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To improve transparency and accessibility, Formal Legislative Council sessions are now available on the St Helena Government YouTube channel. These recordings can be accessed anywhere and at any time.

Whilst Hansards are produced which provide a written record of every formal meeting, making audio recordings available online will improve the ways in which people can access and engage with the business and proceedings of the Legislative Council, promoting further transparency in the process.

The three Ministers Question Time sessions are now available on the SHG YouTube channel at the following link www.youtube.com/@StHelenaGovernment1638. They can also be accessed through the Legislative Council section of the SHG website via www.sainthelena.gov.sh/government/legislative-council/order-papers/.

Whilst it won’t be possible to upload copies of previous formal sessions of the Legislative Council due to issues with the audio recordings of these, all future Formal open sessions will be put online. This includes Formal Legislative Council sittings, Minister’s Question Time and Select Committee Meetings.

Audio recordings of proceedings will be uploaded shortly after the conclusion of the sessions, usually within three working days.

Formal Legislative Council meetings are also broadcast live across St Helena on SAMS Radio 1 and are open to members of the public to attend in person.

#StHelena #LegislativeCouncil #MinisterQuestionTime

A formal meeting of Legislative Council will take place on Wednesday 28 June at 10am at the St Helena Community College. This is the first sitting of the thirteenth meeting of Legislative Council and will be broadcast live via SAMS Radio 1.

The Order Paper includes six Sessional Papers and fifteen questions for oral response. There will also be a total of two Bills for debate, namely the 2023 Appropriation Bill, which details the expenditure budget for 2023/24 and the Telecommunications (Amendment) Bill 2023.

Bills can be viewed on the SHG website at www.sainthelena.gov.sh/government/legislative-council/bills-for-an-ordinance/

A copy of the Order Paper, which is subject to change, can be viewed on the SHG website at https://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/st-helena/government/legislative-council/order-papers/.

The second sitting of the thirteenth Legislative Council will take place on Friday 30 June 2023.

The session will conclude with the customary Adjournment Debate, during which each Elected Member will have the opportunity to raise various island issues.

#StHelena #LegislativeCouncil #FormalLegCo #OrderPaper

The International Day of Women in Diplomacy is celebrated annually on 24 June. It was established by the United Nations (UN) on 20 June 2022 to reaffirm that women’s participation, on an equal footing with men and at all levels of decision-making, is essential to achieving sustainable development, peace and democracy. The International Day of Women in Diplomacy provides an opportunity for the world to recognise and applaud the work of women diplomats.

Of the 193 United Nations member states, only 34 currently have women as elected heads of state or government. Progress has been made in many countries. However, there is still a long way to go in terms of women’s representation at other levels of global political office. Currently, women make up:

According to a new UN report, at the current rate of progress, equal representation in global parliaments will not be achieved until 2062.

What about St Helena?

The St Helena Legislative Council has 15 members, 12 of which are elected for a four-year term by popular vote of the public and are voting members. Of the other three members, two fulfil the roles of the Speaker and the Deputy Speaker, with the Attorney-General also being an ex-officio member of the Council.

Currently, five women, are part of the St Helena Legislative Council. This means that 41% of Elected Members are women. Two of the five Ministers (or 40%) in the Executive Council, St Helena’s executive branch, are women.

In comparison, in February 2020 40% of members of the European Parliament were female, and in 2022 30% of ministerial positions in the UK were held by women.

The chart below shows the number of women elected at St Helena general elections since 2013:

To mark this day, a short interview with Chief Minister Julie Thomas will be released on SHG’s social media channels.

Reflecting on International Day of Women in Diplomacy 2023, Chief Minister Julie Thomas said:

“Female representation in diplomacy is vitally important. Women have different viewpoints on how we see politics and life in general when compared to men, so we are able to bring different experiences to the table. I’m proud that in my position as Chief Minister, I am able to be an ambassador for St Helena and communicate to the world what it is our fantastic Island and community has to offer.”

If you’d like more information and figures about women in politics and public life, please visit www.commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/sn01250/, or www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_GGGR_2022.

#StHelena #InternationalDayofWomeninDiplomacy #WomenRepresentation #InterviewChiefMinister

News, updates and communications from St Helena Government are available through a variety of communication channels. These options are designed to suit the habits and needs of the St Helena community, ensuring you can keep up-to-date and informed as you see fit.

News and updates are posted to the SHG website at www.sainthelena.gov.sh, the SHG Twitter feed at www.twitter.com/StHelenaGovt and the SHG Facebook page at www.facebook.com/StHelenaGovt.

You can also request to be added to our direct mailing list, to receive updates directly to your email. If you’d like to be added, please contact kimberley.peters@sainthelena.gov.sh.

In addition to the main SHG channels, several portfolios and directorates also have their own social media handles. Through these, you can keep up-to-date with what is going on across a variety of government work areas.

