MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency
Legislative Council Round Up
The last meeting of the year of the Falkland Islands Legislative Council took place in Stanley on Friday, December 16th.
The first item on the agenda was the Telecommunications Amendment Bill 2005. The Bill imposes a maximum tariff the local telecommunications provider (Cable & Wireless PLC) can charge for services. Commenting on the Bill, Councillor Richard Davies said that although he was pleased a compromise had been reached, he was, "disappointed that Cable & Wireless have continued with the daytime (internet) tariff of six pence per minute."
Dr Davies added that Dr Doyle, the telecommunications consultant who visited the Islands earlier this year, had suggested a daytime rate of four pence per minute for internet access. Although Cable & Wireless had voiced fears about congestion if rates were dropped to this level, Dr Davies said he was sure, "people would rather have cheaper rates and risk congestion."
Camp Councillor Richard Stevens made the point that Camp residents should pay a lower tariff to Stanley, "to reflect the poor quality of the service."
Turning to more general matters, Councillor Davies took the opportunity to appraise the performance of the new council. "I hope you'll agree we've made some progress on our election promises," he said, adding, "I think the new portfolio system is the way forward." On the subject of open government, an issue that featured prominently in the run up to the election, Dr Davies noted that, "most Executive Council papers will be published."
The issue of scrutiny of Executive Council (ExCo) was raised by Councillor Janet Robertson, as she asked how it was possible for Legislative Council (LegCo) to scrutinize ExCo decisions when ExCo is only held the day before LegCo. Ms Robertson felt there was not enough time between meetings for LegCo members to properly analyze ExCo decisions. "Maybe this is something the Select Committee (on the Constitution) looks at," she added.
Many of the members of Council had spoken of the need to help the rural community in their manifestos, and Councillor Richard Stevens said there were now, "beginning to have a look at some of the issues." He added that as well as a long-term strategy for the Camp, he was keen to, "come to with some short-term things as well."
Councillor Davies echoed Mr Stevens words and reassured Camp residents that Councillors are, "very much aware of the crisis in Camp." Councillor Mike Rendell meanwhile, who recently undertook a tour of West Falkland to speak to farmers there, said, "Many more resources need to be directed towards Camp," adding that the proposed ferry service is "crucial."
Lastly, Councillor Andrea Clausen brought up what she perceives as a need for a points based immigration system, similar to the system employed by New Zealand. Dr Clausen said that ExCo members had had to make some, "very uncomfortable decisions" with regard to immigration applications, and that this was compounded by the lack of any definitive guidelines. Dr Clausen said she would be, "Urgently addressing this issue."
Rob Burnett - Stanley
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