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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
SHG is pleased to announce that Field Road is scheduled to reopen to vehicular traffic and pedestrians from 15:30 on Thursday 28 November 2024. The Rehabilitation of Side Path and Field Road Project is part of the £30m Economic Development Investment Programme (EDIP), funded by the UK Government.
Whilst the road will be open to the public, it’s important to note that some construction work, including the installation of gabions, will continue beyond this date. 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.
Additional works, such as sealing expansion joints, will be carried out in the new year. These works will require some traffic restrictions, however, it is anticipated that the road can remain open to traffic.
Important reminders for road users:
- The speed limit on Field Road remains at 15mph.
- Cycling is prohibited on Field Road.
- Larger vehicles should exercise caution especially when passing other vehicles and navigating bends.
- Please familiarise yourself with the new road layout and adhere to lane markings.
Minister Mark Brooks welcomed the news of the imminent road opening, and commented:
“I would like to thank the public for their patience during the construction of Field Road. We now have a new road network that links the new port facilities in Rupert’s to Jamestown that should give us 40 years before needing any further substantial investment.”
“A small amount of work will continue once the road is open, but this will not disrupt public access to the road. This will prevent further inconvenience for residents and businesses in Rupert’s, and the public wanting to visit this popular area in the summer months.”
“I would like to thank everyone involved with this project, especially the EDIP team and Isaac’s Contractors.”
Further details will be provided in due course.
Photos
#StHelena #FieldRoadUpdate #EffectiveInfrastructure
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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.
Photo
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 public are advised that the Immigration Office will be closed on Wednesday, 20 November 2024 from 13:00 to allow the staff to attend a funeral.
Normal office hours will resume from Thursday, 21 November 2024 from 08:30
The public are thanked in advance for their understanding and cooperation.
SHG
20 November 2024
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.
Photo
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
His Excellency, Governor Nigel Phillips CBE, departed St Helena on Saturday 16 November 2024. The Governor will meet with senior officials and attend this year’s Joint Ministerial Council (JMC) with Chief Minister Julie Thomas.
Governor Phillips is due to return to St Helena on 23 November 2024.
Tasha Harris, Head of the Governor’s Office, has been sworn in as Acting Governor until Governor Phillips’ return.
#StHelena #GovernorDeparts #JMC
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SHG
18 November 2024
St Helena Government (SHG) has today published the draft Companies (Amendment) Bill 2024. The Bill, if enacted into law by the Legislative Council, would form the basis for the creation of a Publically Accessible Register of Beneficial Ownership (PARBO) for companies registered on St Helena.
A PARBO is a public record that reveals the identities of the individuals who ultimately own and control a company, even if they are not the legal owners on paper.
The objectives of the Bill are the prevention of money laundering, tax evasion, and terrorist financing. In the absence of a modern framework for regulating and developing financial services, the Bill serves as a preventive measure to discourage or prevent illegal financial activity through the Company Registry in the short to medium term.
The changes are being introduced for four broad purposes:
- National security, anti-corruption, anti-money laundering, and preventing organised crime;
- Protecting individuals and business from fraud;
- Improving economic wellbeing by facilitating the growth of the digital, financial and professional service sectors; and,
- The UK Government has issued a draft order in council to all Overseas Territories to implement a PARBO. SHG recognises the value in complying with the draft Order in Council.
Alongside the draft Bill, accessible at https://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/government/legislative-council/bills-for-an-ordinance/, SHG has published an explanatory note, outlining the background, rationale, impacts, and implications of the policy. The explanatory note welcomes feedback on the Bill, so that it can be appropriately debated by Legislative Council in the formal sitting next month. The explanatory note can be accessed on the SHG website at https://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/documents/Explanatory-information-note_Companies-Amendment-Bill-2024.
In summary, the introduction of the proposed PARBO on St Helena would:
- Define a beneficial owner of a company on St Helena in line with the UK Persons with Significant Control provisions contained in the UK Companies Act 2006. The level of control which would constitute a person or other legal entity being a beneficial owner is set at 25% of the total company ownership. A general catch-all provision captures circumstances where a formal interest is not held but significant control is still exercised;
- Require all companies registered in St Helena to submit to the Registrar the details of the beneficial owners of that company, to include their name, nationality, manner of their beneficial ownership, territory of ordinary residence, and month and year of birth; and,
- Make this information accessible to all members of the public upon request, including over the internet, except where a company can prove to the satisfaction of the Registrar that the person is of minor age, lacks legal capacity, or if making such information public would present a serious risk of harm to the beneficial owner. This possible harm includes by fraud, kidnapping, blackmail, extortion, harassment, violence, intimidation or other similar harm.
Minister for Treasury and Economic Development, Hon Mark Brooks, says on the publication of the Bill:
“This is the first in what is anticipated to be a series of changes linked to SHG’s strategic journey to reform St Helena’s money laundering prevention and detection laws, company law, and the overall financial services regulatory framework – as outlined in the Sustainable Economic Development Strategy 2023-33.”
