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.
Mr Speaker, it gives me great pleasure to address Parliament on the Budget for the third time as Opposition Spokesman for Health, Social Services and Civil Contingencies. It is a duty and an honour for us on the Opposition benches to contribute to, and vote, on this vital discharge of the responsibility of Parliament.
This is a debate on the Appropriation Bill. It is not, as such, a debate purely on the figures. It is in reality an opportunity for each of us to take stock and assess where matters lie generally and in our particular areas of responsibility. I have many. Since I assumed responsibility for financial services I shadow a total of seven areas spanning four different Ministers, or 40% of the cabinet.
The Head of the Gibraltar Pride Planning Committee, Donahue Cortes, today expressed ‘excitement’ with the arrangements in place for the official community-wide Pride event being held this year.
The Minister for the Port, Neil Costa, has welcomed the introduction of new port fee discounts. He said these incentives will further enhance the competitiveness of the Port of Gibraltar.