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Initial Report Highlights

Initial results from the 2021 Population and Housing Census, which took place on 7 February (Census night), have today been released by the St Helena Statistics Office.

On Census night there were 4,439 people living on St Helena – this includes people who were temporarily abroad but does not include those visiting the Island for a short time. This is slightly lower than in 2016 when 4,534 residents had been recorded.  Out of the 4,439 people recorded in 2021, 4,114 were St Helenian.

Adding in the short-term visitors, the total number of people counted in this year’s Census was 4,477. When compared to the 2016 Census this number is quite small but is due to the travel restrictions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The numbers in 2016 had included persons on board the RMS St Helena, which was in the harbour.

Out of St Helena’s eight electoral districts, the largest number of people on St Helena live in Half Tree Hollow – a total of 1,034 which is almost exactly the same as in 2016. The second largest district is St Pauls, with 928 residents (82 more than in 2016) and Longwood is third, with 765 (128 lower than in 2016, due to the departure of foreign construction workers from the Bradley’s work camp when the Airport was completed).

Blue Hill and Sandy Bay remain the smallest districts in terms of people, holding about the same number each.

St Helena is getting older, with the number of St Helenians aged 65 and over continuing to rise. The 2021 Census counted 1,087 resident St Helenians aged 65 or older – a quarter of the total number of people living on the Island and 18% more than in 2016.

This ageing trend is mainly due to increasing life expectancies, and the return of St Helenians who left to work abroad when they were younger, typically from the United Kingdom, Ascension, or The Falklands.

Full details of the 2021 Housing and Population Census Initial Results are available in the latest Statistical Bulletin, found on the St Helena Government website here: https://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/st-helena/statistics/statistics-reports-and-publications/.

Here is an infographic comparing initial results from the 2021 and 2016 Census.

All figures and statistics from the 2021 Census in the Bulletin and Infographic are provisional, and may be revised as part of the data quality checking, editing and coding process currently being undertaken by the Statistics Office.

#StHelena #Statistics #StatsNews #Census2021

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SHG
4 May 2021

At their meeting on Tuesday, 2 March 2021, Executive Council gave approval to take forward the signing of a 10-year lease between St Helena Government (SHG) and Saints Tuna Corporation Limited (STC) to lease the Fish Processing Factory located at Rupert’s, and to enter into an Agreement to help govern the relationship with the parties (together with the locally registered investors PQ Trading (STH) Limited).

SHG is now pleased to announce that the Lease and Agreement have been signed, and the STC plans to take over the Fish Processing Factory from 1 June 2021 and provide fish processing for the Island.

The STC will commence the refurbishment of the factory from June, and during the refurbishment period, an interim arrangement will be put in place by STC to ensure that fish is available to meet the demands of the local market.

Since February 2020, SHG had been providing a heavily subsidised service, processing fish for a low fee. STC will process fish to meet the local demand during this period of time, at a price which will allow them to break even. More detail will be made available from STC over the coming weeks.

The shareholders of the STC are all fishermen and vessel owners; with over 50% of the shares belonging to St Helenians. Eight commercial fishing vessel owners have signed up to be shareholders of the STC alongside PQ Trading (STH) Limited and will benefit from the economic sustainability of the fish processing plant.   

STC will undertake commercial fishing, processing, marketing and supply chain activities with the prime objective of establishing a sustainable and environmentally friendly fishing industry that makes a significant contribution to the local economy, by producing high quality products for sale to the local market and for export.

Notes to Editors

Previous SHG communications have outlined information about the Fish Processing Industry on St Helena. This included statements regarding the fish processing business model (31 October 2019 and 20 November 2019) operational subsidy paid to the St Helena Fisheries Corporation and the requirement to adopt a new business model (13 December 2019), the termination of the company and the installation of an interim operation subsidised by SHG (29 January 2020), and the announcement of and information about a preferred investor (30 January 2020 and 28 February 2020), commercial fishing licence quotas for tuna (9 July 2020) and the approval of the Lease and Agreement (5 March 2021).

#StHelena #FishProcessing

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SHG
30 April 2021

St Helena Government (SHG) is now able to confirm the dates of Charter Flight operations by Titan Airways in June and August 2021.  

