GSLP-Liberals-Manifesto-2019

let’s talk about...Fabian
FABIAN PICARDO IS MARRIED TO JUSTINE AND THEY ARE THE PROUD PARENTS OF TWO HANDSOME YOUNG BOYS, SEBASTIAN
AND OLIVER AND A BEAUTIFUL LITTLE GIRL, VALENTINA. HE HAS SERVED YOU AS CHIEF MINISTER OF GIBRALTAR SINCE 9
DECEMBER 2011. HIS RESPONSIBILITIES HAVE INCLUDED THE ECONOMY AND FINANCE, THE CIVIL SERVICE, HM CUSTOMS AND
INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS & THE DRUGS SERVICE. HE HAS REPRESENTED GIBRALTAR AROUND THE WORLD INCLUDING AT THE
UNITED NATIONS IN NEW YORK AND THE EU IN BRUSSELS AND HE HAS LED THE GIBRALTAR BREXIT NEGOTIATING TEAM. HE IS
A QUEEN’S COUNSEL BY PROFESSION WHO QUALIFIED FROM OXFORD UNIVERSITY AND IS CALLED TO THE BAR IN GIBRALTAR
AND THE BVI. HE WAS RECENTLY MADE A BENCHER OF THE MIDDLE TEMPLE. HE IS THE LEADER OF THE GIBRALTAR SOCIALIST
LABOUR PARTY.
PROTECTING THE CIVIL
SERVICE & PUBLIC
SECTOR
YES TO EFFICIENCY. NO TO GSD
AUSTERITY.
THE CIVIL SERVICE
The GSLP Liberals believe in the
conduct of the public affairs of
Gibraltar through an independent,
efficient, well-trained and effective
Civil Service and the Public Sector as
a whole. These include the members
of the Gibraltar Development
Corporation (or GDC), the Agencies,
Authorities and companies. We will
consult closely with Civil Servants,
other Public Servants and their Unions
on all matters that are relevant to them.
We will maintain the commitment
we have to preserve the size of the
civil service and to ensure that it is
properly resourced so that it delivers
the results that are required in order
to fulfil our manifesto commitments.
We will finalise the AA recruitment
process and work to ensure proper
succession in all senior posts. We
repeat all of our commitments to
the Civil Service and the Public
Sector from our earlier manifestos.
HER MAJESTY’S CUSTOMS: A LAW
ENFORCEMENT BODY
We were renewed and grew HM
Customs. We recruited over 60
officers and we restored dignity to a
department by specifically recognising
it as a law enforcement body. We
have also properly resourced the
Department with marine assets and
vehicles and we will continue to do
so and to renew their fleet. We have
also stengthened and tightened our
laws in respect of smuggling activities,
producing the toughest anti smuggling
legislation in the world and giving
officers stronger powers in designated
areas. In the last year and a half we have
also relocated Customs to a new home
and we have reconfigured the areas
at the Airport which Customs need,
including a new building for officers
by the Commercial Gate. Under the
GSLP Liberals HM Customs is now
well respected within the Government
service and internationally as one of
our key Law Enforcement Agencies.
We will continue to work with the
Collector and his Senior Management
Team, as well as with the Unions that
represent officers, in order to ensure
that the brave men and women of this
department remain fully and properly
resourced to carry out their important
functions on land and at sea.
BORDERS & COASTGUARDS
We have recently finalised an
agreement with Unite in relation
to the BCA. We will now consider
other issues raised by the staff side
at BCA on homogenising allowances
(including consideration of the rate
at which overtime is paid), removing
split duties from shifts, creating a
permanent immigration shift team
to tackle house check, marine check,
immigration road checks, liners etc as
well as the creation of a permanent
Reporting Berth duties and facilities.
This will include consideration of
manning levels across all posts (airport,
frontier etc), improving equipment
made available to officers and a much
needed refurbishment of all frontier
posts, office, mess room, facilities/
premises and a social club for BCA
officers. In this regard we will study
the feasibility of adding an extra
floor above the frontier building. We
are also now considering activating
the Coastguard element of the BCA
as a body as well as increasing and
replacing the existing vehicle fleet.
ABSOLUTE TRANSPARENCY -
DIRECT DEMOCRACY
We are committed to real and absolute
transparency, despite the fact that our
opponents may pretend we are not. A
GSLP/Liberal Government introduced
the concept of direct democracy
whereby the Chief Minister answers
questions directly from the general
public on television or radio once a
quarter. No other leader submits him
or herself regularly to such a direct
examination by the public. The others
talk about transparency, we do it! This
shows our absolute transparency.
Neither Sir Peter Caruana when he was
leader of the GSD, nor Mr Azopardi
since he became leader of the GSD,
have ever even suggested that they
would be prepared to continue to
appear on Direct Democracy as Chief
Minister. We have also introduced
the live streaming of important press
conferences or other matters of public
interest, including the DPC. We
are committed to continue with this
...aspire to the best Gibraltar
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