Joel Delgado stated this Friday, in the appearance he offered in the Cabildo to report on his work in the Upper House, that he is the senator from Lanzarote who has presented "the most initiatives", with a total of 19 in the two years he has been in office. Among these initiatives, which he has not detailed, would be questions asked in the Chamber.
"If we look back, we see that the Podemos senator does not have a single one," Delgado said in reference to José Ramón Galindo, who was only in office for a few months when the elections of December 2015 were repeated. In addition, he has also compared himself with another senator from his party, Óscar Luzardo, of whom he stated that he presented "nine initiatives in four years", and with the socialist Marcos Hernández, who he pointed out only had "four initiatives in eight years". "
"And we could continue, because none of those who preceded me in the position of senator, and this is verifiable, had had 19 initiatives until now, so I think that has been the main fear that some have had when not coming to this appearance", he added.
In addition, in the midst of the controversy unleashed by this appearance -to which no opposition group has attended, nor have his two PP colleagues-, Delgado has defended being "the first senator to report on his work in a Cabildo in the Canary Islands".
Advances achieved according to Delgado
Among the "advances" that he claims have been "achieved" for the island in these last two years, and "as a result of the collaboration and involvement of all the institutions and the Chamber of Commerce", Delgado highlighted "without a doubt" the 23 million euros achieved for the Port of Arrecife, which will allow "all the infrastructures to be completed in 2020" with the southern closure and the expansion of the cruise ship dock. "Once all the investments have been completed, the site will have substantially improved its competitiveness and will be prepared for segregation if it were to be maintained," Delgado said.
The senator also highlighted "the 15 million euros that have been executed during these two years at the Lanzarote airport and that have allowed the expansion of the aircraft parking platform, the renovation of the six fingers for direct passenger access to the aircraft, as well as the improvement of the air conditioning system". "What is now being proposed is the resurfacing of all the internal roads, the completion of the bike lane and the improvement of the garden areas," he indicated.
In environmental matters, Joel Delgado highlighted two issues: "achieving the expansion of the studies for the expansion of the SCI for the protection of marine biodiversity and cetaceans on the coasts of Lanzarote and Fuerteventura, and the hydraulic works financed by the Ministry of the Environment for which four million euros have been allocated to the Island Water Council and one million euros of direct investment for the municipality of Yaiza".
The "progress made in Transport and the PSO with the inclusion of Lanzarote in the specifications with a rating, for the first time, of 39 out of 100" was also put on the table at the appearance. "It has been a first step so that maritime connections are not at the expense of the will of the shipping companies," said the senator, who announced, however, that his objective is to continue demanding the inclusion of Lanzarote, Fuerteventura and La Palma as a public service obligation in the Royal Decree that regulates regular lines and maritime cabotage of public interest. An issue in which he stated that "he had the approval of the previous government" and that he hopes can be maintained with the new Executive.
La Graciosa
Of the efforts of recent months, Delgado also highlighted the incorporation and political impetus of the territorial chamber to the declaration of La Graciosa as the eighth inhabited Canary Island promoted by the gracioseros themselves. Delgado assured that "the legal derivation will allow the creation, without prejudice to its attachment to Lanzarote, of a minor local entity with the possibility of carrying out administrative acts and having its own budget, should it be decided."
Regarding the eighth island, the senator stated that he will continue working to try to resolve the "serious problem" that affects 40 residents affected by the last demarcation of National Parks. "The objective is to recognize and validate the 2003 demarcation that did respect the ownership of the land affected to the residents," he specified.
Pending issues
Among the pending issues, Delgado highlighted the need to continue improving airport infrastructures, trying to recover also the essence of the terminal created in its day by César Manrique and announcing that he has presented a motion for the State Government to assume as its own the request for a change of name of the airport and, consequently, assume the cost since, according to Aena, the cost has to be assumed by the proposing entity.
A possibility in which the senator for Lanzarote has stated that he had been working, even assuring that he had managed to get the Government of Mariano Rajoy to commit to assuming the expense, despite the fact that Aena refused in its day, as reflected in a written response and as the president of the Cabildo has reminded Delgado.
Within the work to be carried out in Madrid during the rest of the legislature, Delgado highlighted the improvement of the External Surveillance Service for the detection of pateras, an increase in police personnel, the creation of the Penitentiary Surveillance Court that has already been requested, and also the creation of new judicial bodies, such as the Juvenile Court and the Administrative Litigation Court, "perfectly justified by the volume of work and the ratios that are being recorded on the island".
Requests from the Cabildo
The representative of Lanzarote in the Upper House has also committed to transfer to the Government the requests made by the president of the Cabildo, Pedro San Ginés, referring to the 12 megawatt wind farm, associated with desalination, to which Rodríguez Zapatero committed in his day, and the search for alternatives that allow state economic collaboration in the burial of infrastructures "that according to current regulations is restricted to urban areas and natural spaces".
He will also raise the possibility of incorporating the Cabildo of Lanzarote into the proposal made by NC for aid to the acquisition of electric vehicles "that left our island out"; the involvement of the State in an environmental maintenance plan for La Graciosa that serves as support for the investments made by the Cabildo, in addition to being "very vigilant" so that the new executive complies with the investment planned for Lanzarote within the Hydrological and Road Plan, "questioned in recent days".
During his appearance, the senator also presented the efforts made in Madrid at the request of the City Councils of Yaiza, Tías, Teguise and Haría during these two years, highlighting his "total willingness to continue with inter-administrative collaboration"."
