Below follows Minister Pat Orfila‘s Budget Address:

Madam Speaker, 

In delivering my Maiden speech as a Government Minister,

Firstly, I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks to everyone who voted for me and have given me the privilege and opportunity of leading the Housing Department as the Minister for Housing.

My current responsibilities are Housing and the University of Gibraltar. Both, very close to my heart.

Among the many goals I have set myself are the launching of the amended Housing Act and the revised Housing Allocations Scheme which is now ready and brings the scheme into the 21^st Century and there is also the Rent and Repair scheme which I am sure will be very popular among those who don’t want to keep waiting on the Housing Waiting List and don’t mind entering into a Rent and Repair Scheme.

This scheme will enable the buildings that have fallen into disrepair to be brought back to life again. There are many of these buildings dotted all over Gibraltar and I want to offer them as a project for those who feel that they can embark on such a venture.

We need to understand that that the buildings which will be offered are not for sale. They shall be repaired by interested parties but they will always remain as part of our government housing stock. Presently we are working with lawyers to produce an agreement that will be signed by the interested parties.

The people who are eligible for this will be those who are on the government housing waiting list and the composition of rooms will be applicable depending on circumstance.

There will be no payment of rent for a period of time which will compensate the expense incurred. This scheme Madam Speaker, will ensure that houses that have been left to die a slow and painful death will now be able to have life breathed into them again. This is an initiative that I am very excited about.

I now turn to the Housing Allocations Scheme Madam Speaker this was first amended by the GSLP in 1994 and now after 30 years it is time for it to be brought into sync with the changes and progress of the society in which we live in today. 

The amendments will make the scheme fairer and will flag up those who need it most. It will also provide a clearer picture of the applicant’s position and their needs.

The scheme will now better reflect the applicant’s position within the Housing waiting list. The Housing Allocation Committee under the new scheme will continue to recommending to the Department those that require to be allocated a flat due to their pressing medical conditions. 

The housing Allocation Committee will now also be able to give points to other cases that are not immediate thus giving them a better chance of being allocated a flat under the normal waiting list due to their points. 

Their position will be accelerated because the new pointing system will now increase their chances. Presently, persons considered Medical B or C have had little or no chance of getting an allocation on medical grounds.

This amended scheme will now show us clearly who needs the allocation on medical grounds.

A Mental welfare officer has also been invited to form part of the board. We feel that this is a step in the right direction and a crucial addition to the committee.

Mental health affects most of us if not ALL of us at some point in our lives and we cannot overlook this.

Madam Speaker the Housing Department is fully committed to working with other departments, agencies and authorities with a view of providing a seamless approach and response to individuals with multiple and complex needs. The department is keen to foster a holistic approach as part of its practice.

With regards to the allocation of flats, in the 8 months since I have taken the role of Housing Minister, we have given 132 houses.

However, we have received 192 new applications which when added to the backlog of applications which this department had, and which has now been cleared brings the total up to 219 new applicants on the waiting list.

There are new ideas in the pipeline for the purpose of accelerating the handing over of houses. One successful initiative is the handing over of the property ‘As is’.

Some tenants are more than happy to do repairs themselves.

Tenants and applicants are welcoming this initiative. Keys are collected and they renovate the flat speeding up the ‘handing over’ process.

Where necessary we will help by providing basics eg a toilet seat, bath or sink.

We are also very pleased to announce that Hassan’s Centenary Terraces Phase1, to date, has given us back 27 Government Rental houses and we are expecting another 37 government flats coming back with Phase2, giving us a total of 69 Government houses coming back into our rental stock. I would like to add that 368 applicants of those who have purchased in Hassans were on our lists marked as suspended. Had we not Invested in construction for home ownership our waiting list today could have increased by 368 more!

Madam Speaker, since December 2023 the HOTLINE has receive 32 calls and has been able to retrieve 10 flats. Other flats which have been alerted to us are going through legal procedures. At this point I would like to thank the people who call the HOTLINE making this possible and I would like to encourage everyone who has any information about empty or vacant flats to call our hotline number on 20040040.