June

The Titan Airways Charter Flight is scheduled to depart Stansted Airport for St Helena, on 21 June.   The full flight schedule is listed below:

DateFlight No  Departure TimeDeparture AirportArrival AirportArrival Time
  21 JUN
21		  ZT9651  0015  UTC
0115  Local		  London Stansted
EGSS / STN		  Accra
DGAA / ACC		  0715  UTC
0715  Local
  21 JUN 21  ZT9651  0800  UTC
0800  Local		  Accra
DGAA / ACC		  St Helena
FHSH / HLE		  1210  UTC
1210  Local
  22 JUN 21  ZT9652  1000  UTC
1000  Local		  St Helena
FHSH / HLE		Ascension Island
FHAW / ASI		  1210  UTC
1210  Local
  22 JUN 21  ZT9653  1410  UTC
1410  Local		  Ascension Island
FHAW / ASI		  St Helena
FHSH / HLE		  1620  UTC
1620  Local
  23 JUN 21  ZT9654  0900  UTC
0900  Local		  St Helena
FHSH / HLE		  Accra
DGAA / ACC		  1300  UTC
1300  Local
  23 JUN 21  ZT9654  1345  UTC
1345  Local		  Accra
DGAA / ACC		  London Stansted
EGSS / STN		  2055  UTC
2155  Local

August

The Titan Airways Charter Flight is scheduled to depart Stansted Airport for St Helena on 9 August.   The full flight schedule is listed below:

  Date   Flight No  Departure TimeDeparture Airport  Arrival Airport  Arrival Time
  09 AUG 21  ZT96610015  UTC
0115  Local		London Stansted
EGSS / STN		Accra
DGAA / ACC		  0715  UTC
0715  Local
  09 AUG 21  ZT96610800  UTC
0800  Local		  Accra
DGAA / ACC		St Helena
FHSH / HLE		  1210  UTC
1210  Local
  10 AUG 21  ZT96621000  UTC
1000  Local		  St Helena
FHSH / HLE		Ascension Island
FHAW / ASI		  1210  UTC
1210  Local
  10 AUG 21  ZT96631410  UTC
1410  Local		  Ascension Island
FHAW / ASI		St Helena
FHSH / HLE		  1620  UTC
1620  Local
  11 AUG 21  ZT96640900  UTC
0900  Local		  St Helena
FHSH / HLE		Accra
DGAA / ACC		  1300  UTC
1300  Local
  11 AUG 21  ZT96641345  UTC
1345  Local		  Accra
DGAA / ACC		London Stansted
EGSS / STN		 2055  UTC
2155  Local

Restrictions in South Africa

Ongoing COVID-19 restrictions in South Africa, such as curfews, and restrictions on travellers entering the UK from South Africa remain in place. Both SHG and Airlink are in agreement that these restrictions continue to make it impractical for the scheduled Airlink service to resume at present.

Planning for the Future

SHG continues to focus its efforts on planning for the future and the public is reminded, the Regulations restricting entry to St Helena were repealed with effect from Thursday, 1 April 2021. This means that individuals can now enter St Helena by land and sea, subject to normal Immigration Laws and requirements of the Public Health Coronavirus Regulations.

COVID-19 preventative measures remain in place on St Helena which include testing on arrival to St Helena, mandatory 14-day quarantine on arrival and a negative test result being required before the mandatory quarantine period is deemed to be complete.

The Incident Executive Group (IEG) has previously agreed and approved the introduction of a ‘travel corridor’ between St Helena and Ascension, whereby passengers travelling to St Helena from Ascension, and vice versa, would be free from the mandatory quarantine requirements on both Islands – subject to certain conditions that travellers must adhere to. This will be live for the Titan Airways May charter flight.

Flights to St Helena from London will continue with a maximum of 96 passengers because this aligns with the Island’s COVID-19 testing and quarantine security system capacity.

Travel Requests

Travel requests for the June and August flights are still being accepted and the closing dates for bookings are as follows:

June flights – Monday, 17 May

August flights – Wednesday, 30 June 

Availability of both inbound and outbound seats on these Charter Flights will continue to be assigned on a priority basis but passengers should note the new entry rules as advised above which will allow Islanders and visitors to make travel plans to the Island once more.

Travel requests should be submitted to the SHG Civil Aviation team via email: christina.plato@sainthelena.gov.sh or telephone: (+290) 22477.

For those based on Ascension Island, or wishing to travel to or from Ascension Island, please contact the Shipping and Travel Office via email: flight.bookings@ascension.gov.ac.

