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Falkland Islands: Weekly Penguin News update

Nigel Evans MP on board the VC10.

Headlines: MPs experience Forces life; One further week until Constitutional debate; More turbines for wind faro; London 'smoko'; BFBS TV: copyright talks continue; Airfares remain unknown; 'Zero tolerance' policy?; Clocks go forward this weekend.

MPs experience Forces lifeTHEY may have slipped under the radar of many Islanders but two UK Members of Parliament (MP) recently spent a busy few days in the Falklands. On her first visit was Baroness Diana Warwick a Labour life peer, accompanied by Nigel Evans, the Conservative MP for Ribble Valley who has visited the Islands several times before. Both were in the Islands as part of the Armed Forces Parliamentary Scheme. (AFPS) The objective of the AFPS is to provide MPs with a real knowledge of the role and functions of the armed forces and gain a broad view of military life, enabling them to speak from a position of experience in debates, regardless of whether it is supportive or critical of government policy. During the visit, Baroness Warwick and Mr Evans undertook a packed programme of familiarisation visits, and they received briefings on the sea, land and air forces (see story page 5). There was also an opportunity for them to get a feel for life in the Falklands for service personnel, which included attendance at a Combined Services Entertainment show. One further week until Constitutional debateTHE Constitutional sitting of Legislative Council due to take place today has been delayed by a week. Due to the likelihood that some councillors would not be able to travel to Stanley due to airstrips being waterlogged and more rain expected, the meeting was rescheduled until next Friday, September 12 beginning at 9.30am. How the Constitutional process moves forward depends on what happens at Friday's meeting, Cllr Mike Summers said. "The expectation is that the Constitution will be accepted by Legislative Council on Friday and then be sent to the Foreign Office who will remit it to the Privy Council." Once the Privy Council has approved it, the proposal will become effective on January 1, 2009. It was not critical if something cropped up in the debate and a conclusion was not reached on outstanding issues, said Cllr Summers, who has spent considerable time on the review since it began in 2000. If the draft was not ready to go to the Privy Council in October it would go in November or January, he said. More turbines for wind faroTHE contract for the construction of Phase Two of the Sand Bay Wind Farm has been approved by Executive Council. Enercon Gmbh - who built the first three turbines at the farm - have been appointed for the manufacture, supply and installation of three more wind turbines, flywheel energy storage and associated control systems. An additional capital provision of £800,000 was approved by Standing Finance Committee (SFC) on Friday. Chair of SFC, Councillor Andrea Clausen, said the original capital provision for the project was £1.5 million, and an estimate of £2 million was suggested at the June meeting of Executive Council. "The final cost of the project is £2.3m. Factors such as the prices of raw materials and the fact that these turbines are now produced off-line and not on-line, as they previously were, have contributed to the rise in costs," she said. "However, this project remains highly attractive with a simple payback period of six years (nine years when depreciation is taken into account) and a net recurrent saving of approximately £372,000 per annum (£261,000 when depreciation is taken into account)." London 'smoko'THE Falkland Islands Tourist Board (FITB) hosted a Falklands-themed 'smoko' event at the government's London office on Wednesday to introduce media and trade contacts to what the Islands have to offer. Jake Downing, FITB General Manager, introduced the Islands and growing land-based and cruise tourism to the gathering, while Hattie Kilmartin, from Bluff Cove Lagoon Tours, provided an insight into her experience of running a tourist lodge at Port Howard and providing guided tours. BFBS TV: copyright talks continueEXTENSIVE discussions on copyright covering the broadcast of programmes by BFBS Television to civilians in the Falklands are continuing. Mark Edgar, Senior Project Manager at the Services Sound and Vision Corporation said the discussions over the last few months had been to re-confirm with rights holders the necessary permission to continue to rebroadcast programmes to Falkland Islanders and added: "These are progressing well and we are confident that we will be able to continue to broadcast the vast majority of programmes to the Islanders." Mr Edgar said that, despite the delay caused by these negotiations, SSVC had pressed ahead with enabling work which meant that, subject to contract, they could be in a position to deliver Direct to Home (DTH) satellite programming to Camp by early December. "Depending on when equipment is ordered, Stanley should start receiving digital services in March next year," he added. Airfares remain unknownNO WORD has yet been received on the fares for the new airbridge contract which begins in early October. However, negotiations have been held on the check-in and departure times for the flight which have been moved from 4.30am and 6.30am respectively. They will now be at 5.30am and 7.30am. Cllr Mike Summers commented: "I made the point to FCO/MoD on the potential dangers of driving the MPA road in the middle of the night in winter. The response has been to move the departure times forward by one hour." 'Zero tolerance' policy?A PAPER outlining the government's approach to illegal drug abuse in the Falklands was submitted to this month's meeting of Executive Council. The paper was received following a request from councillors to be briefed on what a zero tolerance policy meant in the Falklands context, Cllr Clausen said. She added: "Whilst content with the overall approach outlined in the paper received we felt that a clearer report would need drafting for circulation to the public." Clocks go forward this weekendALTHOUGH it may seem the Falklands are still firmly in the middle of winter, summer time begins this weekend. Government clocks will be advanced one hour to summer time at 2am on Sunday, September 7.