“The aim of the reforms are to ensure that, in the near future, St Helena is fully compliant with international regulatory standards including those set by the Financial Action Task Force and Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, in order to protect St Helena, the United Kingdom, and all of our other trade partners from the significant risks posed by illicit finance activities, such as money laundering, terrorist financing and criminal tax evasion.”
“An additional aim of the reforms is to ensure St Helena can benefit from growth in its financial service and company registry sectors, laying the foundation for continued economic diversification and sustainable economic development.”
“I would encourage all business owners to take this opportunity and engage with my team to fully understand what this will mean for your business.”
Should members of the public wish to provide feedback on the Policy or draft Bill, this may be done by contacting your constituent member of Legislative Council, or directly to the Economic Development Portfolio by emailing Portfolio Assistant, Alexandria Thomas, on alexandria.thomas@sainthelena.gov.sh.
A public drop-in session will be held at the Economic Development Office in the Castle on Friday 22 November 2024, from 12:30 to 16:00.
#StHelena #CompaniesBill2024 #PublicallyAccessible RegisterOfBeneficialOwnership
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Chief Minister Julie Thomas, is due to depart St Helena on Saturday, 16 November 2024 to travel to the UK to attend the annual Overseas Territories (OTs) Joint Ministerial Council (JMC).
The JMC takes place every year in London and is hosted by the UK Government. It brings together elected leaders and representatives from all of the OTs, as well as UK Ministers and provides the principal forum for political dialogue and consultation between the UK and the OTs.
The JMC will run over two days and is due to begin on 20 November 2024. It will cover a range of issues including, Security and Irregular Migration; Economic Diversification and Resilience; Illicit Finance and Sanctions; Climate and the Environment; and Human Development. The Chief Minister will be leading on the discussion entitled ‘ODA Recipient Territories’ on Day 1, which will focus on gaining a collective understanding of issues faced by Official Development Assistance, (ODA) recipient territories whilst identifying and sharing learning with other OT Leaders in respect of ODA graduation, which is becoming a real concern for St Helena.
The Chief Minister will also have a number of official engagements before and after the event itself. These engagements will include meetings with Minister of State for Europe, North America and UK Overseas Territories, Stephen Doughty MP, other OT leaders and representatives, DEFRA Minister Creagh, Dame Meg Hillier MP, Chair of the Treasury Committee and John Camp OBE, CEO Compass Partnership Schools to name but a few.
With the SHG UK Representative Kedell Worboys accompanying Minister Christine Scipio at COP29 in Baku, the Chief Minister will be joined by key officials, including Governor Nigel Phillips CBE and SHG UK Representative Office Manager, Glenda Bas.
The Chief Minister is due to arrive back on St Helena on Saturday 30 November. Whilst she is off-Island, Minister Jeffrey Ellick will be appointed Deputy Chief Minister and will be contactable via email jeffrey.ellick@sainthelena.gov.sh.
Chief Minister Thomas commented:
“I am looking forward to a productive and informative JMC, which will be provide me with my first opportunity to engage with Ministers of the new UK Labour Government. The JMC is the principal forum for reviewing and implementing the shared strategy for promoting the security and good governance of the Territories and our sustainable economic and social development, hence it is crucial that I make every effort to ensure that St Helena is prepared to eloquently set out our political agenda.
This year, I am particularly looking forward to leading on the ODA Territories discussion and my bilateral with Minister Doughty. I firmly believe that these sessions will afford me the time to put St Helena in the spotlight, highlighting our strengths and achievements, whilst also placing emphasis on the significant challenges we face when having to operate within the parameters of a confined annual budget with ever-increasing competing priorities, and equally striving to achieve the best outcomes for our island in the timeliest manner. I sincerely hope that the interventions I present, will go some way to facilitate the understanding of our UK Minister and the wider UKG fraternity of how reliant we are on ODA and other FCDO funding streams to sustain our essential services and develop our island to become more self-sustaining.
Furthermore, I am keen to interact with my fellow OT Leaders and colleagues as this experience is always invigorating. It provides the opportunity to share experiences, discuss mutual challenges and objectives and enables us to strengthen our relationships.”
St Helena will be experiencing a north-westerly swell from Monday 18 November 2024 which is forecasted to continue through to Tuesday evening 19 November 2024. This is likely to cause some unsettled sea conditions in James Bay and Rupert’s Bay.
The public are asked to take caution when accessing the sea front area. To avoid damage to vehicles, drivers are also asked to take care when parking near the safety rails. The same conditions are expected in Rupert’s Bay and the public is advised to take care in the beach, shears and wharf areas.
Port Control will be monitoring sea conditions and may restrict access to the Sea Front and Jamestown Wharf if conditions worsen. Boat owners should ensure their vessels are securely tied to their moorings.
Please note this warning may potentially extend if necessary.