Gibraltar’s representation at the Labour Party Conference continued yesterday evening with the Gibraltar Reception hosted by the Chief Minister Fabian Picardo and featuring a keynote speech by the UK Minister for Europe and the Overseas Territories Stephen Doughty MP.
Following the annual GBC Open Day tradition, the event kicked off this morning at 9am with a Radio Road show in front of Parliament, with Main Street dwellers donating funds to make dedications and to bid for a selection of high profile prizes. The road show continued on throughout the day with different Radio Gibraltar presenters hosting the show. Santa and his slew of helpers also trawled Main Street for donations.
‘Disability issues are receiving an important push towards progress,’ a statement from Equality Rights Group has said today.
‘We take note of Minister for Equality Samantha Sacramento’s recent report on the structural improvements made by her Ministry in terms of making environmental access for the disabled a growing reality, and are heartened by the effort and progress being made.
The Gibraltar Chamber of Commerce has welcomed the Government’s announcement on the development of new retail bank for Gibraltar, Gibraltar International Bank. The Chamber insists that it has been highlighting the need for extra banking facilities for some time. They add that following discussions on the possibility of a new bank, with the Government, the Chamber emphasised the importance of any such institution being operated on an arm’s length basis and independently of Government. The board added that the bank should also be managed by suitably qualified professional and subject to regulation by the Financial services Commission.
Following the Government’s recent statement on the development of the Gibraltar International Bank, the Opposition has insisted that the announcement raises very important questions. The GSD claims that the policy did not appear in the GSLP’s 2011 manifesto, as they claimed, but instead was a GSD policy. Opposition spokesman Damon Bossino today noted that the GSLP was ‘exclusively committed to the expansion of services to the Gibraltar Savings Bank.’