MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Agenda Released for 47th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference.

The agenda has been released for the 47th Commonwealth Parliamentary Association Conference, which will take place in Australia in September this year. Councillor's Mike Summers and Bill Luxton will represent the Falklands at that and the Small Countries Conference. The theme will be to reassess the profession of politics to raise the public perception of Parliaments and Parliamentarians. Discussion topics will include; poverty alleviation, strengthening Parliament's role in the battle against corruption, combating international trafficking of people, gender-sensitizing Parliaments in Commonwealth, whether scientific advances should be subject to legislative and regulatory measures and being a professional knowledge based Parliamentarian.

Councillor Clifton at Barbados Conference

Councillor Lewis Clifton attended the Executive Committee meeting of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association in Barbados, undertaking the Falklands responsibility as stand-by branch this year. During the meeting, former New Zealand cabinet Minister Denis Marshall was nominated to become the next Secretary General of the Association. Arthur Donahoe, QC, the current Secretary General visited the Falklands in December to assist with the constitutional reform process and is due to retire at the end of this year. The meeting took place between 29 April and 5 May. Councillor Clifton will return to the Islands on May 12.

Energy Advisory Committee on Thursday

The energy advisory committee, which will meet next Thursday will discuss a staff paper submitted by the FIDC energy adviser, Tim Cotter regarding the 14th Wind diesel meeting. This was organised jointly by the American and Canadian Wind Energy Associations and was held at Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada. The majority of the meeting was about larger isolated power systems to suit population centres of up to 3500 people. Tim visited the Atlantic wind test site on the North Cape of Prince Edward Island and reported that their main task appears to be investigating the interfacing and control of diesel generators with different wind turbines. He said the goal is to shut down the generator whenever possible. Adding, this has implications for p