Government authorises more than 115 million euros to be allocated to conservation and maintenance of national highway network

Moncloa Palace, Madrid

The government authorised the formalisation of several service contracts for the execution of conservation and maintenance operations on several State highways. The total investment approved amounts to 115.68 million euros and will be allocated in the provinces of Alicante, Asturias, Gerona, Granada, Palencia and Valladolid. At last week's Council of Ministers meeting, another five contracts were authorised for the conservation and maintenance of highways in Albacete, Ávila, Guadalajara, La Rioja and Teruel, for a total sum of 110.78 million euros.

According to the acting Vice-President of the Government, Soraya Sáenz de Santamaría, the new contracts will enable operations that are "necessary to maintain highways in service 24 hours a day, 365 days a year" to be implemented.

Specifically, work will be done on communications and surveillance services, accident response actions and maintenance of elements of the highway (road markings, traffic lights, electrical installations and street lighting), both in tunnels and in the open air, said Soraya Sáenz de Santamaría. Work on keeping roads open during winter conditions, clearance of vegetation, resurfacing and the cleaning of roadsides will also be carried out.

Security material for police

Pool Moncloa/J.M. CuadradoThe government also authorised the Ministry of Home Affairs to formalise contracts for the procurement of security material for National Police officers for a total sum of seven million euros.

The Vice-President of the Government pointed out that more than 1,000 bullet-proof vests that are also resistant to knife attacks for external use, to be allocated to those citizen security units of the National Police "with a high level of risk", will be purchased. A further 10,000 vests will be purchased for internal use, for the personal provision of the majority of police officers.

The Ministry of Home Affairs will also purchase 4,100 pistols (to be provided as the regulation weapon for the new intake of recruits scheduled for the years 2016 and 2017), 100 assault rifles and 20 sub-machine guns (designed for specialised units to prevent or repel terrorist actions), as well as the corresponding ammunition (5 million cartridges of different calibres).

Two new antennas for the Robledo de Chavela Complex

Pool Moncloa/ J. M. CuadradoThe Council of Ministers also authorised the construction of two new antennas for the Deep Space Communications Complex (Spanish acronym: MDSCC), located in Robledo de Chavela (Madrid). The cost of the project, which will be wholly covered by NASA, amounts to 25.5 million euros and the contract will be handled and procurement made by the National Institute of Aerospace Technology (INTA). It is estimated that the construction of these two antennas will be completed in September 2019.

Soraya Sáenz de Santamaría pointed out that this contract is "the result of a scientific cooperation agreement between the Kingdom of Spain and the United States", and added that the two antennas will be built according to NASA standards so that their components can be interchanged with the equipment from the other two stations that form part of the Deep Space Network (one located in Goldstone, California, and the other in Canberra, Australia).

These two antennas, in addition to strengthening the aforesaid Deep Space Network, will offer support to the "new robotic missions that NASA and the European Space Agency will send into space over the next four years".

Current affairs

Pool Moncloa/J.M. CuadradoWhen asked about the possibility of revising pensions and raising the salaries of public workers if the General State Budget for 2017 is not approved, the Vice-President of the Government said that, given the date now and the impossibility of a caretaker government presenting the draft Budget Law for 2017, "it would seem to be obligatory" for an extension to the 2016 public accounts to take place.

In light of this situation, "we have been working this whole time, within the limits permitted at law, to prejudice the interests of our citizens as little as possible", she explained.

With this objective in mind, the government is "very thoroughly" analysing the different items of the Budget and has tasked the legal services department with drafting a report in order to justify "whatever can be done".

If no government is formed by 31 October, the Budget will be extended and, prior to 31 December, the caretaker government will have to find "legislative or administrative" solutions to avoid negative repercussions, declared Soraya Sáenz de Santamaría. However, she expressed her hope "that we will have a government and that Parliament will not be dissolved on 31 October".