P R O C E E D I N G S O F T H E G I B R A L T A R P A R L I A M E N T AFTERNOON SESSION: 3.03 p.m. – 7.28 p.m. Gibraltar, Wednesday, 18th December 2019 Contents Standing Order 7(1) suspended to proceed with Government Statement .............................. 3 Criminal complaint against VOX – Statement by the Chief Minister ........................................ 3 Standing Order 7(1) suspended to proceed with questions ..................................................... 8 Questions for Oral Answer ..................................................................................................... 9 Environment, Sustainability and Climate Change ............................................................................ 9 Q184/2019 Cultural grants – Details of current year awards ................................................... 9 Q185/2019 Disposal of household items – Fines/sanctions imposed ...................................... 9 Q186/2019 Disposal of cigarette butts – Harbour Views Road .............................................. 10 Q187/2019 Theatre Royal/Governor’s Parade – Plans to deal with slippery surfaces .......... 12 Q188/2019 Noise pollution – Retrofitted exhausts on motorcycles ...................................... 12 Q189/2019 Exhaust pollution – 50 cc two-stroke engine motorcycles .................................. 13 Q190/2019 and Q202-03/2019 Exhaust pollution – Vehicular idling; Upper Rock Nature Reserve ................................................................................................................................... 13 Q191/2019 Irrigation of green areas – Water bowsers .......................................................... 17 Q192/2019 Government fleet – Timescale for conversion to electric ................................... 19 Q193/2019 Destruction of olive trees in North Gorge– Outcome of investigation ............... 21 Q194-95/2019 Dog faeces – DNA testing; fines imposed ...................................................... 22 Q196-199/2019 Solar panels – Output derived; return on investment; lifespan; maintenance costs ........................................................................................................................................ 23 Q200/2019 Restaurant kitchen emissions – Number of complaints by homeowners........... 24 Q201/2019 Creation of zero or low emission zones – Government position ........................ 24 _______________________________________________________________________________ Published by © The Gibraltar Parliament, 2019 GIBRALTAR PARLIAMENT, WEDNESDAY, 18th DECEMBER 2019 Q204/2019 Release of ballast from tankers – Procedures and environmental controls....... 25 Q205-206/2019 WHO air pollution limits – Plans for implementation ................................. 26 Q207/2019 Wave Generation Plant – Productivity ............................................................... 27 Q208-209/2019 and Q211/2019 2019 Music Festival – Tokens net surplus; net cost; issue of tender ..................................................................................................................................... 28 Q210/2019 Customs and Borders and Coastguard Officers – Protection against pollution . 29 Q212/2019 UNESCO World Heritage Status – New bid ......................................................... 31 Q213-214/2019 Catalan Bay and Eastern Beach Mound – Toxicity testing; soil study; toxicity report ..................................................................................................................................... 35 Q215/2019 COP25 Summit – Gibraltar’s involvement and impact on policies ..................... 39 Q216/2019 Climate change emergency manifesto commitments – Implementation .......... 41 Q180-181/2019 E-Government Programme – Programme update; milestones met; payment system testing and design advice ........................................................................................... 42 Q182/2019 Draft Gaming legislation – Availability ................................................................ 45 Q183/2019 GFSC Gibraltar-based financial services companies’ levy – Further information; prior consultation ................................................................................................................... 46 The House recessed at 5.46 p.m. and continued its sitting at 6.09 p.m. ................................ 48 Q183/2019 GFSC Gibraltar-based financial services companies’ levy – Supplementary question.................................................................................................................................. 49 Q217/2019 Upper Town Escalator – Closures and reasons ................................................... 49 Q218/2019 Electric scooters – Government’s position ......................................................... 50 Q217/2019 Upper Town Escalator – Supplementary questions ............................................ 51 Q219/2019 Gibraltar’s MAN bus fleet – Conversion to electric or hybrid ............................. 54 Q220/2019 Fixed-position speed camera fines – Numbers imposed and cancelled ............. 54 Q221/2019 Driving licence penalty points – Creation of regulations .................................... 57 Q222/2019 Learners’ licences – Changes in laws or regulations ........................................... 58 Q223/2019 Parking zones – Festive season arrangements ................................................... 58 Q224/2019 Queen’s cinema parking spaces – Allocation ...................................................... 59 Q225/2019 Fair Trading Act – Publishing revised Bill ............................................................ 60 Q226/2019 Amazon customs clearance – Delayed agreement ............................................. 60 Q227/2019 Cruise passengers and crew – Arrival numbers .................................................. 61 Q228/2019 Cirque du Soleil – Negotiations position ............................................................. 63 Q229/2019 Schools covered parking spaces – Background security checks ......................... 64 Q230/2019 Relocation of Attorney General’s offices – Location and rental cost ................. 65 Q231/2019 People registered disabled – End of years 2015-2019 ....................................... 66 Q232/2019 Parental alienation – Contact and relationships with children .......................... 69 The House adjourned at 7. 28 p.m. ........................................................................................ 72 ________________________________________________________________________ 2 GIBRALTAR PARLIAMENT, WEDNESDAY, 18th DECEMBER 2019 The Gibraltar Parliament The Parliament met at 3.03 p.m. [MR SPEAKER: Hon. M L Farrell BEM GMD RD JP in the Chair] [CLERK TO THE PARLIAMENT: P E Martinez Esq in attendance] Standing Order 7(1) suspended to proceed with Government Statement Clerk: Meeting of Parliament, 18th December 2019. Suspension of Standing Orders. The Hon. the Chief Minister. 5 Chief Minister (Hon. F R Picardo): Mr Speaker, I beg to move, under Standing Order 7(3), to suspend Standing Order 7(1) in order to proceed with a Government Statement. Mr Speaker: Those in favour? (Members: Aye.) Those against? Carried. Criminal complaint against VOX – Statement by the Chief Minister Chief Minister (Hon. F R Picardo): Mr Speaker, thank you once again for permission to make 10 a Statement this afternoon. Her Majesty’s Government of Gibraltar has today filed a criminal complaint against four leaders of the Spanish ultra right-wing political party VOX. The complaint has been filed in Spain, where the statements were made and where those who uttered them are resident, pursuant to Article 510 of the Spanish Penal Code, which deals with offences of incitement to hatred. This is 15 only the first of a number of legal routes that the Government will pursue to counter VOX’s narrative of unabashed hatred against the good people of Gibraltar. Other actions will follow in other jurisdictions. In this complaint, the Government brings to the attention of the Spanish prosecutors a long list of statements emanating from VOX and its national and regional leaders. These reveal a clear 20 strategy of disparaging the Gibraltarians and our institutions in a manner which seems clearly designed to create an atmosphere and animus of hatred among Spaniards towards Gibraltarians. These are the sorts of practices that were employed in the 1930s in Germany by the National Socialists and Hitler in whipping up aggression against the Jewish people, these are the sorts of practices we have seen in the Balkans at the time of ethnic cleansing, and this is the underlying 25 reality of the tactic that is playing out now in relation to the Gibraltarians in the discourse being promoted by VOX. That is why we have to make a stand now. Indeed, only recently the former leader of VOX in La Linea resigned, himself accusing the national party leadership of fomenting hatred against Gibraltar. Mr Speaker, he was probably privy to their own internal discussions, and that is very telling indeed. ________________________________________________________________________ 3 GIBRALTAR PARLIAMENT, WEDNESDAY, 18th DECEMBER 2019 30 In recent days, some of the online comments provoked by statements made by VOX and its national leaders have been extraordinarily clear in explicitly and specifically urging violent action against Gibraltar. This is intolerable and shameful. Her Majesty’s Government of Gibraltar