Madam Speaker, with Housing, meeting with people, advising them or listening to them is a very important role of this department. However, there is a very large number of people who want to see the Minister for Housing. 

Since October I have already seen over 270 people in my personal clinics, this is an ongoing weekly exercise. We cannot always solve the problem but we can advise them.

The Housing Manager has seen 69 people, we have conducted 31 Social Interviews and the 

Housing Allocation Committee has dealt with 85 cases.

Madam Speaker, I have also met with almost all Tenants Associations from our Housing estates and continue to interact with them as often as necessary. We are in constant communication with them to help address any issues that may arise. This allows us to handle matters in a faster and more efficient way, ensuring the better upkeep of our housing estates.

The close links that these associations have established with us, has also allowed for a positive link with the Housing and Works department this in turn has been very positive and productive so that works can be dispatched as soon as possible.

We are also aware Madam Speaker of the Anti-Social behaviour in certain areas of our housing estates, usually caused by the same few tenants.

We are working tirelessly with the Police and Security Services to address this, and we shall persevere until it stops. 

To date we have received 90 emails of antisocial behaviour which have been dealt with accordingly. We are also pleased to announce that CCTV cameras are going to be installed in some estates which will give tenants a sense of comfort.

Looking ahead this is something which we would like to do in all estates eventually.

Recently Madam Speaker, the Housing Department has launched through the E-Gov portal an innovative process which allows an individual to register in a government rental property for the sole purpose of renewal of documentation without eligibility to tenancy or residency.  This new process is fully integrated with the E-services portal.

This Madam Speaker, will help individuals who need to renew important documentation such a medical cards ID etc. Always of course with consent of the tenant thus ensuring that genuine cases are dealt with promptly.

At this point I would like to thank the various stakeholders E-Services, LPS, CSRO, The Hub and No6 Convent Place for working together with the Housing Department in order to achieve this most important step in the right direction for so many who need it.

The Ministry for Digital and Financial Services and the Housing Dept have also launched 6 new online forms for various services. These are   1.Application for Government accommodation, 

2.Application for re- accommodation, 

3.Application for Govt pensioner exchange, 

4.Application to exclude persons on tenancy.  5.Application to include persons on tenancy.

6.and On-line payment of rent.

 These services are amongst the most used by our citizens and because they are now fully integrated into the Housing Department back-office system it makes the application process more streamlined and easier to manage.

These services Madam Speaker can be accessed via the E-Gov portal.

Madam Speaker, true to my Manifesto commitment I have improved the daily dealings of the public with the Department not only are now Counters open every day of the week from 9.00am to 2.00pm but tenants will now also be able to come in any day of the week from Monday to Friday to pay their rent. 

We have increased this from one general counter and one rent counter to two general counters and one rent payment counter. The latter can be accessed every day unlike before when the rent counter only opened two days a week.

 We have made coming into our offices much more user friendly by building 3 new enclosed cubicle counters all of which have been soundproofed, cater for disability and which allow the people to sit in the comfort of a private cubicle and interact with the member of the Department without being overheard by anyone else.

Madam Speaker, Tenants can also access the Housing and Works Reporting Office now on the 9th floor of the ICC building. The Housing & Works Reporting Office was on the 10^th floor. This allows ‘Works’ issues / complaints to be addressed directly to someone from Housing and Works and not just to a voice at the end of a phone line. Housing and Works will be there every day from 9.am to 12 midday, they can still however be accessed via phone if tenants want to call instead of coming in.

 These refurbishment works have vastly improved services and Government would like to thank both the public and our staff for their patience and support during this hectic, interim period.

We will keep working hard to ensure that communication with the Housing Department will not be an onerous task.

We also have an email address should they want to reach us without coming into the office. That is [email protected]

Madam Speaker, the Housing Department has signed a Data Sharing Agreement with the Dept of Social Security as well as other departments, agencies and authorities to ensure proper cross communication with the said entities. This allows for more streamlined processes and procedures as well as assisting prospective applicants and tenants with applications.

Information relevant to certain benefits applicable to the processing and eligibility of Rent Relief will be received by the Housing Department directly from the DSS. Housing will then be able to assist the tenant in a more automated manner and in turn, allow for the reduction of Housing Rent Arrears.

