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As previously communicated, work is now progressing to develop a contingency plan in the event of any migrants arriving in the British Indian Overseas Territories (BIOT) who are then brought to St Helena.
A team of officials from the FCDO and the Home Office spent a productive and successful week on island from Saturday 9 November 2024. The focus of their visit was to work with key personnel and agencies on island to develop a Contingency Plan, establish Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for key areas within the plan, and identify any training needs and local resource requirements.
As a part of this planning, SHG is seeking to establish a register of rental properties to accommodate any migrants who may eventually come to St Helena, and will shortly be inviting registrations from the private sector.
The public will kept informed periodically of any updates on this mutual arrangement between SHG and UKG, and on how the £6.65m provided as part of this agreement is being spent for the benefit of St Helena. As agreed in the MOU, in addition to this one off £6.65m, UKG will fund additional costs incurred under this arrangement for preparation activities and in the event of any arrivals.
SHG is pleased to announce that Field Road is scheduled to reopen to vehicular traffic and pedestrians from 13:00 today, 28 November 2024.
Whilst the road will be open to the public, it’s important to note that some construction work, particularly the installation of gabions, will continue. This will necessitate a 300-metre section of the road to be restricted to a single-lane carriageway. To ensure the safety of all road users, the contractor will implement appropriate traffic management measures, including signage and traffic control. Road users are advised to adhere to these measures and exercise caution when travelling on this section of the road.
Important reminders for road users:
- The speed limit on Field Road remains at 15mph.
- Larger vehicles should exercise caution when passing each other, especially on the single-lane section.
- Please familiarise yourself with the new road layout and adhere to lane markings.
The Field Road project is part of the £30m Economic Development Investment Programme (EDIP), funded by the UK Government.
#StHelena #FieldRoadUpdate #EffectiveInfrastructure
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During the week commencing Monday 18 November, St Helena schools participated in UK Parliament Week, which is run by the Speakers Office in the United Kingdom each year in order to raise awareness about what Parliament is, what it does and how young people can get involved.
In the lead up to UK Parliament Week, schools received a UK Parliament Activity Pack, from the Speaker’s Office in the UK, along with a ‘Speaker’ teddy bear. “Mr. Speaker”, the teddy bear, travelled between schools, with activities shared on social media by the Governor’s Office.
As the Children’s Champion, Councillor Gillian Brooks took this opportunity to lead a programme to educate young people about how the St Helena Legislative Council and new Ministerial system operate, and how these align with the UK Parliament. This aimed to inspire their interest in legislative proceedings, politics and democracy given the impact these have on all of our lives, whilst encouraging them to engage with the St Helena Legislative Council.
As part of the programme, Councillors Gillian Brooks and Robert Midwinter visited all of the schools. Councillor Dr Corinda Essex attended and spoke at visits to the Council Chamber by two of the primary schools and at the Pilling Primary School assembly; and Councillor Betty Knipe attended a Harford Primary School assembly. The Legislative Council would like to thank teachers and students for their engagement during these sessions.
Councillor Gillian Brooks, Children’s Champion, commented:
“It is always wonderful to see how engaged our young people are when it comes to topics such as how the parliamentary system works in St Helena, and what can be done to improve the lives of people living on the island. It was therefore a delight to be able to engage with all of the schools during UK Parliament Week.”
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St Pauls Primary learners visiting the Legislative Council Chamber
Councillors Gillian Brooks, Robert Midwinter and Dr Corinda Essex engaging with learners in the Council Chamber
#StHelena #ParliamentWeek #YouthParliament
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His Excellency Governor Nigel Phillips CBE welcomed over 270 guests to the annual King’s Birthday Party (KBP) held on Friday 15 November 2024 at Plantation House. The event brought together a diverse range of community members, including state award recipients and elected officials, to celebrate the island’s rich traditions and strong connection to the United Kingdom.
Governor Nigel Phillips commented:
“It is always a pleasure to host the King’s Birthday Party. It offers an opportunity to reflect on the achievements of the past year. As ever, they are numerous. But perhaps the biggest achievement is that in a world increasingly beset by challenge, St Helena remains a bastion of tolerance and good neighbourliness. It must be the endeavour of us all to ensure it remains so. Beyond this, the wonderful levels of attendance demonstrate the affection with which the Crown is held. In closing, I know all the guests would join me in repeating our thanks to those whose efforts made the event such a success. Happy Birthday Your Majesty!”
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St Helena Government (SHG) today announced a new policy aimed at clarifying health criteria for individuals traveling to and residing on the island. The policy is designed to improve the island’s standard of living and ensure its continued appeal as a desirable place to live, work, and visit.
Key Policy Points:
- Individuals in full-time, permanent employment and permanently residing on St Helena are eligible for health care on the same terms as local residents. This includes access to medical referrals to South Africa, subject to valid travel documentation and visa requirements.
