The following is a Public Announcement from Port Control:

Jamestown Wharf

Port Control would like to advise that the Jamestown Wharf will open to the public as normal from 4pm today, Thursday 18 April 2019. All ‘break bulk’ cargo has now been cleared from the Wharf and Port Control would like to thank Merchants and other parties for clearing the area in time for the Wharf to open for the Easter weekend.

Rupert’s Wharf

Rupert’s Wharf and beach is now open to the public until midnight on Friday, 19 April 2019. Thereafter, Rupert’s Wharf including the beach area, will be closed to the public over the Easter weekend for the arrival of the fuel tanker and fuel operations to take place.

Emergency Services will be granted access to Rupert’s Wharf and beach area at all times.

The public will be informed as to when Rupert’s will reopen to the public.

 SHG
18 April 2019

http://www.sainthelena.gov.sh

At around 9.30am today, Thursday 18 April 2019, a silver ford fiesta car, registration number 2969, belonging to Solomon & Company (St Helena) Plc was stolen.

The driver was travelling through the Rock Rose area when they had to stop to remove some concrete blocks obstructing the road. While the driver was removing the blocks a male person took the vehicle.

St Helena Police are investigating the incident and asks any member of the public if they see this vehicle to please report it to Police Headquarters on tel: 22626 or the emergency line: 999. Please do not approach the vehicle or any of its occupants.

This incident is in the early stages of investigation and any information about the vehicle or this incident should immediately be reported to Police.

#StHelena #StHelenaPolice

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SHG
18 April 2019

Executive Council met on Tuesday, 16 April 2019, with three items on the Open Agenda.

The first two items – the Investment Strategy April 2019 and the Rules of Procedure of the Executive Council and the Duties of Members and the Clerk of Councils – were deferred to later meetings allowing for additional information to be provided.

The SHG financial statements for 2017/18 were then presented by the Financial Secretary, these were the seventh set of financial statements prepared in accordance with International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSAS).  The accounts continue to show an improvement year on year with three qualifications from the 2016/17 financial statements being cleared in 2017/18 and with two legacy qualifications remaining.  In 2017/18 two new qualifications have been given by the Chief Auditor on the fair presentation of the statements.

The Chief Auditor presented his Audit Management Letter, outlining the challenges encountered during the audit and the areas that have resulted in a qualification.  The Chief Auditor also outlined his recommendations arising from the audit and Executive Council noted the responses given by the Financial Secretary as to how these recommendations will be addressed.

After much deliberation, Members supported the Financial Secretary’s recommendation to approve the financial statements and thanked both the Corporate Finance and St Helena Audit Service teams for their hard work in bringing the audit process to a conclusion.

Members were keen to point out the importance of having audited financial statements for greater accountability and transparency on public spending.  Good Governance is essential in a modern democratic society. The financial statements and the Chief Auditor’s Management Letter will be laid upon the table at the next formal Legislative Council meeting and thereafter be scrutinised by the Public Accounts Committee.

The meeting concluded at around 12.45pm.

Notes to Editors

The SHG Financial Statements for 2017/18 are now available on the Finance page of the SHG website: http://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/finance/

A photo of the Financial Secretary and Chief Auditor signing the Financial Statements is attached to this report.

ExCo

18 April 2019

In a bulletin issued from the St Helena Statistics Office today, new estimates of the St Helena Gross Domestic Product (GDP), the total value of all the goods and services produced on St Helena during a year, for 2017/18 was £42.4 million or £9,220 per person.  When price inflation is taken into account, this is a slight fall of 1.7% from 2016/17.

When converted to US dollars using standard exchange rates, GDP per capita was around $12,230 in 2017/18. Other countries with similar levels of GDP per capita include Croatia, Palau, Costa Rica, and American Samoa.

Government Services contributed the most to St Helena’s GDP, at £18.5 million, or 50% of total Gross Value Added. Wholesale and Retail Trade (including Motor Vehicle Repair and Transport) is the second largest sector, contributing around 19% of total Gross Value Added, and Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing is the smallest.

