Q12#l RECORD OF THE MEETING OF THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL HELD: 15 FEBRUARY 1990 ■ ' V > « & •s?. : . RECORD OP THE MEETING OP THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL HELD IN STANLEY" ON THURSDAY, 15 FEBRUARY 1990 PRESIDENT His Excellency the Governor (Mr William Hugh Fullerton) MEMBERS Ex-Officio The Honourable the Chief Executive (Mr Ronald Sampson) The Honourable the Financial Secretary (Mr John Henry Buckland-James) Elected The Honourable Ronald Eric Binnie (Elected Member for Camp Constituency) The Honourable Mrs Norma Edwards (Elected Member for Camp Constituency) The Honourable Kevin Seaton Kilmartin (Elected Member for Camp Constituency) The Honourable William Robert Luxton (Elected Member for Camp Constituency) The Honourable Terence John Peck MBE CPM (Elected Member for Stanley Constituency) The Honourable Gavin Phillip Short (Elected Member for Stanley Constituency) Apologies were received from The Honourable G M Robson The Honourable H T Rowlands CBE PERSONS ENTITLED TO ATTEND The Commander British Forces (Major General Paul Timothy Stevenson OBE RM) The Attorney General (Mr David Geoffrey Lang QC) CLERK. Mr Peter Thomas King PRAYERS Reverend Canon J G M W Murphy LVO MA CONTESTS PAGES Confirmation of Official Record 1 Opening Remarks by the President 1 Papers Laid on the Table by the Honourable the Chief Executive 1 Questions for Oral Answer 1 1/90 The Honourable R E Binnie 1 (Cost of Senior School) 2/90 The Honourable R E Binnie 2 (Violations of Voluntary Restraint Agreements) 3/90 The Honourable W R Luxton 2 (Surface Mail Service) 4/90 The Honourable W R Luxton 3 (Camp Tracks System) 5/90 The Honourable G P Short 3 (Cost of Road Consultants) 6/90 The Honourable G P Short 4 (Repair of Ross Rd West) 7/90 The Honourable G P Short 4 (Government Vehicles) 8/90 The Honourable T J Peck MBE CPM 5 (Expenditure - New School Project) 9/90 The Honourable T J Peck MBE CPM 6 (Repairs to roads - Stanley) MOTIONS 7 Motion by the Honourable T J Peck MBE CPM relating to: 7 'The early revision of the Standing Rules and Orders of the House.' ORDERS OP THE DAY - KTT.Tfl 8 The Land Acquisition Bill 1989 8 The Law of Contract (Amendment) Bill 1990 9 The Public Health (Amendment) Bill 1989 9 The Elected Councillors' Allowances Bill 1990 10 The Public Funds Bill 12 MOTION FOR ADJi [T 13 The Honourable the Chief Executive 13 The President 13 The Honourable Mrs N Edwards 13 The Honourable W R Luxton 14 The Honourable T J Peck MBE CPM 15 The Honourable R E Binnie 17 The Honourable K S Kilmartin 17 The Honourable G P Short 17 The Honourable the Financial Secretary 18 The Honourable the Chief Executive 18 Commander British Forces 19 The President 19 QUESTIONS FOR WRITTEN ANSWER 15/89 The Honourable H T Rowlands CBE 20 (Captain John Strong's Landing) 16/89 The Honourable H T Rowlands CBE 20 (Hydatid/Aluminium survey - results) 17/89 The Honourable H T Rowlands CBE 21 (Fishing Company Losses) 1/90 The Honourable H T Rowlands CBE 22 (Dental Service) 2/90 The Honourable G P Short 23 (Camp Tracks) CONFORMATION OF OFFICIAL RECORD The Record of the Meeting of Legislative Council held on the 6 December 1989• There was one amendment from the Attorney General which had been included in the Record, as follows: Page 24, line 13 - Insert the word no’ between the words ’be and ’evidence’. OPENING REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT Honourable Members. At this point the schedule calls for some introductory remarks from me. This has been, is, and will continue to be be, a very busy month. Shearing has long been underway, the fishing season has begun, visitors to the Islands are here in their welcome numbers, we have received the Falkland Families Association, a very moving visit, followed by the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Mr Sainsbury, and we will soon be receiving the Secretary of State for Defence, Mr King. All this really to say that, though our Agenda is not overlong this morning, I shall not detain you with farther introductory remarks, but will now invite the Clerk of Councils to turn to the first item of business. PAPERS LAID ON THE TABLE BY THE HONOURABLE THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE Copies of subsidiary legislation made or approved by the Governor in Council, since the 6 December 1989 and published in the Gazette. ORDERS No 32/89 The Education Regulations 1989 No 33/89 The Fisheries Regulations (Amendment) Order 1989 QUESTIONS FOR ORAL ANSWER Question Number 1/90 by the Honourable R E Binnie; What is the cost to date of the proposed new Senior School? Reply by the Honourable the Chief Executive: Your Excellency, the cost to date is £233,673-89. These are consultants and architects fees. 1 Question Number 2/90 by the Honourable R E Binnie: Has the Administration