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Hundreds visit Falklands' Royal stand; ?No public inquiry'; NAAFI restrictions; Death of former commander; Coastal contest.

Hundreds visit Falklands' Royal stand THE new location of the International Village at the Royal Show at Stoneleigh and beautiful weather provided the highly visible Falklands stand with even more visitors than usual this year. The Stand was manned by Sukey Cameron and Melissa McKinley from the Falkland Islands Government Office (FIGO) in London, Henry Boughton who has a house at Hill Cove and, on the first day, Falkland Islander Emma Edwards. Visiting the stand alongside those who already had connections with the Islands were potential tourists, those interested in marketing Falklands products, people seeking to update their knowledge of the Islands and some three hundred school children, a spokesperson from FIGO said. More next week.Picture: Sukey Cameron is interviewed at the Royal Show for new internet TV channel www.countrychannel.tv.

?No public inquiry'

Cost of inquiry into Forbes case too high, says Governor

THERE will be no public inquiry held into the government's long legal dispute with Gordon Forbes Construction. At last week's meeting of Executive Council, the Chief Executive, Chris Simpkins, and Attorney General (Designate) Melanie Chilton, presented a report on the lessons that could be learnt by the government from the case, in order to inform decision-making in any similar future dispute relating to a construction contract. The dispute with Forbes was officially settled in November 2005. His Excellency the Governor, Mr Howard Pearce said that important lessons have been learnt and he has considered calls from some members of the public for a full public inquiry into the matter. He commented, "I have given this careful consideration, and I have discussed it in some detail with the Chief Executive. I have come to the conclusion that the benefits which might be gained from such an inquiry are outweighed by the costs involved." He said a public inquiry, properly held, is a "quasi legal" process. "It must be chaired by a fully qualified and experienced lawyer, and hear evidence. Interested parties, and in particular those who might run the risk of being subject to criticism at such an inquiry, are entitled to have legal representation. "The Gordon Forbes case was highly complex, and it is likely that such an inquiry would take several months. Legal expertise would have to be brought in from the UK. It has been estimated that the costs could be as high as £300,000 - perhaps higher. I do not believe that this would be a proper use of the taxpayer's money." Mr Pearce said he was satisfied that the Mr Simpkins and Ms Chilton had looked "thoroughly and rigorously" at the conduct of the case and that they have identified the key lessons to be learnt. "I think it is now time to draw a line under the issue, while ensuring that these lessons are implemented in any future construction contract entered into by FIG." Councillor Mike Summers said he too was satisfied that the report from Mr Simpkins and Ms Chilton was, "comprehensive, accurate and properly represented the situation" and there is, therefore, no need for a public inquiry. He commented, "I appreciate that the press statement itself is a little bit dry, but we are restricted in some ways on what we can say because the nature of the final agreement with Gordon Forbes, which was a negotiated agreement, precludes comment on some issues, (however) I think all councillors are satisfied that they did a thorough job and have drawn the necessary lessons from that exercise." ? Government's lessons learnt - turn to page 5.

NAAFI restrictions

A CHANGE to the military rules governing access to shopping in the NAAFI facilities at Mount Pleasant (MPC) is to impact on Falkland Island residents. From July 17, only service personnel, Ministry of Defence (MOD) civil servants and Mount Pleasant-resident MOD contractors will be permitted to use the NAAFI. Captain Mike Wong of Media Operations explained why this has happened. "In broad terms, goods imported into the Falkland Islands for sale through the NAAFI shops at MPC have traditionally incurred a freight charge to cover the cost of shipping from the UK. These charges have been included in the NAAFI prices making the prices for goods sold roughly comparable to those sold in Stanley. To date it has always been felt that the NAAFI did not pose unfair competition to local businesses and Island residents have therefore been permitted to use the shops at MPC." However, he said, recent changes in military cargo policy will soon lead to the removal of these freight charges to the Falklands and unfair competition will become an issue. Continued on page 3

Death of former commander

A FORMER Commander of British Forces (CBF) in the Falkland Islands has died in the UK. Royal Marine, Brigadier David Nicholls (57) was found dead in his Dundee home on Tuesday. He was CBF from February 1999 to January 2000. Brigadier Nicholls had many friends in the Falkland Islands and in recent years had been working closely with the South Georgia Government as the Director of Dundee University's Project Atlantis and as Chairman of the South Georgia Heritage Trust. His Excellency the Governor, Mr Howard Pearce, described him as "a man of great energy, enthusiasm and charisma." He commented, "I am sure that many Islanders will share my deep sadness at this news, and will join me in sending condolences to David's family." Current CBF, Commodore Ian Moncrieff, was saddened to hear the news. "David was a good friend with whom I shared an office in the MOD many years ago. I also took him on passage to South Georgia on two occasions when I was in command of HMS Enduranceand he stayed with me during his time in the Falklands earlier this year. "My thoughts are with his son and daughter, Christopher and Sophie."

Coastal contest

TWO companies have been short listed for the coastal shipping contract with the current supplier, Island Shipping Ltd, out of the running. The government's contract with Island Shipping expired on June 30 and an extension with revised terms was negotiated to run until November 30, 2006. After that, the company will be out. His Excellency the Governor Howard Pearce said that following discussions by the tender board, Executive Council decided that further discussions should now be held with two of the tenderers, Workboat Services Ltd and Falkland Islander Myles Lee. Workboat Services Ltd is a joint venture between Workboat Services, Fortuna and Holyhead Towing. When asked if there was any chance that the contract might be split between both short listed companies, dividing ferry operations and coastal shipping duties, Councillor Mike Summers said there was no proposal at present for a joint venture between the two, and the successful tenderer would have to provide the full service. The unsuccessful tenderers were Island Shipping Ltd, Chris May and South American Atlantic Services. Captain Ian Wilkinson of Island Shipping said he and his staff were all disappointed that the company will not be continuing with the coastal shipping service. He said that future plans are confidential but will involve, "...operations within the maritime and associated industries."

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