All available channels are listed below. It is now up to you to choose your preferences.

#StHelena #News #Updates #Communications #SocialMedia

A formal session of the St Helena Public Accounts Committee (PAC) will take place at 2.30 pm in the Council Chamber on Monday 26 June 2023.

The programme of business will focus on Sessional Paper 2/22, Audit St Helena, Performance Audit Report: Benchmarking Health.

Members of the public and interested persons are invited to attend.

The meeting will be broadcast live via SAMS Radio 1.

Between Monday 12 June and Friday 16 June, a number of events were held across the Island to mark Diabetes Awareness Week 2023. The week was used to raise awareness of the risks of diabetes, and what you can do to help prevent or manage diabetes yourself. Around 1 in 4 people in St Helena are taking medication for diabetes and roughly 400 people are living with prediabetes.

Dietitian Sarah Mattinson was on hand throughout the week at various locations running pop up awareness cafes. During these, she discussed and answered questions from the community, as well as shared important information about diabetes. Areas covered included:

She also gave advice on how to eat healthier by suggesting recipes that we can all reproduce using the food we find available to us on the Island. This covered a wide range of potentially delish and healthy meals, including pancakes and roasted beetroot hummus:

Sarah also cooked and shared some healthy snacks for attendees at events, showing off what can be made locally to replace the processed products available in the shops.

At the events; it was explained that a healthy, balanced diet is about eating the right types of food and drink in the right amounts. To help with this, advice was given on recommended portion sizes for a meal. A portion is how much food you want to eat at one time, whether in a restaurant, from a packet or at home. The picture below is an example of how the use of your hands is an easy way to measure food portions.

Rae Dickie-Clark, Emergency Care Assistant, was also on hand to any questions and take the blood pressure of anyone who wished to have it taken. The main goal of a blood pressure test is to check if your blood pressure is healthy, or if it’s high or low.Blood pressure is the term used to describe the strength with which your blood pushes on the sides of your arteries as it’s pumped around your body. High blood pressure (hypertension) can increase your risk of developing serious problems, such as heart attacks and strokes, if it’s not treated. Having this quick test is the only way to find out what your blood pressure is it could save your life.

Dietician Sarah Mattinson commented:

“I’d like to thank all the people who visited us and spoke to us during Diabetes Awareness Week. I’d also like to thank the health promotion team for their support over the past few days. Public awareness is important if we are to have the resources to prevent diabetes. We encourage everyone to remain mindful of their diets, and keep an eye out for any signs of possible diabetes illness“

Photos:

#StHelena #Diabetes #AltogetherHealthier

Further to the updates provided in April and earlier this month, information is provided below on:

  1. Finalisation of the cable landing station at Rupert’s Bay
  2. The design, build and transfer of a domestic network
  3. Tender and award of licence for a new internet service provider

Finalisation of the cable landing station at Rupert’s Bay

As noted in the press release of 01 June 2023, final local commissioning works for the installation, integration, testing and quality assurance of the Equiano fibre-optic cable Submarine Line Terminal Equipment (SLTE) were completed at the end of May 2023, one month ahead of schedule.

The local commissioning of the SLTE was identified as a key goal for this Government in its SHG Strategy and Vision 2023-2025, and is the culmination of three and half years’ work between SHG and local and international partners.

At the end of 2022, bad swells in Rupert’s Bay destabilised the sections of the subsea articulated pipework infrastructure, resulting in some limited movement from its anchoring points on the seabed. An inter-disciplinary team of international experts will therefore be on-Island over the next two weeks to assess the impact of this and will look to implement measures to prevent it from occurring again in the future. Whilst the movement caused no interruption to the signal transmission on the line, it is nonetheless important that the line is secured to the seabed to prevent damage from occurring in future seasonal bad swells.

The design, build and transfer of a domestic network

Since the award of the contract to Maestro St Helena to design, build and transfer a new domestic network to SHG, significant work has been ongoing across a number of project and programme boards, and by the contractor themselves.

Planning and pre-deployment work has been more complicated than anticipated. Whilst this is regrettable, it is allowing additional time for parties to ensure that all elements necessary are in place and approved.

To assist with this, SHG are appointing a new project management firm to input into, and supervise, the project. Although contracts are being finalised, these consultants have already begun working. The incoming consultants have significant industry experience in telecommunications infrastructure and network rollout, and SHG looks forward to working closely with them on this important project.

In the meantime, a bill is being brought before the Legislative Council to implement changes to the Telecommunications Ordinance 1989. If approved, the Telecommunications (Amendment) Bill 2023 will provide permissions for personnel to access properties to undertake works in connection with the deployment of the network to enable the efficient and effective delivery of the project.

Such permissions would only be granted to persons that have been licenced, and for the purpose of installing or maintaining a telecommunications network. This provision already exists for the current service provider and in practice, and where applicable, households will be contacted to seek permission for teams to enter properties where any works on their property associated with the project are required.