any knowledge appertaining to violations of the fisheries Voluntary Restraint Agreements? Reply by the Honourable the Chief Executive: Your Excellency, it's premature to comment fully on the level of compliance with the Voluntary Restraint Agreements and any violation of such agreements, and full information on this subject will be provided to Honourable Members in due course. But I am happy to report that monitoring of the Voluntary Restraint Agreement has been set up and will continue throughout the fishing season. Observers have been placed on vessels, fishing boats, inside and outside the Falkland Island Conservation Zone. In addition the Dornier has been carrying out flights to 45 degrees north, which is some 400 miles North of these islands. These flights have covered the main areas involving the Voluntary Restraint Agreements. Information from both the observers and the Dornier are still coming in and being checked. Preliminary analysis indicates that the majority of the restraint agreements are being complied with. Some violations have been identified and these are being investigated and dealt with. The stance that is to be taken in respect of proven violations will be both firm and its implications severe on the vessel and the fishing organisations involved. An update on Voluntary Restraint Agreements and how it is being pursued by the companies will be regularly produced to Honourable Members. Question Number 3/90 by the Honourable ¥ R Luxton: The Administration has received complaints in the past about the surface mail service to the Falklands but there has been no improvement to date. As an example the surface mail which arrived here at the end of January contained items posted as early as September 10 last year. Will the Chief Executive say what further action has been taken to improve the service and what further action is proposed to ascertain where the delays occur, and report back to Council? Reply by the Honourable The Chief Executive: Your Excellency, this is a difficult question to answer, in as much that the Falkland Island Government has little control over the factors that affect the mail. I am grateful to my colleague the Superintendent of Posts for his assistance in preparing this reply. The Falkland Islands Government is responsible for mail deliveries on arrival in the Islands and itfs generally accepted that the Post Office performs a prompt and reliable service. 2 Surface mail from the United Kingdom has been a matter of concern for an extended period and close contact on the limitations of the service has been maintained by the Superintendent of Posts and indeed nyself with the General Post Office in London. It appears that a recent re-organisation has taken place within the General Post Office and that Birmingham has now been made the sole sorting office for the Falklands, replacing what had previously been the case of both London and Liverpool being dedicated sorting offices. It is not inconceivable that the timings outlined in the Honourable Member’s question will continue to be repeated again and again, and the reasons for this are as follows: Surface mail enjoys a low priority within the UK postal service and at the worst case it can take two weeks for a letter to reach the Birmingham sorting office. Parcel and surface mails are therefore despatched two weeks before the sailing date, This then places a worst case delivery of three months after posting. Should the surface mail just miss a sailing, then four and a half months would be a probable time frame. It's fully accepted that this is not a satisfactory situation. Contact between this Government and the General Post Office in Britain will continue and we will press for improvement where the British system allows. Question Number 4/90 by the Honourable V R Luxton: When proposed lines for the Camp Road System have been identified, will the Administration ensure that there is early consultation with landowners directly affected by these routes in order to avoid the sort of problems experienced on the Stanley to MPA road because of the lack of such consultation? Reply by the Honourable the Chief Executive: Your Excellency, yes is the answer. During the process of identifying the Camp road alignments the various landowners will be fully consulted and it is hoped they will be able to play an important part in advising our Consulting Engineers on local geography, geology and indeed community needs. Question Humber 5/90 by the Honourable G P Short: What is the cost per day incurred by the Falkland Islands Government for the two road consultants hired in connection with the Camp Tracks programme? Reply by the Honourable the Chief Executive: Your Excellency, Mr Ed Farrand, who is the Project Manager, will cost FIG £250 per day in fees, plus £51 per day for accommodation.