The bulletin shows that the economy grew strongly in 2015/16 by 5.1%, when airport construction was still underway, but it shrank the following year (2016/17) by 7.1% following completion of the majority of the airport construction.

The full Statistical Bulletin can be found on the St Helena Government website here:  http://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/statistical-bulletin-no-5-2019-gdp/ detailed data can be accessed in Excel format from the ‘GDP’ file at: www.sainthelena.gov.sh/statistics-data.

#StHelena #Statistics #GDP #Economy #StatsNews

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SHG
17 April 2019

The St Helena Sea Rescue Service is currently creating a database of all Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacons (EPIRBs) and Personal Locator Beacons (PLBs) on the Island.

Being able to identify a vessel is important when putting together a response & search plan. For example, if a vessel’s EPIRB is activated but its position is not picked up, some local preliminary investigations to ascertain its last known position could be made, thus enabling Sea Rescue to organise a suitable response.

Beacon activation alerts, received by the Coast Station or Sea Rescue from any Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC), contain a unique 15 hexadecimal character string (HEX ID). This HEX ID can be used to ascertain the vessel’s identity.

Recently there have been a few alerts and the Sea Rescue Service has been unable to assist an MRCC in identifying the vessel.

The aim of the database of all EPIRBs and PLBs is to ensure that, upon receiving a beacon alert, this information will be readily available to Sea Rescue and the Coast Station.

Sea Rescue requests that owners of an EPIRB or PLB, please contact any the following persons with the required details:

Simon Wade (Sea Rescue Manager) Tel: 25215 or Email: simonwade@helanta.co.sh

Craig Scipio (Deputy Sea Rescue Manager) Tel: 25215 or Email: craigscipio@helanta.co.sh

Leeroy Caswell (Deputy Sea Rescue Manager) Tel: 25215 or Email: leeroy.caswell@helanta.co.sh

Marco Yon (Emergency Planning Officer) Tel: 25052 or Email: marco.yon@helanta.co.sh

Steve Kirk (Harbour Master) Tel: 22287 or Email: steve.kirk@sainthelena.gov.sh

The details required are:

1. Name of the EPIRB/PLB owner
2. Name of the vessel that the beacon belongs to
3. The beacon’s Hex ID (a 15 digit alphanumeric code written or stamped on the EPIRB/PLB)
4. The battery expiry date (if known)

In due course, this database will be registered with Cospas Sarsat, who hold the International Beacon Registration Database (IBRD), therefore helping to ensure that this area of maritime safety is at the best possible level.

#StHelena #SeaRescue #RequestForInformation #EPIRBs #PLBs #AltogetherSafer

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SHG
17 April 2019

The French Navy offshore patrol ship ‘Seine’ is expected to arrive at St Helena this weekend – her exact arrival time is still to be confirmed. The vessel is calling at the Island en route from Senegal.

During her stay in St Helena waters, the Ship’s company will visit the French properties on the Island and host an on board reception for invited guests. Her Excellency Governor Lisa Honan will also host the crew at Plantation House.

The ‘Seine’ will depart the Island at 8am on Monday, 22 April 2019.

#StHelena #Seine #FrenchNavyVisit

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SHG
17 April 2019

St Helena Government’s new Head of Customs, Sarah Botting, took up her post on St Helena on Monday, 15 April 2019.

Sarah has been appointed on a three-year contract and her main duties will include the leadership and management of Customs operations and the development of HM Customs & Excise as an efficient and effective Border Control Agency and Revenue Service.

Sarah said:

“I’m both pleased and proud to be taking up the role of Head of Customs on St Helena. Customs is an important function, both in raising revenue for the Island and in protecting the Island’s borders. I also believe it is important to have a traveller friendly Customs function to reflect the warm welcome travellers receive when visiting the Island. I look forward to working with my team, partners and stakeholders in delivering a first class Customs service for St Helena.”

Deputy Financial Secretary, Nicholas Yon, added:

“We are delighted to have Sarah join Corporate Finance as the new Head of Customs at such a crucial point in the development of the service. Sarah comes with a wealth of knowledge and experience that will help shape HM Customs & Excise into a modern border control and revenue service.

