LEGCO: 29 August 2003

(Commentary by J. Brock FINN)

A meeting of Legislative Council took place in the Court and Council Chamber of the Town Hall beginning at 1030 on Friday, 29 August 2003. The meeting began with prayers by Monsignor Michael McPartland.

Following this, the record of Legislative Council held on 27 and 28 May 2003 was confirmed. Then, the following papers were laid on the table by the Chief Executive:

1. Copies of Subsidiary Legislation Publishes in the Falkland Islands Gazette since the last sitting of Legislative Council and laid on the table pursuant to Section 34(1) of the Interpretation and General Clauses Ordinance, 1977
2. The Ross Road Temporary Clearway Regulations Order, Extension of Operation No2. Regulations Order, 2003.
3. The Stanley Common Young Motorcyclists Order 2003

I will point out that I am asking this on behalf of John Birmingham, who is on the Tristar.

Can the Honourable Roger Edwards please advise this House of the expected completion date of the Post Office access ramp?

Mr. Speaker, Honourable Members, it is not envisaged that the work will be completed before the end of the year. I go away from the actual answer supplied to me but it’s not a problem with a ramp. It is a problem because they have now decided that at the top of the ramp, they have got to have a automatic door opening machine and hand rails and so on. This automatic door control mechanism has yet to be sourced. And, because it’s yet to be sourced, then there is obviously no time for its delivery. So, it’s not so much the problem with the ramp but it is a problem with the access to the post office having got to the top of the ramp.

JC: I thank the Honourable Member for his reply.

Would the Hon. Mike Summers please explain the rules applied to employees who are exempt from paying Retirement Pension Contributions and whether different rules are required in Camp and Stanley?

Mr. Speaker, Honourable Members, in accordance with Section 10 Sub-section 4 of the Retirement Pensions Ordinance, a person is not liable to make a contribution if their gross earnings do not exceed £160.00 per week. This condition is applicable to all resident contributors, with the earnings threshold being subject to annual review. This therefore means that if an individual is not liable to make a contribution, there will be a gap in their contribution record unless they fulfil any of the following criteria for obtaining contribution credits:

1. Ill Health
2. Actively seeking employment but so far unsuccessful
3. In receipt of Family Allowance
4. In receipt of an Attendance Allowance or following a Prescribed Course of Education or Training.

If an individual is eligible for contribution credits in one of the above categories, they will be made at the prescribed rates by the Government on their behalf for the specified weeks.

The foregoing conditions apply to all resident contributors but there are differences for contributors living in Camp under Special Assistance Programme. This programme has been on operation since 01 January 2001 as a result of financial crisis in Camp and was introduced for an initial period of three years, subject to annual review.

For a contributor to be eligible for assistance under this special programme,, they have to be:

1. Ordinarily resident and employed in Camp for at least 240 days during the calendar year
2. Ordinarily resident in Camp but temporarily absent.
3. Working in the Coastal Shipping Service
4. Fishery Protection
5. Or on a fishing vessel
6. Ordinarily resident in Camp but absent for medical reasons
7. Ordinarily resident in Camp but temporarily absent whilst following a prescribed course of education or training approved by FIG or FIDC.
8. Up until 31 December of this year, annual gross earnings must be less than £15,000.00 or £30,000.00 in the case of joint tax returns during the previous calendar year.

This is to change. As a result of changes to both the Camp Assistance Programme and the Taxes Legislation, from 01 January 2004, that last criteria will be amended to £8.320.00 per person. The same as the £160.00 per week threshold for obtaining contribution credits.

JC: I thank the Honourable Member for his reply, which I hope has clarified matters for people in Camp, who were asking me the question.

Will the Hon. Roger Edwards please tell this house the total cost to date of the project of building a garage and laying up area for the repair and maintenance of West Falkland Road Vehicles, for example, the cost of labour, freight, materials, including the cost of shipping to Fox Bay, the materials for the foundations?

