Introduction
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 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.
Minister for Culture, Sports, Youth and Utilities Steven Linares this morning gave his Budget 2014 speech during a sitting of the Gibraltar Parliament; the entire text of the speech is as follows:
Mr. Speaker,
I have been a member of this House for fourteen years.
Ministry for Housing
Mr Speaker,
It gives me great pleasure to stand here today to deliver my third Budget address. Time and tide wait for no man – and this is becoming so evidently clear now. How time flies. One would be forgiven to think that on this side of the House one should be getting increasingly nervous, as our end of tenure looms ever closer. Surely, our political shadows should already be rubbing their hands together in view of this waning time, before what, they feel, should be a feeding frenzy on a banquet of unfulfilled manifesto commitments, but alas for them, there should be no left-overs, not even a morsel to be devoured.