Madam Speaker we have also introduced DIRECT DEBIT. Letters have already gone out to all our tenants should they want to take this advantage.

The Housing Department has been working with both the Banks and with the Treasury Department to set up this process. This system will not only allow for another secure method of payment but also streamline and facilitate services for our tenants as well as for the Department. 

Tenants will only be required to set up the direct debit once and not have to amend their instruction to the bank every time there is a yearly rent increase or changes in tenancy or parking etc. This new process will also reduce the long queues experienced at our counters.

More tenants are paying online and invoices via emails are on the increase therefore reducing paper waste.

Amounts collected in rent for the years 2022/2023 was £5,030,405.77p

                     And in  2023/2024 it was £5,152,285.55p

The Housing Department has therefore collected £121,879.78p more rent in 23/2024 than in 22/2023, and there has also been an increase in payments, 678 more than in 2023.

Madam Speaker, this Department is also working diligently in the recovery of rent arrears, and we are working to find ways in which we can facilitate payment for those who must pay their rent arrears. 

We are committed to our people, and the taxpayer has every right to ask certain people to pay their rent like most of us do.

At this point I must praise the best part of our tenants who do pay their rent religiously every month they make up 90% of our Housing tenants and I want to assure them that we shall continue to tackle those who are in arrears.

Genuine cases will always be helped but we shall take legal action against those who are blatantly ignoring their obligation to pay rent.

Madam Speaker, the way certain houses are handed back to the Housing Department is totally unacceptable. We need to look after the tax-payers money and make people accountable and make them responsible. We are working to introduce a system in due course, that when tenants terminate or exchange a tenancy agreement the tenants will have to commit to certain conditions of return.

Madam Speaker, the state that some government houses are returned to us is deplorable and in some cases contravenes Health and Safety standards and we cannot and will not tolerate this. It also means that houses take much longer to be refurbished to an acceptable standard for the next tenant.

Tenants are duty bound to look after their government homes.

Hopefully this system will save money and accelerate the waiting timeframe.

Madam Speaker, I now turn to the wonderful work which is done by our Housing and Works Agency. 98 flats have been completely refurbished during 2023/2024 

There has been an excess of 100 works orders for the Occupational Therapy. They have responded to 2074 after hours emergency work call outs and  1419 call outs during working hours.

There have been over 6000 general work orders pertaining to maintenance and ongoing works on our properties.

We must not forget that we have 5000 properties on our books, and we maintain these both on the inside as well as on the outside.

Presently we are refurbishing Knights Court, St Johns Court, Tankerville House, Macmillan House and Varyll Begg Phase One.

External refurbishments to Varyl Begg phase 2,3 and 4, Arengo’s, Willis’s House and Cohello House, are still to be done.

 Madam Speaker, our estates matter and we want to ensure that they will be kept in good condition. At this point, I would also like to remind the tenants who live in our estates that they too play an important role in the upkeep of their areas.

The Housing Act will also be ready very soon.

 I set up a working group with all stakeholders including Landlords Association and Action for Housing so that I could personally hear their views and take them on board. We have been meeting in order to make the necessary amendments required.

The Housing Act was last amended in 2007 and it has been ongoing with successive Governments but it is now very close to being presented.

The key is finding the correct balance, one which is in-keeping with today’s changing society and addressing everyone’s needs in order to achieve a fair outcome.

In my closing statement I must relay the immense pride that I feel in looking back to what my Party has achieved.

Clearly, we shall be told that Housing continues to be a tale of doom and gloom but it is not a tale of doom and gloom as our Honourable Members opposite would like us to believe.

This Government has built and continues to build more houses for its people than any other Government has ever done in the history of this Parliament.

Whereas in most places in the world young people only dream about becoming homeowners our young people are BECOMING homeowners.

It IS true that Covid delayed construction but not just here in Gibraltar, it put the whole world on hold.

The truth is that this Government delivers on the Housing front.

The determined efforts of this government to provide our community with excellent affordable homes cannot be dismissed.

