The ASG parliamentary spokesperson, Casimiro Curbelo, will pose a question to the President of the Canary Islands Government regarding the actions the regional executive plans to develop to consolidate and expand support measures for pensions, including non-contributory ones. Curbelo will focus on the situation of the more than 42,000 people in the Canary Islands who currently depend on a non-contributory pension, many of them elderly, people with disabilities, and women who sustained their households for decades without having been able to contribute sufficiently.
It will be recalled that the amounts of these benefits continue to be, in many cases, below the poverty line, especially in a context marked by the rising cost of housing, energy, and basic products. The ASG leader will acknowledge the effort made by the Canary Islands Government with the implementation of the regional supplement of 400 euros annually for this group, as well as the agreement reached with the State to guarantee the legal certainty of these aids. However, he will advocate for the need to move towards more stable and structural solutions that protect those facing greater economic difficulties.
An advanced society is also measured by its ability to protect those who live with fewer resources and greater vulnerability
Curbelo will insist that the Canary Islands must continue to argue before the State that regional supplements should not be counted as income and should not penalize beneficiaries. Likewise, he will defend the need to strengthen coordination with island councils and municipalities to improve care for the most vulnerable households, especially on the non-capital islands, and to link these policies to measures related to housing, dependency, and access to essential services.
In the same plenary session, Casimiro Curbelo will question the Minister of Public Works, Housing, and Mobility about the technical solutions the Government plans to promote so that Puertos Canarios can undertake the necessary actions at the Puntallana pier, known as El Cangrejito. The historical, cultural, and religious significance of this enclave for La Gomera will be recalled, as it is the traditional access to the hermitage of Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe, the island's patron saint. This year marks 84 years since the reconstruction of the small pier, which for decades has served as a point of arrival for pilgrims and visitors, especially during the lustral celebrations.
It will be warned that the current deterioration of the pier and its accesses poses evident risks to people's safety, especially during periods of high attendance. It will be argued that the planned actions are fully compatible with the environmental protection of the area, as the Master Plan of the Special Natural Reserve of Puntallana expressly includes improvement works related to landing operations. The Autonomous Community's Budgets for 2026 include a provision of one million euros for the drafting of the project and the execution of the necessary actions, although it will be insisted that it is essential to overcome existing administrative and competence obstacles to materialize this intervention.
The objective is not to build a new infrastructure or alter the natural space, but to preserve a place deeply linked to the identity of La Gomera and ensure adequate conditions of safety and accessibility
With this objective, the need for the Government of the Canary Islands, Puertos Canarios, and the Cabildo of La Gomera to work in a coordinated manner will be emphasized to make viable an action that responds to the general interest and will allow for the compatibility of natural and cultural heritage conservation with the safety of residents and visitors.
