Falklands : Portfolio Report of Dr the Hon Barry Elsby 22/02/18
Submitted by Falkland Islands News Network (Juanita Brock) 28.02.2018 (Article Archived on 04.05.2018)
Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, I would like to comment on a few of my portfolio responsibilities. Clearly I have already commented on giving a review on how we are managing things at FIGAS.
Portfolio Report of Dr the Hon Barry Elsby 22/02/18
Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, I would like to comment on a few of my portfolio responsibilities. Clearly I have already commented on giving a review on how we are managing things at FIGAS.
The FM Radio Service for Camp is an issue that is continually brought to our attention. The service has improved but clearly not as good as we had hoped. As this House will be aware, the system we have is not what we envisaged when we started the process. The main transmitters and agreed in-fills are nearly all in place and as I say the service is better but not as good as we had hoped. Presently Ian Robertson as Director of Central Services, and KTV are carrying out customer surveys and site visits; and this should be completed within the next few months.
The use of in-fill transmitters is a short-term fix as I believe their life expectancy is only about 2 to 3 years. We need to wait for the customer feedback and the site visits but I don’t think any of us will be surprised that a significant number of people remain dissatisfied with the service.
We will then be faced with a decision of trying to do yet more tweaks to the present system, trying to improve it to a level where people find it acceptable or to look again at a more fundamental solution and this is part of the work being undertaken by the Technology Development Group.
Mr Speaker, People will be aware that FIPASS is finally coming to the end of its life but work is still on-going to maintain it as a working dock until the long-term alternative is developed. FIG has issued a formal request for proposals, inviting interested parties to come forward and discuss ideas as to how a new port can be developed. The closing date for this exercise is the 16th of March (2018).
As for the Vulnerable Persons’ Facility, the tender for its construction has been issued. There has already been local and overseas interest and a closing date is set for the end of March (2018). All being well, it is hoped to start construction work towards the end of this year.
Mr Speaker, turning now to the terminal at the Mount Pleasant Airport, this House will be aware that work, including a soft marketing exercise was undertaken last year into how we might improve matters. The announcement last week about the real possibility of a second flight from South America starting before next tourist season has made it imperative that we address deficiencies as a matter of priority. Work is on-going now between FIG and MOD personnel as to how best to achieve this.
If I might just touch on the issue of the second flight, Mr Speaker; there has been talk on Facebook about hidden agendas, on how we are being forced to do this or that by either the FCO or the Argentine Government. I would like to say yet again that a second flight is something that FIG has been working towards for some years now. It is a key part of the agreement signed between the UK and Argentine Governments in September 2016. The letter released last week was the result of months’ of discussion between us and the UK Government and between them and the Argentine Government. We were never pressurised to accept anything we were not happy with. Indeed it is MLAs who are pressing our Minister to progress the issue of a second flight.
This is now a purely Falkland Islands’ driven commercial process and I hope we remember that with a mid-week flight that looks very similar and indeed complements the present service we have with LAN. It is the Falkland Islands’ Government and us alone who will decide if any proplsed flight is right for us.
Mr Speaker, that concludes my portfolio report.
KB: Thank You. Does anybody wish to raise a question or comment on that report?
IH: thank you Mr Speaker. I thank Dr the Honourable Barry Elsby for his report. Just going back to the radio if I may? I think it is the Medium-wave system that is becoming antiquated and needs some form of repair at some point. Does the Honourable Member have any idea if Budget Select Committee can expect to see a request for funding to repair or renew the system?
BE: Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, the Honourable Member is obviously quite right and we focused a lot on the FM service but there is work going on how to try to decide how we resolve the present situation of the Medium wave and yes I see that coming towards Members in the next few months, I hope.
TB: Thank you Mr Speaker. I apologise if this doesn’t purely fit neatly within your portfolio but the on-going “I Player” introduction programme or testing period – is that an update on how that’s going to be extended – if possible?
BE: Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, as the Honourable Teslyn Barkman says, we have had this trial going on with the “I Players” using the intranet to access it – my understanding of that from the Director is that there is still work to do on that although elements of it were very good but how we address the problems and how we provide it across the Islands is being worked on at the Moment.
It seems something that we should be Able to achieve. There are clearly things to tease out, I mean, it works better on some computers than others, so there are technological problems to resolve. But I do see this as something we will resolve in the coming months, which will be an addition to the service already on offer on the Islands.
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