Are the works nearing completion and if not, what further expenditure is anticipated?

Mr. Speaker, Honourable members, the total cost of the building of the Garage and lay down areas at Doctor’s Creek, Fox Bay was fractionally under the original estimate of £55,000.00. The works are about to be finished, with only very minor items outstanding. One outstanding item is the wiring and I believe, as we speak, in this Chamber, people are out there now doing it. And, the cost of these outstanding works will be marginal. I do have a break-down of each and every item but it is a long list and I propose I don’t go through it but supply the list to the Honourable Member in due course.

NE: Yes. Thank-you for that reply. Perhaps the Honourable Gentleman could tell me, does this money come out of the Camp Roads Vote or is it from PWD Central Vote?

RE: Mr. Speaker, I am sure some of the money will come out of the Roads Vote because there were PWD wages used by the Road Gang themselves in the constructing of the lay down area, the plumbing, the wiring, the drainage and the actual hauling of the aggregate for the lay down area. Certainly, a proportion of that money will come out of the Roads Budget. Whether or not the total is, I am not aware but I can find out.

NE: Yes. Thank you Sir.

MS: Would the Honourable Roger Edwards tell me if he knows whether this particular shed is substantially different from the shed that has recently been built for FIGAS for a (cold) store, which is reputedly costing about twice as much?

RE: Yes. It is. It is completely different. This is a tin shed with steel frame. The initial price of the pre-fabricated building was some £19,000.00 with another £6,000.00 freight to bring it to the Islands. It’s a Nissan hut type building, whereas the Petrel, Oil and Lubricant Store at FIGAS is a block building with roller doors, etc. So, they are completely different buildings.

I would just like to clarify one point raised by the Hon. Mrs. Edwards and that is that the cost would be a separate project code and it was separately coded and so there would be no costs associated with the building of that workshop charged to Camp Roads.

NE: Thank you very much.

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(Commentary by J. Brock FINN)

This Bill was published in the Gazette and Council went to the second reading. The Chief Executive (CS) read the Memorandum of Explanation.

Mr. Speaker, this Bill makes amendments to the provisions in relation to grant of work permits. It enables the Principal Immigration Officer to require employers to advertise vacancies before he considers an application for a work permit. And, it will also require employers to satisfy the Principal Immigration Officer that Falkland Islands residents, having applied for the vacancy, are not suitable to fill it before a work permit will be issued. I beg to move the second reading of the bill.

MS: Mr. Speaker, I am sure that the large majority of Councillors and a large majority of the public will have thought that this was already the case. Would the Chief Executive explain whether we, in fact, have been doing this already and this simply regularises the position, or have we been mistaken all along.

CS: Mr. Speaker, yes, indeed that is the case. This does regularise a practice which has been applied for sometime but indeed provides clear powers for the Principal Immigration Officer.

This Bill also required a second reading. The Chief Executive read the memorandum of explanation.

CS: Mr. Speaker, this Bill provides a process whereby a building – or parts of a building, if you like – can be exempted from the control that is currently imposed by the Building Control Ordinance 1994. It will introduce a process for the relaxation of provisions of the Ordinance in certain circumstances. As such, it responds to expressions of concern, which had been made to the Government in recent months, regarding the necessity for the full force of the building regulations to be applied. I beg to move the second reading of the Bill.

This Bill required a second reading. The Chief Executive, as in the previous legislation, read out an explanation.

CS: Mr. Speaker, the Endangered Species Protection Bill 2003 provides for the protection of endangered, endemic and indigenous species of animals and plants and regulates the trade in endangered species. I beg to move the second reading of the Bill.

The Bill required a second reading. The Chief Executive explained.

CS: Mr. Speaker, this Bill modifies the application of the Company Act 1948 in the Falkland Islands, so as to enable partnerships and corporate bodies to be appointed as auditors as well as individual partners, as at present. It reflects the practice in the United Kingdom. I beg to move the second reading of the Bill.