- Persons on fixed-term contracts and not permanently residing on the island are entitled to local health care at standard rates. Overseas medical treatment will not be provided unless covered by the employer or employee, and valid travel documentation is required.
- All individuals arriving to work on St Helena must undergo an initial health assessment within four weeks of arrival. This includes a chest X-ray for those coming from or having resided in countries identified by the World Health Organization as high-burden for tuberculosis.
- Employers are responsible for ensuring their employees comply with pre-arrival health checks and other relevant criteria.
- Non-compliance with the policy may result in refusal of entry, revocation of work permits, and potential legal action against employers.
The policy statement can be viewed on the SHG website here https://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/documents/SHG-Policy-Statement-on-Medical-Costs.
SHG is committed to implementing this policy transparently and fairly, ensuring the health and well-being of all residents and temporary residents on island. By clarifying health criteria, SHG aims to attract and retain skilled individuals while safeguarding the island’s healthcare resources.
#StHelena #MedicalCostPolicy #PermanentandTemporaryResidents
We would like to correct a previous statement made regarding the reopening of Field Road. It was previously stated that cycling on Field Road is prohibited. This information is incorrect.
According to Regulation 73 of the Road Traffic Regulations, cycling is permitted on Field Road. Cycling is only prohibited in the following specific areas:
- Longwood Road: between Two Gun Saddle and the Briars
- Side Path and Napoleon Street: between the Briars and Main Street
- Half Tree Hollow and Ladder Hill: between the Salvation Army Hall and China Lane
- “W” Road: between Francis Plain Ridge Gate and White Gate
We apologise for any confusion this may have caused.
#StHelena #FieldRoadUpdate #EffectiveInfrastructure
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This year, the St Helena Government, Health & Social Care Portfolio are taking the opportunity to shine a spotlight on the hard work and dedication of our Health Care Assistants (HCAs) and Emergency Care Assistants (ECAs).
HCAs and ECAs work alongside qualified nurses. They play a crucial role in providing excellent care to patients, demonstrating compassion, and going above and beyond their call of duty.
Theatre Sister, Donna Clingham said:
“We are incredibly grateful for the dedication of our HCAs and ECAs. Their contributions are essential to ensuring a positive experience for all patients.”
SHG
21 November 2024
The St Helena Government (SHG) Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Section is proud to celebrate the 25th anniversary of GIS Day today, 20 November, with the theme “Mapping Minds, Shaping the World”.
Over the past year, the GIS Section has actively promoted GIS and its potential within SHG. Through awareness campaigns, they have successfully increased understanding and highlighted the advantages of this valuable tool. Advancements in technology have allowed them to collaborate with various departments, addressing their specific needs and providing data-driven solutions for more informed decision-making.
Established in 2005, the SHG GIS Section is the only such facility on the island. It offers analysis, mapping services, and tailored outputs to various departments and stakeholders. Recent projects include:
- Assisting the Darwin Project with reviewing National Conservation Area boundaries.
- Analysing transportation arrangements for the Education, Skills and Employment Portfolio to improve school bus services.
- Digitising internal request databases to create spatial outputs for trend analysis.
- Collaborating with Land Registry to review island parcel boundaries and rectify potential issues.
The GIS Section encourages everyone to consider how existing data, like databases or records, can be transformed into usable formats for analysis. They demonstrate this through an example where they analysed the Planning Management Office’s planning applications database. By utilising the spatial data, they created a “Hot Spot” map highlighting areas with the most development activity. This valuable information helps prioritise infrastructure improvements in areas experiencing growth. Such analysis allows departments to utilise resources effectively and achieve cost-efficient solutions.
The GIS Section prioritises staying current with evolving technology. They are actively incorporating Drone Surveying into their capabilities. Recent drone pilot training will enable the use of photogrammetry technology, which is the use of photography in surveying and mapping to ascertain measurements between objects, in creating more detailed and accurate outputs. This will enhance the department’s capacity and allow SHG to monitor its land assets effectively.
To learn more about the annual GIS Day celebration, visit: https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/e85242817c8e4713931f8a5aa3a93127. For further information, please contact GIS Manager Devlin Yon at devlin.yon@sainthelena.gov.sh.
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A “Hot Spot” map highlighting areas with the most development activity, created for the Building Control and Planning Section.
#StHelena #GISDay2024 #MappingMindsShapingtheWorld
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The St Helena cricket team departed the island on Saturday, 16 November to compete in the International Cricket Council (ICC) Men’s T20 World Cup Sub-Regional Africa Qualifier C in Nigeria. The team is representing St Helena on the international stage, aiming for a strong performance in this important tournament.
The 14-player St Helena team is being led by Captain Cliff Richards. Team members are: Aiden Leo, Barry Stroud, Andrew Yon, Brendan Leo, Rhys Francis, Brett Isaac, Dane Leo, David Young, Scott Crowie, Delroy Leo, Jamie Essex, Joey Thomas and Jordan Yon. They will be supported by Coach Nadeem Ahmed and Team Manager Derek Richards.
