Today was the first meeting of Cabinet in the new financial year and Fabian Picardo expects it to be the most challenging year for elected representatives since the Franco restrictions started in 1967 and the frontier closed in 1969.
Health Ministry changes, Anti-Corruption Authority to be created
The Chief Minister said the GHA will “now” be entirely independently run, with Mr Isola taking “full policy responsibility”.
Fabian Picardo said Samantha Sacramento “gave everything she had to the Health Authority at the worst time in our history and bringing decision making on Health and Civil Contingencies together at the most stressful time in our history”.
Ms Sacramento will take over a “super-regulatory ministry”, including the Regulatory Authority and Town Planning, as well as the creation of a new “Anti-Corruption Authority”, with a Bill “to be published in the coming weeks”.
Linares now involved in industrial relations
Steven Linares takes on some of the responsibility for industrial relations, though decisions with any financial implications would have to be referred to Sir Joe Bossano as Minister for Financial Stability and then the Chief Minister as Minister for Finance. Mr Picardo says he himself will “continue to handle matters of industrial relations which have general political importance, given these will inevitably have financial implications”.
A team that 'plays to its strengths' at what is set to be a difficult year
The idea is that the Chief Minister will free up some of his time to pursue “the wider issues of our relationship with the United Kingdom, the European Union and Spain as we settle (into) the new reality of life in Gibraltar with or without a UK/EU Treaty.
Mr Picardo said he had to ensure his ministerial team plays to its strengths, given that the pandemic has ravaged public finances and there is a “potential for a hard-Brexit knock to our economy”.
Mr Picardo said it was not about honing a team to win an election, it was about honing a team to deliver the maximum possible for Gibraltar