This Bill required a first reading. The Financial Secretary, the Hon. Mr. Derek Howatt, explained the Bill.

Mr. Speaker, Honourable Members, the purpose of this bill is to authorise the withdrawal of the additional sum of 2 Million 938 Thousand 220 Pounds from the Consolidated fund, to meet supplementary expenditure approved by the Standing Finance Committee this morning for the current financial year. Apart from £6,000.00 required to cover the estimated cost of holding a bye election, the supplementary funding represents carry-overs of under-spends from the previous financial year. The carry-overs, which I suggest are too numerous to mention individually, consist of commitments for which it is expected payment will need to be made in this financial year. There are nine Operating Budget Items totalling £429,510.00, five Transfer Payment Items totalling £269,480.00 and 38 Capital Budget Items, mainly in respect of construction projects, totalling 2 Million 233Thousand 230 Pounds. I can add that the carry-overs for construction projects were reviewed by the Public Works Committee on Monday of this week before being referred to the Standing Finance Committee for approval.

On the recommendation of Executive Council, The Standing Finance Committee agreed to increase the carry-over for the project to add a "Care of the Elderly" ward to the Hospital from the £10,000.00 requested to the full amount of the under-spend of £186,420.00 The Bill on the table reflects this amendment. The Executive Council paper on this Bill, where full details are shown, is available for issue to members of the public from the Councillors’ Office.

It should be noted that the 2003/04 Budget was framed on the basis that there would be a need to carry over 2002/03 under-spends where commitments have been made.

I am pleased to be able to report that the actual surplus of revenue over expenditure for 2002/03 amount to £5.2 Million, compared to the original estimate of £2.3 Million. This improvement of £2.9 Million, therefore covers the Supplementary Expenditure requested.

I beg to move the first reading of the Bill.

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Commentary by J. Brock (FINN)

Cllr. The Hon. Mr. Stephen Luxton (SL):

Mr. Speaker, Honourable Members, in rising to support the motion, I’d like to start out by talking rubbish. I was reading an EXCO paper the other day and I was surprised to learn that it was FIDF policy to ensure that anywhere they go it is inn a cleaner state than when they arrived by picking up any rubbish that they find. One of my pet hates is people driving around the countryside throwing out bottles and cans everywhere - failure which many people in this country exhibit. It’s pure laziness – nothing less and I would very much like to see others following the FIDF’s example. With that in mind, perhaps whoever it was that dumped an old Land Rover upside down on the flanks of Mt. William a year or so back would be good enough to dispose of it in a slightly less visually obtrusive manner than in the middle of the common.

Since the last session in this house, confirmation of the move of the PWD’s Road Gang for West Falkland has taken place and preparations are well underway for this to take place. We have been very fortunate in that the weather was exceptionally kind during the time everything was being moved, which, I believe, will have minimised the damage to the East Road Network. It represents, in my view, the better balance of resources between the two Islands, given the outstanding work on each. I know not everybody’s happy with it, of course, mainly on this side of the Sound but unfortunately that seems to be the poisoned chalice that is Transport Portfolio. You can’t please all of the people all of the time. Sometimes it seems to me you can’t please any of them any of the time. But I am sure that’s my jaded perception.

While still on the subject of roads, transport to the Murrel seems to be a problem without a solution at this time. I personally am acutely aware and the requirement and the relative inaccessibility of this farm despite its close proximity to Stanley. PWD will be using a range of properly costed proposals for consideration by the Transport Advisory Committee in around two months from now. And, from that, I hope we will be able to put in motion some firm action on this issue. I personally remain committed to the view that this farm, like all others on mainly the East and West Falkland, should have a road. But in the mean time, other short-term transport assistance is being looked into.

