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: 3.10 p.m. – 7.40 p.m. Gibraltar, Tuesday, 16th March 2021 Contents Suspension of Standing Orders ........................................................................................................ 4 Standing Order 7(1) suspended to proceed with a Government Statement ........................... 4 Government Statement .................................................................................................................... 4 COVID-19 – Statement by the Chief Minister ........................................................................... 4 Suspension of Standing Orders ...................................................................................................... 14 Standing Order 7(1) suspended to proceed with Questions .................................................. 14 Questions for Oral Answer ................................................................................................... 14 Communications from the Chair .................................................................................................... 14 Questions deadline – Ruling by Mr Speaker ........................................................................... 14 Procedural – Supplementary questions ................................................................................. 15 Housing, Youth and Sport ............................................................................................................... 15 Q508/2020 Premises at King’s Bastion Leisure Centre – Extension of business licence ........ 15 Q509/2020 Lathbury and Europa sports facilities – Management arrangements and long- term plans ............................................................................................................................... 16 Q510/2020 Housing Pre-List – Updated details ..................................................................... 16 Q511/2020 Rental flats allocated in 2020 – Details ............................................................... 17 Q512/2020 Tenants in emergency homes – Details ............................................................... 17 Q513/2020 Rental flats allocated in 2020 – Allocations for Senior Citizens .......................... 19 Q514/2020 Rental flats returned to Government housing stock in 2020 – Details ............... 20 Q515/2020 Rental homes currently unoccupied – Reasons not yet allocated ...................... 21 _______________________________________________________________________________ Published by © The Gibraltar Parliament, 2021 GIBRALTAR PARLIAMENT, TUESDAY, 16th MARCH 2021 Q514/2020 Rental flats returned to Government housing stock in 2020 – Supplementary questions ................................................................................................................................ 22 Q516/2020 Rental home tenants wishing to purchase – Procedure ..................................... 23 Q517/2020 Rental homes sold to sitting tenants – Details ................................................... 23 Q518/2020 Queen’s Hotel hostel – Restoration .................................................................... 27 Q517/2020 Rental homes sold to sitting tenants – Supplementary questions ..................... 29 Procedural .............................................................................................................................. 30 Q518/2020 Queen’s Hotel hostel – Supplementary questions ............................................. 31 Employment, Health and Safety and Social Security ..................................................................... 32 Q522/2020 Employment figures 2020 – Full-time, part-time and self-employed ................ 32 Q523-525/2020 Social security benefits – Public information; appeals ................................ 33 Q526/2020 Non-statutory or discretionary benefits 2015-20 – Amount paid and numbers of recipients ................................................................................................................................ 37 Q527/2020 Various benefits – Payments made and number of recipients........................... 38 Digital, Financial Services and Public Utilities ................................................................................ 39 Q528/2020 Devil’s Tongue proposed development – Development licence ........................ 39 Q529/2020 DLT regulations – Introduction of 10th core principle ........................................ 41 Q530/2020 Gibraltar Association of New Technologies – Key deliverables .......................... 41 Q531/2020 GBC archives – Plans to digitise .......................................................................... 42 Q532/2020 Online Government services – Improvement of delivery ................................... 43 Q533-35/2020 Beat COVID contact tracing app – Number of smartphone downloads; number of users in self-isolation; details of app developer and cost .................................... 46 Q536/2020 New secondary schools – Cracks/rectification works ......................................... 49 Q537/2020 Discretionary scholarships – Details re applications ........................................... 49 Q538/2020 Distance learning scholarships – Details re 2019 applications ........................... 51 Q539/2020 Discretionary scholarships – Details re 2020 applications .................................. 53 Q540/2020 Distance learning scholarships – Details re 2020 applications ........................... 57 Q541/2020 Discretionary grants – Details re change in criteria ............................................ 58 Q542/2020 Tuition fees and scholarship grants – Payments and reason for delays ............. 61 Q543-44/2020 Scholarships for uncompleted courses – Outstanding debts ........................ 62 Q545/2020 Schools’ academic calendar 2020-21 Plans to adjust ......................................... 66 Q546/2020 2021 public examinations – Effect of changes announced in UK ....................... 66 Q576/2020 Chatham Counterguard toilets – Construction and maintenance costs ............ 67 Q577/2020 El Calpense – Purchase by Government ............................................................. 68 Q578/2020 Cross of Sacrifice – Listed status ......................................................................... 69 Q579-80/2020 Refurbishment of Northern Defences – Heritage reports conducted; inventory of items recovered from site ................................................................................. 70 Q581/2020 Tourist sites – Plans to refurbish......................................................................... 71 ________________________________________________________________________ 2 GIBRALTAR PARLIAMENT, TUESDAY, 16th MARCH 2021 Q582-83/2020 Upper Rock Nature Reserve – Responsibility for operating system; plans to privatise aspects of management ........................................................................................... 74 Q584/2020 Green Lane – Plans for reopening ....................................................................... 76 Q544/2020 Scholarships for uncompleted courses – Outstanding debts – Supplementary question .................................................................................................................................. 76 Q585/2020 British War Memorial steps – Completion date for landscaped area ................. 77 Q586/2020 Public Health – Office in the Hospital .................................................................. 78 Q587/2020 Pupils with special needs – Number in publicly funded schools ......................... 79 Q588-92/2020 Learning support assistants – Numbers employed full time and part time; number on supply list; academic and training requirements; on-the-job training ................ 79 Q593/2020 Online learning provision – Equivalence with schools’ curriculum ..................... 84 Q594/2020 Dog parks – Completion date for Queensway and plans for more ..................... 87 Q595/2020 Trees – Numbers cut down and replanted .......................................................... 87 Q596/2020 Year 13 non-A-level religion class – Reason for timetabling ............................... 92 Adjournment .................................................................................................................................. 93 The House adjourned at 7.40 p.m. .......................................................................................... 93 ________________________________________________________________________ 3 GIBRALTAR PARLIAMENT, TUESDAY, 16th MARCH 2021 The Gibraltar Parliament The Parliament met at 3.10 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] SUSPENSION OF STANDING ORDERS Standing Order 7(1) suspended to proceed with a Government Statement Clerk: Meeting of Parliament, Tuesday, 16th March 2021. Suspension of Standing Orders. The Hon. the Chief Minister. 5 Chief Minister (Hon. F R Picardo): 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. GOVERNMENT STATEMENT COVID-19 – Statement by the Chief Minister 10 Chief Minister (Hon. F R Picardo): Mr Speaker, it is exactly a year today since we locked down our over-70s. I want to therefore just quickly reflect that