 “Sarah joins a hard-working and dedicated HM Customs & Excise team that strive on a daily basis to protect St Helena’s borders and collect the revenues that support the delivery of public services.”    

Sarah previously lived on St Helena for three and a half years before moving to the Turks & Caicos Islands in March 2017, to support her husband, when he took up the role of Deputy Commissioner of Police for the Royal Turks & Caicos Islands Police Force.

#StHelena #NewAppointment #HeadofCustoms

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SHG

17 April 2019

Councillors are continuing with their meetings in each Island district throughout April. This is an opportunity for constituents to ask questions, raise concerns and find out what has been happening lately within St Helena Government Directorates.

A key topic which Councillors wish to discuss at these meetings is how best to communicate with constituents. For example, would you like to continue having district meetings or to have larger gatherings? Would you prefer all 12 Councillors to attend constituency meetings? Options can be discussed with Councillors at the meeting.

If there is a particular topic that you would also like discussed, please telephone the Secretary to Elected Members on tel: 22590 or email: sec.em@helanta.co.sh in advance of the meeting you plan to attend.

Your Councillors look forward to meeting with you and hearing your views.

Each meeting will start at 7pm. The remaining meetings are at:

#StHelena #LegislativeCouncil #ConstituencyMeetings

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SHG

17 April 2019

Since September 2018, individuals from the Community Service (CS) team have been working with the St Helena National Trust (SHNT) assisting them on a number of projects across the Island.

The first project saw the CS team commence work at High Knoll Fort with SHNT supervisors from the Heritage Team on Saturday mornings. This involved the CS team preparing the High Knoll Fort area for future restoration work to be completed. The team hopes to remain involved with this work in the future.

More recently, the CS team has commenced work at the Millennium Forest (see photos attached). The Probation Team completed a site visit on Wednesday, 20 March 2019, and were shown around the Forest area by Millennium Forest Supervisor, Chrissy Clingham.

Chrissy commented on the CS team’s work:

“Yes, they have worked really well, helping with jobs including weeding, burying fish for future compost, collecting ginger and fixing the fences. They have also helped to make sure the nursery is tidy for all our visitors. Overall, this helps us to continue to enhance and protect the Millennium Forest, particularly the endemic plants like the Gumwood.

“The team has also done invasive plant control along the roadside near the Millennium Forest towards the Airport. This reduces the potential for the road to act as a corridor for spreading unwanted weeds.”

Community Service is a Court Order which the Probation Team has responsibility for, it acts as both punishment for offending and as a rehabilitative measure. Individuals give something back to the community by completing hours of unpaid work during their own time. To date, 568 hours of work have been completed by the CS team for the SHNT.

The Probation Team would like to express their gratitude to the St Helena National Trust for allowing those subject to Community Service Orders to complete their hours working on unique and meaningful projects that contribute to the overall improvement of the Island’s historical and natural environments.

#CommunityService #StHelenaProbationTeam #StHelenaNationalTrust #Partnerships #Projects #GivingBack

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SHG
16 April 2019

The following is a Public Announcement from Waste Management Services of the Environment, Natural Resources & Planning Directorate:

Waste Management Services (WMS) would like to advise the public that there will be no changes to existing services over the Easter weekend.

Residents are requested to have their waste ready for collection by 6am on their normal collection day. Late placement of bins may result in missed collection.

It is normal for waste volume to increase at this time of year. Therefore, to maximise bin capacity, residents are advised to flatten all of their Easter Egg boxes prior to disposal.

Public areas and toilet cleaning services remain unchanged.

Horse Point Landfill Site remains open to the public 24/7, including Public Holidays. Users are encouraged to recycle as much of their waste as possible prior to any disposal in the Bulky Waste Cell.

When camping, or in other recreational areas, do not litter. To protect the environment, please ensure that all litter is properly disposed of in the public litter bins provided, with larger volumes of litter bagged accordingly.

WMS would like to thank the public for their continued cooperation.

SHG
16 April 2019

http://www.sainthelena.gov.sh