Something caught my eye in the newspaper this morning. There were some questions for answer in the news and Cable and Wireless – it surprises me – have been very cagey about the system they use for screening out Viruses. I appreciate this is probably because it can’t be guaranteed to be 100% effective. But actually it’s unusual for Cable and Wireless to have ringing praise in this House but this that they have in place actually works extremely well.. I’ve had quite a number of viruses being killed off by it in the last couple of weeks since it has been reinstated. And, I think it is something that they should be commended for because it’s gone a long way to stopping the less computer aware people in the community having a lot of problems. As I say, it can’t be guaranteed to be 100% effective but it actually does seem to be working extremely well.

I’d like to finish by wishing Philip well. This is his last session in this house – for the moment, anyway. I thank him for his contributions over the last two years. We may not always agree on roads but I think we have a fair bit of common ground otherwise. It will be very interesting to watch the forth-coming bye election for his replacement from the inside without being involved with it.

Sir, I support the motion.

Cllr. the Hon Mr. Roger Edwards (RE):

Mr. Speaker, Honourable Members, in rising to support the Motion for Adjournment I admit that I am always amazed at how quickly time goes by. It doesn’t seam very long ago that we were welcoming the Commander British Forces. And, it is only this last Wednesday that his successor was here on a familiarisation visit. Time shoots by so quickly.

Councillor Philip Miller, too, will shortly be leaving us and I wish him well for the future and thank him for the input and help he has given us in his two years in Council. You heard questions this morning, two of which concerned costs of projects. I am amazed, also, by the costs of projects. When this Council was elected, we were unanimous in the fact that we required more sheltered accommodation and a care for the elderly ward. This was the top of everyone’s wish list. Money was budgeted for that. But we see now, that the costs of those projects are so astronomical that we have to sit down and discuss between the various departments how we get around this problem. And we asked this morning the Chief Executive to get a meeting together between the interested parties and create the opportunity so that we can discuss these problems. I don’t know whether there is such a thing as the Falklands Factor but we do hear it referred to and it is quite horrendous – the costs of the various projects that we have.

I, too, welcome the move of the second road gang to the West. And, like my colleague, Councillor Luxton, I. too, get complaints. It appears that if you have a road, then it is not being maintained sufficiently. If you don’t have a road, then you want one yesterday. I know we cannot satisfy everybody but I do wish that people would look at the plan and realise we are doing our best to get what they want in all cases.

Sir, I support the motion.

Cllr. the Hon. Mrs. Norma Edwards (NE):

Mr Speaker, in rising to support the Motion for Adjournment, I would just also like to note the comments that have been made about the proposed old folks ward – or ward for the elderly or whatever you would like to call it. I find it sad that it still meanders on. I cannot believe that the costs that have been quoted are real, even remotely realistic. And, it’s a shame that we have to go back time and again and reassess these things, which delays it more and more. However, I am hopeful that by the next time we are in this house there will be some firm decisions made and something will be done towards it.

There has been talk again about nursery schools – nursery school education for our children. I am a supporter of that. I also feel quite strongly, actually, that there is provision there, if people wanted to use it, in respect of the Cathedral’s Hall, which we helped to renovate with Government money. I am sure we could come to some arrangement on that front because we are pursuing taking a building out of the Government stock and converting it for a nursery school, when we are desperately in need of housing in Stanley. However, that decision has been made but there is still room, if there is to me more than one school, to use the Cathedral option.

Cable and Wireless – yes – they do take a lot of flack at times. Stephen and I have not been short of giving it to them. But, one thing we have to bare in mind urgently during this next year is we are going have to look at the Camp Phone System before too much longer. It’s becoming obsolete and it is said it won’t last for another three years. We have heard that said about other systems. FIPASS is one that had a life of 11 years when it was first handed over to us. It’s still there and still going strong. Maybe the Camp Phone System will last out but we have to be aware that we have to seriously find large sums of money to cope with the system if we want to supply a phone system to Camp in the foreseeable future.

