. And in respect of the Government plans to install lifts at Glacis, Laguna & Moorish Castle, Mr Picardo said some lifts may operate from the mezzanine rather than the ground floor, to dissuade school children interfering with the lifts. He said the total forecast cost of this project is about £50 million. Plans for the new power station and the government’s incubator scheme for small businesses were the subject of further ardent exchanges, which will no doubt continue when Parliament reconvenes Monday at 3pm. http://www.gbc.gi/news/news-details.php?id=1742 The Opposition has described the Government’s refusal to answer questions in Parliament on the Washington visit - on the premise that it would not be in the national interest - as nothing more than a smokescreen.  GSD leader Daniel Feetham asked who paid for invitations to the Washington events, and whether any commercial agreements exist with that person. He says he is certain that the Obama moment was an attempt at political spin that got out of control for the Government, and the Chief Minister is now trying to blame the Opposition to deter it from asking questions. The GSD says the Government is simply trying to justify closing the shutters on legitimate Opposition questions, which is becoming a habit for this ‘New Dawn’ Government. http://www.gbc.gi/news/news-details.php?id=1751 A directory of Gibraltarian professionals working across the globe has been set up; gibraltarinternationals.gi is designed to encourage these professionals to use each other's services. The Government says it’s aware there are hundreds of Gibraltarians living abroad and would like these people to register themselves on the website. Fabian Picardo says the initiative will bring together the vast amount of Gibraltar talent that exists across the globe. The Chief Minister added the Government will make use of the services of such Gibraltarians whenever services are required in any country where there is a professional able to assist. http://www.gbc.gi/news/news-details.php?id=1752 Gibraltarian law graduate Natasha Pizarello has been crowned Miss Great Britain Derby. The 22-year-old has now qualified for the Miss Great Britain pageant in autumn, when she'll take on the winners of the other regional competitions across the UK. Reacting to her win, Natasha said, "I can’t believe I won… I’m so happy". She's started a Facebook page to keep fans updated over the next 6 months or so: ‘Miss Great Britain Derby 2013/2014’.