This marks the fourth time since 2012 that St Helena has participated in the regional qualifying tournament. The Group C qualifying tournament starts on 23 November 2024 where St Helena will face host country team, Nigeria. Other teams in Group C include Botswana, Eswatini, Sierra Leone, and Ivory Coast. The top two teams from this qualifying round will move on to the next stage of the qualifier.
Governor Phillips hosted a special reception at Plantation House on Thursday, 07 November 2024 to bid farewell to the team and wished them the best of luck before embarking on their journey. The St Helena community has also shown strong support for the team, as they prepare to take on this international challenge.
Stay updated on the team’s progress by visiting the St Helena Cricket Association website: https://www.sthelenacricket.org. You may also catch the live action of the matches on the official ICC website: https://www.icc-cricket.com.
The island wishes the St Helena cricket team every success in the tournament.
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Cricket team at Plantation House
#sthelenacricket #sthelenaisland #teamsthelena
SHG
18 November 2024
The Legislative Council have commissioned an independent review of the governance structures of St Helena three years after the implementation of the ministerial form of government. The objective of this review is to assess the effectiveness of constitutional changes introduced in 2021 in delivering efficient, effective, transparent and accountable governance for St Helena. With the support of the Governor’s Office, in August, the Westminster Foundation for Democracy (WFD) were engaged to carry out the review with funding from the FCDO.
WFD were asked to recruit a team of three experts bringing together:
- Expertise in the general principles and practice of governance, including the operation of the public service in relation to elected representatives/Ministers;
- A deep understanding and experience of legal and constitutional theory and practice in the overseas territories;
- The operation of government within small island or local government contexts especially in aid-dependent contexts;
- Knowledge of St Helena or wider Overseas Territories is desirable, especially ODA-dependent territories.
They have now secured a highly experienced and respected team to undertake the review consisting of Dr Ronan Cormacain, Steven Tweedie and Lord Robert Lisvane. Lord Lisvane visited St Helena in May as part of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association British Islands Mediterranean Region Conference. The team will also have access to WFD’s wider register of experts should they need further peer review or expertise. Their CVs are available to the public upon request. The team is expected to visit St Helena at the start of December for two weeks.
Following a desktop review, primary research, virtual engagements, two visits to the island to include public and key stakeholder consultation and feedback on draft reports, the team will produce a final assessment report which they will present to local stakeholders. The assessment is provisionally due by the end of March although there is some flexibility built into timelines to ensure the team are able to fully consult, research and consider context and implementation. The assessment will provide the team’s view of:
- the evolution of the governance arrangements and the experience since 2021 – what was the system pre-2021 and what changes have been realised since
- the clarity of the current respective roles and responsibilities of all governance actors and the extent to which these are understood, both by the actors themselves and more widely;
- where responsibility and accountability lies for government business, management of the public service, management of funding and the efficacy of the structures that support each of these;
- the effectiveness of the 2021 changes in delivering on the objectives – what were the objectives for change; were they sound; were they met;
- the appropriateness of the 2021 objectives in today’s context – do they remain fit for purpose and comprehensive including in consideration of programme governance and effectively meeting UKG governance requirements for aid;
- the suitability of the changes in practice in ensuring the most effective and constructive relationships between different governance actors including the legislature, Ministers, public service, public bodies and Governor/Governor’s Office as well as the relationship between governance actors, the public, governance actors and UKG;
- primary factors leading to this level of effectiveness, including any capacity, drafting, organisational or other issues such as clarity of roles and responsibilities and process across all parts of the system;
- the effectiveness of the change management in place to implement 2021 changes – was the change clear, reasoned and understood by all;
- gaps, redundancies or deficiencies in the design of the 2021 changes in delivering effective, inclusive and accountable governance for St Helena including issues of legislative coverage and quality;
- Constitutional alignment to the new system and objectives of Ministerial government including any apparent tensions or inconsistencies either within the Constitution itself or with laws made under its legislative powers;
- legal authorities within the amended Constitution and where these have or could be delegated;
- feasible options for addressing any issues.
These deliverables will be within the parameters of those constitutional areas appointed through electoral competition, as part of the public service or those bodies reporting to the Governor or legislature. The team will ensure that the assessment is appropriately evidenced and is informed by a consultative and inclusive process.
The review will be informed by all stakeholders on the island and will be fully consultative in nature. To this end and ahead of their first planned visit from 30 November to 15 December, the team are keen to be contacted by anyone interested in engaging with them at any stage in the process. They can be reached confidentially on StHelenaGovernanceReview@gmail.com
It is planned that the review will then be followed by a second phase considering implementation of recommendations.
#StHelena #ConstitutionalReforms #GovernanceReview
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SHG
18 November 2024