Just to say to Philip, Good luck for the future. It’s been nice having you on Council and I am sorry you can’t stay any longer. But very best wishes and who knows, maybe we will see you back in Council one day.

Also to make note of what I was told the other day as well that shocked me. I have been watching on the television the day before a horrendous report on the consumption of alcohol by 6 to 8 year olds in the UK and teens going out on the roads to pick them up in the evening. They were interviewing a doctor at Southampton Hospital who said they drunk themselves into oblivion and it’s unbelievable that children are out on the roads and being allowed to do this kind of thing ever. Then somebody said to me that I should walk around Stanley at 2300 at night and see the children. There are more children walking around Stanley streets at 2330 at night than there are people in the pubs. This, too, horrified me. I hope it’s not true. I haven’t taken a walk around Stanley at 2330 so I am not sure it is true. If it is, then I would just say to those parents who let their children wander about like that, to please, it’s a very precious gift you have – the gift of a child – look after them well and help them through their childhood and their teenage years.

Sir, with that, I would like to support the Motion for Adjournment.

Cllr. the Hon. Richard Cockwell (RC):

Mr. Speaker, Honourable Members, in rising to support the Motion, I, too, would like to concur with what has been said about Capital Projects. The Honourable Roger Edwards mentioned the Falklands Factor. I believe that the Falklands Factor is used as an excuse for bad organisation. And, today, we have been discussing with the Chief Executive a review of the Project Management Process. And also a review of statement of requirements from each department to make sure that we are actually getting value for money. It seems extraordinary to me that identical projects in the private and the public sector can vary by anything up to 400 and 500%, which is absolutely ridiculous.

The fine weather, as mentioned by the Honourable Steven Luxton, has been a great advantage to us this year and I am pleased to see that Public Works are already starting things which they normally wouldn’t start until October. And, I think that is a very good indication that we may very well catch up with some of the backlog – repairs and maintenance that need doing within the town and hopefully it will have the same effect on the road building process, where road building was started earlier than it has been done historically.

I would just like to mention the role of the Dorada in the arrest of the illegal fishermen in the South Atlantic. I think it was very good that we were able to help in this process. I think it does the Falkland Islands Fisheries Protection no harm whatsoever to be seen in such a high profile exercise. I don’t want to see this going on all the time but I was very pleased to see that we were able to involve ourselves in the issue. And it shows that we are not prepared to allow this sort of thing to go on.

Just to finish off, I, too, would like to say farewell to Philip from the Legislature. I have enjoyed working with him. And, in particular, I would like to congratulate him on his recent involvement in making sure that the facts about the Abattoir were disseminated right around the Camp. I thought that was an extremely useful exercise. And I hope that in the future, you, Philip, will return to the legislature.

I beg to support the motion.

Cllr. the Hon. Mr. Mike Summers (MS):

Honourable Members, I will be brief. I would like to wish Philip well in what he has planned for himself and with his family. I, too, have enjoyed his participation in Legislature and found benefit from his very practical approach on some issues. And the banter was fun as well. I wish well to those who propose to stand for election in Camp. I hope we can hear some interesting and lively debate about current issues amongst the candidates in the weeks to come.

The other issue I wish to address is that I would like to personally disassociate myself from the remarks that were made by the recently visiting gentleman from the Foreign Office about a possible visit from the President of Argentina. I am pretty sure that my colleagues would wish to have done the same. I understand that he was making personal comment. And, I equally understand that he may have been either misquoted or partially quoted in the newspapers. But you don’t see reports like that without there being some kind of substance in terms of what the Gentleman said. The approach of the current Argentine Government towards the Falkland Islands is not entirely satisfactory in that it seems to be their intention to disregard us as a Government. That’s fine as long as there is nothing to talk about. But actually, there are some important issues to talk about – high seas fishing issues in particular. And, I hope that when we do come to discuss those and, indeed issues of the Continental shelf of the Falkland Islands, we will be fully represented in those discussions. I hope the monument is built relatively soon and I hope this is a successful project and whoever comes to open it will be a matter, I think, for careful handling and for us to determine. But I don’t anticipate a visit from the President of Argentina.