Tender and award of licence for a new service provider

Earlier this year, SHG paused the tender process to find a service provider to operate the new network. SHG is now in negotiation with an expert consultancy firm to provide specialist advice and assurance in support of this process.

Once appointed, this will allow the opportunity for review of the proposed tender and ensure that where bids are submitted from interested parties following the tender’s restart, SHG is in a strong position to consider these against the future needs of the Island.

#StHelena #FibreOptic #IsolationConnected

The Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy Departments request that patients please return loaned physiotherapy or occupational therapy equipment that is no longer being used (either at home or in residential care).

Where this is no longer being used, we would like people to return the following:

These types of equipment can be reused for new clients, as and when the need arises. This equipment should always be returned when it is no longer needed by client or patients. However, the Health Directorate is currently particularly low on stock for these items, so their return will help to ensure that we have aids and equipment available until new stock arrives.

This will enable new clients to have immediate access to equipment, prevent falls and injuries and improve their quality of life.

Please return the equipment directly to the Physiotherapy Department, or to Jamestown Hospital. When doing so, please let staff know that you are returning physiotherapy/occupational therapy equipment as you no longer need it.

If you require further information, please contact the Physiotherapy or Occupational Therapy Departments on the telephone number 22500 or via email through sharo-lee.burrows@sainthelena.gov.sh or adele.mcmichael@sainthelena.gov.sh.

Following the public announcement on Tuesday 6 June that there was an issue with the public warning system in Jamestown, the Emergency Planning team can confirm that this issue is now believed to have been rectified by Sure.

The public are advised that a test will take place on Thursday 22 June 2023 between 12:00 and 12:30. This test is to ensure that the system is working as it should.

The test will be carried out on all three system transmitters at Jamestown and Rupert’s. The test tone will be the dinner music from the RMS St Helena, and will last approximately 11 seconds.

This year, St Helena was represented by Mia Henry, Head of Maritime, at The Red Ensign Group Conference 2023, held from Monday 22 May to Thursday 25 May 2023 and hosted by the Cayman Islands.

The Red Ensign Group (REG) is the collective of British Shipping Registers. It is made up of the United Kingdom, and the Crown Dependencies and the UK Overseas Territories which operate shipping registers from their jurisdiction. Any ship registered in the UK, a Crown Dependency or an UK Overseas Territory is a ‘British ship’ and is entitled to fly the Red Ensign.

The agenda covered the overall performance of the REG, conventions and legislation, capacity building and succession planning to retain maritime skills and knowledge. And, importantly, a collective maritime strategy to raise the profile of the maritime sector.

Sessions were also held on the role and responsibilities of coastal states and addressed issues such as decarbonisation, pollution response and environmental concerns.

St Helena directly contributed to the Coastal State Forum on international obligations under the Safety of Life at Sea Convention, and initiated some discussion on future Marine Forecasting that will now give way to address issues collectively and share resources across its members.

There was also an opportunity for a bilateral meeting between SHG representative and MCA directors. During this the importance of making available funding to support SHGs goals and objectives, both long and short term, were raised as a key issue.

Under international maritime law, set by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO), every member state to the IMO must be audited. In 2021 the UK was audited, with a number of findings and recommendations identified, that apply directly and indirectly to the REG as a whole. To ensure that obligations are being met, the MCA continually assesses each Member of the REG by conducting proxy audits in line with those IMO requirements, in order to demonstrate overall compliance with international obligations. St Helena will be subject to a proxy audit at some point in 2024.

UK Maritime Minister Baroness Vere said:

“Over the past 34 years the Red Ensign Group (REG) has set itself apart by establishing rigorous safety measures, to protect seafarers and uphold the highest maritime standards on British flagged ships. I am thrilled that we have come together again to share our experience and practices, to ensure that the Red Ensign flag reflects the standards we are proud of. With the excellent work of the REG, we have built on our rich maritime history reinforcing the values that British flagged vessels stand for.”

Mia Henry, SHG Head of Maritime, commented:

“Coastal States are very much concerned with safety of navigation in our territorial waters. It was good to share our experiences and challenges. It is pleasing to know that there are areas that we could offer advice on, as well as take away, and where we are already implementing practices that others are still to adopt. With Ascension and Tristan Da Cunha also represented, the common denominator of the geographical isolation of our territories came across strongly.”

“The conference was well worth the extensive travel and thanks are extended to the MCA for the funding made available through the Conflict, Stability and Security Fund (CSSF) Overseas Territories Governance Programme for St Helena’s attendance, and their on-going support and to the Cayman Islands for the warm welcome received. Thanks are also extended to colleagues on Island who assisted with conference preparation, and who will be involved with the upcoming proxy audit next year.”

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#StHelena #RedEnsignGroup #MaritimeStrategy