The successful construction of Hassans Centenery Terraces has resulted in a magnificent skyline that demonstrates this Government’s commitment to Housing.

Every time one enters or exits Kingsway Tunnel (which incidentally was also completed and  built by this Government) you will be in awe of the magnificent buildings which stand as a striking symbol and reminder of the GSLPs continued accomplishments in providing exceptional affordable housing for the people of Gibraltar.

This Madam Speaker whether our honourable members across the floor like it or not will always and forever be FOR THEM a sore reminder of the GSLPs legacy and track record when it comes to Housing.

And THAT Madam Speaker is a FACT!

I would like to end by thanking all the voluntary organisations that we work with. They provide an invaluable service to our department and our community.

I would like to extend my heartfelt gratitude to my department, to my Ministerial staff and to the Housing and Works Agency and to all those who work behind the scenes, for their complete dedication to duty and service. To each one of them and they know who they are a huge Thank you …. Without you all, my job would be impossible.

 For your sterling application and commitment, I will be forever grateful.

 I would also like to thank you Madam Speaker and your very hard working Team for all their invaluable work and for making Parliamentary sessions so much more bearable. Thank you for the coffee and the biscuits!

And Lastly once again my eternal gratitude must go to the people of Gibraltar who voted for me and have given me this opportunity.

Thank you

UNIVERSITY OF GIBRALTAR

Madam Speaker, I now turn to the University. This is indeed very close to my heart. Education was the profession of my choice, teaching in our schools is where I spent my working life. This is an area which I am passionate about and which I know back to front.

A university was very much needed in Gibraltar for local students who might not have wanted to or could not go away to further their education in the UK Thanks to this Government this is now possible.

 Despite its relatively young age Madam Speaker, the University of Gibraltar continues to establish itself internationally, regionally and locally as an institution of teaching, learning and research excellence.  Next year will mark the University’s 10^th anniversary. 

As of 31 March 2024, the University had enrolled 593 students for the academic year ending 31 July 2024, across a diverse range of academic programmes, professional and continuing education courses, language courses and technical training courses.

ACADEMIC PROVISION

The number of academic programmes offered by the University has continued to expand, with undergraduate degrees now offered in maritime science, computing & entrepreneurship, nursing and business, all supported by a range of access courses and post-graduate degrees offered in management & leadership, research (PhD), education, business, gaming, marine science, environmental science and healthcare.

New programmes offered this past year included:

• A part-time Masters in Education degree for local educators
• An MSc in Environmental Science and Climate Change
• An MSc Contemporary Healthcare degree
• An MBA (Gaming)
• A level 4 Teaching Certificate

Since launching its first academic taught programmes (BBA and MSc Marine Science) in September 2018 with a combined total of 30 students, the number of students undertaking academic programmes at the University has continued to grow year on year, with 280 students enrolled in the current academic year.

It is also pleasing to see that almost 60% of all academic students are local with the remaining 40% being international students from across the globe and representing 53 different nationalities.

Madam Speaker, following extensive consultation with industry and completion of a rigorous UK validation process, the next academic year will see further three new degrees offered by the University:

• MSc Sustainable Maritime Operations
• BSc (Hons) Mental Health Nursing
• MSc in Advanced Health Practice

The close collaboration of the University with the GHA in terms of its workforce planning needs and the resulting increase in the number of students being educated in healthcare at the University has meant that the current on-campus nursing simulation suite has become too small to provide the necessary practice of clinical skills students need. 

 However, recognising the essential service the University is providing to the Gibraltar community with these programmes, the University was recently able to attract funding from the private sector (Kusuma Trust), for the complete refurbishment of the top floor of its North Wing (old St Christopher’s building) to establish a state of the art simulator for the training of health practitioners, complete with a 6 bedded ward, a high dependency unit and a rehabilitation unit together with classrooms.  This in turn Madam Speaker, has addressed one of the GSLP Liberal Manifesto 2023 commitments.

IN TERMS OF RESEARCH

The (CERG) (Centre of Excellence in Responsible Gaming) has continued to grow its reputation both locally and globally.  This past year, CERG provided numerous public lectures in collaboration with Yale University, to the gaming industry and delivered 40 presentations at international conferences.