I support the Motion.

Cllr. the Hon. Mrs. Jan Cheek (JC):

Mr. Speaker, Honourable Members, I wish to support what the Honourable Mike Summers has just said on the subject or Argentina. I thought he was making something of an understatement when he said their approach was somewhat unsatisfactory. However, it’s something we are going to have to live with until they have a Government which is sufficiently mature to recognise us as neighbours, rather than potential prey.

I am going to introduce a brief thank-you here. I have made the same thank-you in the past but you don’t appreciate something fully until you have had it for a while. And, I am talking about BBC World Service on FM. We lost it for a few weeks a short time back. And, there was a little network of people phoning each other several times a day asking if it was back on yet. Many of us are dedicated listeners of the BBC World Service. And, it’s so much easier listening on the FM service provided by Mario Zuvic than tuning into it on short-wave. So, again, thanks to them.

I share my colleague’s disappointment regarding the delay which is now inevitable on the residential accommodation for the elderly. Bur I hope the working group to be set up by the Chief Executive will be able to get to grips very quickly with coming up with a realistic price for an essential facility.

I want to mention the Minimum Wage because I understand my advocacy of a minimum wage to be legislated for in the Islands has caused some consternation amongst one or two employers in Stanley. We need a minimum wage if, as a society, we are to develop as we would like to. We don’t want to create an under-class of people living on pitiful wages. The worry that people had, I think, was that I would simply be looking at the wage paid and not the other benefits in kind supplied. But, I don’t think that is how such a law would apply. I am sure it would take into account and probably create a realistic way of measuring the value of those benefits in kind – accommodation and food, for example.

Something else we have to look at, I think, is working hours. Not to be rigid because everyone recognises different jobs have different requirements. But there is a real concern that some people are working hours which would be unreasonable by any standards. And, that needs to be looked at the same time and I'’ glad to see it’s on the task list.

Just a brief mention of the child-care issue. Many of us have recognised the need for many years. There are so many working parents holding up a great many businesses and offices throughout the Islands. The question of employers’ responsibility was raised. Government as an employer perhaps does have a responsibility. One or two other employers have assisted their employees with child-care. There’s no criticism to be implied or inferred of the child-minders and those who currently run the nurseries but I think all would welcome a development and some form of assistance, which we have not yet decided. But some form of assistance should be available. I’ve said it before but I’ll say it again. Those early years are crucial in a child’s development and can affect that child’s later response where it starts in full time education.

I’d like to add my good wishes to Philip. I hope you didn’t find the learning curve too steep at the beginning when, as I experienced at the beginning of the previous Council, nothing is as simple as it looks from the outside. Everything is much more complex. Anyone, my very good wishes to Philip.

I support the Motion.

Cllr. the Hon. Mr. Philip Miller (PM):

Mr. Speaker, Honourable Members, first, may I thank my Honourable Colleagues for their kind words. Regrettably, it is, as everyone will know, my last Legislative Council meeting. With the need to be away from the Islands next year and possibly the year after, for two or three months, it would have been extremely unfair on the electorate and, of course, my colleagues here in the House.

It was very difficult to keep in touch about the goings on in the Falklands. And I felt less and less able to contribute to the governance of the Islands, and, even less, represent the interests of the people who elected me. It is for that reason that I have made the difficult decision to tender my resignation from the Council. I have enjoyed – perhaps not on every occasion – my short time as a member of the Council. It has been, as Jan says, a very steep learning curve. In fact, I don’t think there is any steeper. But with is, very instructive and sometimes rewarding. At other times, as everyone can imagine, extremely frustrating.

