The Settlement and Colonisation of Snowdown Act, 819
An Actto enable agents of Her Majesty to legally and lawfully initiate the settlement and colonisation of Bretonian holdings in the Snowdown system, vis-à-vis Planet Sprague, via the mass migration of refugees from the Leeds system.
1) Short title:
This Bill may be cited as the Settlement of Sprague Act, 819.
2) Affirmation of the sovereign status of Planet Sprague.
Planet Sprague is henceforth reaffirmed as a sovereign Bretonian entity of the Kingdom of Bretonia, legitimised by the role of the Omega 3 system as a Dominion of Her Royal Majesty Carinia I, Queen of the Near Omegas. Permanent settlers on Planet Sprague will henceforth renounce their status as citizens of Planet Leeds or the other holdings of the realm and adopt the citizenship of Planet Sprague. All resources, organic and non-organic, discovered or undiscovered, on, above or under the planet’s surface are hereby reaffirmed as claimed in the name of the Kingdom of Bretonia, and Her Royal Majesty Queen Carinia I.
3) Provision for the administration of development of Planet Sprague:
The development of Planet Sprague shall be jointly led by agents of Her Majesty, manifest in the forms of Borderworld Exports (Royal Charter 01/01/310-819) and Bretonia Mining and Manufacturing (Royal Charter 01/01/305-819). This effort shall be supervised and directed by the newly created Sprague Administrative and Growth Initiative (SAGI) – a joint oversight board, consisting of agents of the Department of Trade and Industry; Department of Power and Ecology; Department of Interstellar Development; Ministry of Defence; Borderworld Exports Colonial Authority. The cost incurred by the settlement and colonisation of Planet Sprauge will be withdrawn from the Crown Treasury, Bowex’s annual budget and BMM’s annual budget, to the proportion of 60-20-20. The fees and costs associated with the construction of an Ageira docking ring are to be absorbed by the government.
4) Provision for colonial construction on Planet Sprauge:
Bretonian citizens may not be settled on the surface of Planet Sprague as colonial residents until a number of prerequisite conditions have been met; a suitable infrastructure to support a large population must be in place. This entails, food, water, power, shelter, physical protection, medical care and spaceport facilities. As to when these conditions have been met is entirely of the purview of the SAGI. To facilitate this goal, Borderworld Exports is henceforth permitted to launch systematic surveys of the planet in order to locate the optimal position for the foundation of a new colony. Bretonia Mining and Manufacturing is to launch tandem surveys with Borderworld Exports to locate and secure local resources, whether mineral or organic. Once a site has been located, Borderworld Exports is to begin the import of construction materials to Douglas Station, Omega 3, as a holding platform, until they can be shuttled to the planet’s surface. BMM will be responsible for the construction of planetside infrastructure. Borderworld Exports and Bretonia Mining and Manufacturing may subcontract portions of their task to external 3rd parties, to be paid from their own budgets.
5) Provision for the colonial settlement of Planet Sprague:
Upon the authorisation of the SAGI, the immigration of Bretonian citizens to Planet Sprauge may be initiated by trusted contractors capable of safely transporting passengers. This currently includes Borderworld Exports, Orbital Spa and Cruise and Gateway Interstellar. Colonial applicants from Leeds are to be graded as follows:
a) Category One-A: Family groups. Those possessing members with professional or protected qualifications, i.e. engineers, technicians, doctors, teachers, scientists.
b) Category One-B: Family groups. Those capable of economically supporting the entire family unit, i.e. members are healthy and suitable for employment.
c) Category One-C: Family groups. Those incapable of economically supporting the entire family unit, i.e. members are ill or unsuitable for employment.
d) Category Two-A: Individuals. Those possessing members with professional or protected qualifications, i.e. engineers, technicians, doctors, teachers, scientists.
e) Category Two-B: Individuals. Those capable of economically supporting themselves, i.e. healthy and suitable for employment.
f) Category Two-C: Individuals. Those incapable of economically supporting themselves i.e. ill or unsuitable for employment.
Priority is to be given to Group One, sub-divisions A and B, then Group Two, sub-divisions A and B. Sub-division C in either group is of a lower priority than all other sub-divisions. Citizens falling within sub-division C are best suited to the existing settlements on New London and Cambridge. Families are always to be moved as a single unit, if requested. Large families are to be given priority over small ones.
6) Provision for the protection and security of Planet Sprague:
The orbital security of Planet Sprague will fall to the Norfolk Great Fleet, stationed in Cambridge. Planetside security is to be conducted by the Royal Bretonian Army, until such a time as the SAGI authorises full scale civilian colonisation, at which point martial law is rescinded and legal jurisdiction handed to the Bretonian Police Authority. Settlements are to be built into defensively advantageous local geography, and covered by localised shield relays. Criminals are to be tried on Planet Cambridge until such a time as a Planetary Magistrate is appointed and Royal Order of Law established by the Crown Prosecution Service.
7) Provision for the governance and politics of Planet Sprague:
Until such a time as the colonies of Planet Sprague have attained reasonable stability, all planetary matters shall be overseen by a Planetary Governor. The Planetary Governor shall be selected by the House of Lords, then judged by Her Royal Majesty. The Planetary Governor may be dismissed at any point by a ¾ majority in the Lords, or at the command of Her Royal Majesty. The Colonial Governor is to be supervised by the SAGI, who will determine whether or not the colony has attained sufficient stability to warrant localised elections. Upon the resolution of planetary elections, a Planetary Assembly is to be convened. Once a Planetary Assembly is functional, Planet Sprague will gain seats in the Bretonian Parliament proportionally to its overall population, as is the case with current Core-System planets. The Colonial Governor will retain their position, with altered powers of legislature. Bills proposed by the Colonial Governor must now find approval from the Planetary Assembly, or face veto. The Colonial Governor may bypass the Planetary Assembly with Emergency Acts. These require a State of Emergency to be declared, or the Planetary Assembly to be otherwise indisposed.
8) Provision for the ecological welfare of Planet Sprague:
Planet Sprague’s ecological welfare is to be protected throughout the colonisation process, as far as is feasible. To this end, Department of Power and Ecology will be providing oversight teams to monitor the planet’s ecological status and biodiversity (once it has been initially recorded). An enquiry as to the practicality and cost-effectiveness of Sprague’s partial terraforming is to be launched immediately.