'Roy Clinton seems not to read his own press releases' says Government. 'In the one on the dementia facility last week he intimated that it had not yet opened because of a squeeze in finances. Today he acknowledges that funds were indeed available. He makes it utterly clear that the Government’s 2015/16 Budget Estimates made provision for £400,000 for the Day Care Facility and for a further £400,000 for the contracting out of the Dementia Residential Facilities service.'
'What Mr Clinton seems not to understand' they continue, 'is that the reasons for any delay are not the lack of money or lack of budget, but the opposite, namely the proper administration of our nation’s financial resources in a way that does not allow them to be abused as people try to use time pressures to force us to pay over the odds for things. That is not in the short, medium or long terms interest of the people of Gibraltar, let alone its most vulnerable members of society. But if the GSD are now saying we should agree to pay over the odds for things, then they seem to be trying to run with the hare and hunt with the hounds, depending exclusively on their current short term political interests. We will not fall into that trap. We were not wasting money when they said we were and we will not waste money when they invite us to. We will follow the prudent course in the long term interests of the whole of our community and our nation, even though it means that to prevent the taxpayer from being overcharged, we may have to wait a little longer for the right things to happen because we will never agree to "over the odds" costs being incurred!
To give an actual opening date for the Facility would be unfair and if it were not met, due to any delay beyond reasonable control, could be seen as a broken promise. There have been no such broken promises, just genuine intentions.
The complex process to open the facilities continues. The GSD wanted to cram our elderly into cells and had no plans whatsoever to open a day facility. This is a 100% GSLP/Liberal project.
Minister for Health, the Hon Dr John Cortes, commented: "I don't break promises. But I don't hesitate in openly expressing hopes and aspirations, even though timescales can slip, as they do in every major project, for reasons well beyond my control. I regularly attend GADS general meetings and I sent my best wishes to this latest one. I meet with GADS regularly and I know that, despite our shared frustration, they know we also share a common vision - one that I for one can't wait to see becoming a reality."