PROFESSIONAL COURSES & TECHNICAL TRAINING

In addition to its academic programmes of course, the University has provided, through its Professional Development Department, a range of professional development, continuing education and CPD-accredited short courses, all aimed at addressing local needs and covering topics that include Gibraltar law, accounting insurance, introduction to management, management communication in action and creative thinking and problem-solving. 

 The University has also acted as an exam centre for professional awards such as AAT (Association of Accounting Technician) and ACCA (Association of Chartered Certified Accountants).

In March 2024, the University was awarded the AAT Small Training Provider of the Year as part of the United Kingdom category, for the quality of the tutor delivery, its excellent virtual learning environment, exemplary student support and high pass rates.

This year also saw the department running its second Professional Diploma of Competence in

Gibraltar Financial Services. This course is the sole qualification endorsed by the Gibraltar Financial Services Commission (GFSC) and is a cross-sector qualification developed in direct consultation with the local Regulator and industries.

Madam Speaker, the University Language Centre has had another busy year providing in-house English classes to 136 local students in various businesses in Gibraltar.  In addition, the Centre has provided intensive English courses to 2 groups of Japanese students from Chiba University and one group of Polish Students.

In terms of technical training, the University Maritime Academy has continued to grow its reputation both locally and globally. 

 During the last academic year, the Academy’s beyond compliance Fire-fighting course has been provided to an increasing number of local and international shipping operators, including Carnival UK (P&O, Cunard), Marella and Windstar, the majority of whom are attracted by the convenience of being able to dock in Gibraltar, have their crew transported to the University by the University and typically within less than 20 minutes have their crew undertaking MCA (Maritime Coastguard Agency) approved training at the University’s state of the art training facilities, all whilst their passengers are enjoying exploring and spending money Gibraltar

The success of this approach to training ship crew has been such that several large international cruise operators have indicated they will be making additional calls to Gibraltar. 

 Further, as a reflection of the growing reputation of the Academy the University were able to attract funding from the private sector (Balaena/Gibdock), for the establishment of a new state-ofthe-art fire simulator for training.  This in turn has addressed another of the GSLP Liberal Manifesto 2023 commitments.  For this we are very grateful to Balaena.

RECRUITMENT, TUITION INCOME AND ECONOMIC IMPACT

Despite extremely challenging targets, an increasingly competitive international market and the constraints posed by processing delays with visas for international students, recruitment of students continues to be successful with tuition fee income increasing from £1,746,657 in the University year ended 31 July 2022 to £2,151,421 in the year ended 31 July 2023.  Moreover, tuition income is expected to exceed £2.5m by 31 July 2024.  This growth reflects the University’s ability to recruit increasing numbers of local, regional, and international students attracted by the University’s quality student experience.

In expanding Madam Speaker, the Gibraltar University has not only attracted its local and regional reach but also its global reach. Key locations for all programmes include, Morocco, the UK, the US, British Overseas Territories, Canada and Europe.

Under the GSLP Liberal Manifesto 2023, it was stated that in recognition of the benefits to the

Gibraltar economy of increasing the number of international students, HMGoG would assist the University in its efforts to attract a wider net of international students to increase the current £5.7 million/year benefit of international students on the Gibraltar economy to approximately £12 million/year.  It was pleasing to note therefore that the contribution to the Gibraltarian economy from international students alone for the year ended 31 July 2023 was £6 million and that for this past academic year, as of 31 March 2024, this figure had increased to £8.3 million net.

Madam Speaker, It is also pleasing to note that the Europa Suites accommodation has seen significant occupancy with the majority of rooms now filled by university fee-paying students.

Conclusion

Madam Speaker, 

The University of Gibraltar continues to achieve remarkable progress across all areas. Its academic offerings, research initiatives, professional and technical training programmes, and financial performance are robust and impactful. 

I extend my thanks to all our stakeholders for their unwavering support and commitment. Together, we are building a brighter future for the University of Gibraltar and our community.  

I now take this opportunity to thank Vice Chancellor Catherine Bachleda and her hard-working staff for their continuous support to Education and congratulate them on their continued success.