As time and personal circumstances permit, maybe in two years’ time, I will again offer myself for re-election to the Legislative Council. In the meantime, I will endeavour to remain involved in local affairs, Committees, etc. My time in office has undoubtedly made easier with the staff at Gilbert House. I’d like to say a huge thank-you to Claudy, Marie and Cherrie. During the past two years their have been a few controversial decisions that have cropped up. One being the change of the school year. I have to say that I did view the idea with a fair bit of scepticism, which, of course, was unfounded. The change has gone smoothly, according to plan and, more importantly, our young people have not suffered in any way.

Another major change that is imminent is the proposed amalgamation of the Director of Mineral Resources and the Director of Agriculture posts. That is just the management posts, not the departments. That should be made quite clear. I think it can work and wait with bated breath to see the outcome. If it is successful, we can perhaps see more amalgamations along similar lines in the future. It will, hopefully, contribute to some fairly hefty savings within FIG. I am sure everyone will support any savings that can be made. If, however, it proves that it is not working, I hope every effort is to put it right. The farming community needs the Agriculture Department to run as smoothly as possible.

I was very disappointed obviously, with the decision to send the Lafonia road building team to the West this season. I am sure these could have been completed this year. And, now it will have to wait for perhaps three or four seasons. But that is democracy for you. Like I said earlier, sometimes frustrating. I do welcome Councillor Luxton’s plans to find a solution to the Mural Problem.

As I said in my election manifesto, our economy is based on fishing. We had a down-turn last year. If it collapses completely, our economy will be in more than a little trouble.

We now have an Abattoir that has been thwarted with teething troubles. It has recently had support from FIDB and SFC and it must be made to work. Were I not to resign from the Council, I most certainly would have given it my total support for the next two years. That is, to say, until the end of this present Council. I believe it will work, given time. And, it is up to the farming community to help to make it work. After all, they will be the beneficiaries. I declare an interest, of course. Every effort should be made to develop and diversify the farms, plus improvement in tourism, genetic improvement, to name three areas. Farmers themselves should ensure that public funds that have been spent on incentive schemes, etc. should not be wasted. FIG have supported the farming community with a lot of cash over the past decade. Please do not get complacent.

Tourism is another growing source of revenue to the Islands. Every effort should be made to improve our facilities. Of course, the second LanChile flight would make a huge difference to the number of visitors on the Islands.

The immigration policy, we mentioned. We do not seem to have made any headway during the past couple of years. Falkland Islands desperately require a watertight policy, maybe along the lines of a points system and perhaps a cap on the amount of applications we have each year. The PRP privilege should perhaps be looked upon being removed from the system.

I think I have spoken for far longer than I normally do in this House, so on that note, I will say thank-you and farewell to you, Mr. Speaker and my Honourable Colleagues.

Mr. Speaker, I support the Motion for Adjournment.

Financial Secretary, the Hon Mr. Derek Howatt (DH):

Mr. Speaker, Honourable Members, in rising to support the Motion for Adjournment, I, too, wish Philip all the best for the future. Looking back at the membership of the previous Councils, it probably won’t be too long before a Miller returns to this Council.

Chief Executive, Mr. Chris Simpkins (CS):

Mr. Speaker, Honourable Members, having the final word is a great privilege but one that should be exercised with great caution. And, I, too, shall be brief. But I would, on behalf of the Civil Service, like to take this opportunity to thank Councillor Miller for his support and to wish him well in his future endeavours. Few people appreciate the sacrifices which Elected Members make in order to perform their duties as elected representatives. Perhaps, more than many, Councillor Miller has found his duties particularly onerous. But in thanking him for his support, I am confident that he will continue to be active, albeit perhaps in the background and no doubt continue to express his frustrations at times.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker, the Hon. Mr. Tim Blake (TB):

Honourable Members, before I adjourn the House Sine Die, may I thank Councillor Miller for being in no way a nuisance and wish him good fortune in the future. Honourable Members, the House stands adjourned sine die.

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