£2m Victoria Stadium loan, health care delays and Eastside concerns raised in Parliament

The Government says it's loaned £2 million towards the construction of the new Victoria Stadium.

The Government says its assisting Stadium Developments Limited in respect of management services, design and construction of the new stadium, on the basis that the monies loaned will be repaid in full, once the new stadium is built.

To date, just over £2 million has been advanced to the company responsible for delivering the project.

The figure was revealed in Parliament in response to Opposition questions.

On the subject of waiting times at the GHA, it was also revealed that waiting times to see a Clinical Psychologist under the Young Minds Service is nearly 7 months. 

The current overall waiting time for psychological services is 21 weeks, while the average wait for an MRI scan in Gibraltar is 8 weeks.

Turning to the Eastside Marina project, the Chief Minister expressed support for the Eastside development, despite concerns from Catalan Bay residents. The government said it was supportive of the plans and stressed it will be possible to see over the sea wall and beyond. The Chief Minister told Parliament a coastal dynamics report has been submitted, which predicts there will be changes to the south side of Eastern beach and Catalan Bay.

There, renourishment of these areas are planned over the next 10 years, to allow the beaches to reach their state of equilibrium. This will be undertaken by the developers, who will report to the Government, at no extra cost to the taxpayer.