Customers wishing to book commercial or government airfreight for carriage on the June and August charter flights are advised to use an appropriate freight forwarding agent to make the necessary arrangements.

Note to Editors

Titan Airways is a specialist in Air Charter Travel. As the charterer, SHG is responsible for allocating seats on the flights which are not available for general sale.

SHG
29 April 2021

A formal meeting of Legislative Council will take place on Friday, 30 April 2021, at 2pm in the Council Chamber. This is the first sitting of the twenty-third meeting of Legislative Council and will be broadcast live via SAMS Radio 1. The meeting is also open to members of the public who wish to attend.

The Order Paper includes an Election for a Member of the Public Accounts Committee, two Sessional Papers and one Motion relating to the Criminal Procedure (Amendment) Bill, 2021.

A copy of the Order Paper is available on the SHG Website at: https://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/st-helena/government/legislative-council/order-papers/

#StHelena #LegislativeCouncil #FormalLegCo #OrderPaper

SHG

28 April 2021

The monthly meeting of the Economic Development Committee (EDC) took place on Thursday, 22 April 2021.

The new Investment Coordinator, Melissa Fowler, who joined the Sustainable Development Team at the beginning of April was introduced to the Committee. Melissa will be the first point of contact for investors, supporting investors who wish to apply for the Approved Investment Scheme or apply to purchase St Helena Government’s (SHG) Strategic Assets as identified in the Investor Prospectus.

The Senior Economist provided an update on the Labour Market Strategy, indicating that a number of programmatic targets were accomplished during the first year of the Strategy’s implementation. The full year-end progress report can be found on the Public Information, Reports and Policies page of the SHG website via: https://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/government/public-information/. In addition to progress during 2020, recruitment for the Career Access St Helena (CASH) Manager has recently been completed. Members noted the importance of communicating with the public when CASH is launched and available to provide services. The next progress report covering accomplishments for the first half of 2021 will be completed later this year and reviewed by the Education & Employment Committee.

The Head of Infrastructure presented a draft Private Sector Competition Policy for discussion. The aim of the Policy is to continue to support and encourage private sector development and expansion through opening up some services that are currently delivered by SHG, to the private sector. Members gave views on aspects of the draft which will be reconsidered and amended before the Policy comes back to the Committee for endorsement.

#StHelena #EDC #AltogetherWealthier

SHG

28 April 2021

World Immunization Week was first endorsed by the World Health Assembly in 2012, it has since been an annual, global public health campaign by the World Health Organization (WHO), to raise awareness and increase rates of immunization against vaccine-preventable diseases around the world. It takes place each year during the last week of April. 

On St Helena a range of vaccines are available to our community; from new born to pre-school, school age and adulthood.  On-Island, vaccines now offer more children than ever before, the opportunity to live healthily, and free of vaccine-preventable diseases. The current routine vaccinations available on-Island and what you need to know about vaccines can be found appended to this Press Release.

The impact of vaccines extends beyond public health.  For example, healthier children are likely to have improved educational performance, and this in turn can lead to increases in household income and ultimately greater economic growth for the Island.  These are prime examples of the benefits of a consistent approach to immunisation, as well as ongoing education, particularly educating parents in order for them to give their child the opportunity to be vaccinated against these diseases.

In 2019 and 2020, 100% of babies that were registered on-Island, received the necessary vaccinations needed.  As of April 2021 there has been a 100% uptake of the vaccination against tuberculosis within children under the age of 18 years old.  Similarly, 98% of children eligible to receive their HPV (Human papillomavirus) vaccination have done so. 

The  threat or impact of these diseases aren’t unique to St Helena, but being a small, remote island with limited resources, options and choices of health delivery, immunisation helps to protect our community from the risks of illness.

World Immunization Week could not have taken place at a more significant time for St Helena, as 24 April, marked the end of the roll-out for the second dose of the Oxford AstraZeneca Vaccine on-Island. 

St Helena has been very fortunate to be able to offer all persons 18 years and over, the vaccination against COVID-19.  Preliminary data shows that close to 95% of the eligible population has been vaccinated.  The vaccine has been proven to reduce the severity of COVID-19 symptoms and is of immense benefit. 

The current global COVID-19 vaccination programme, in conjunction with the other preventative measures and protocols should help to reduce and eventually stop the spread of the virus worldwide. 

Notes to Editors

Immunizations or Vaccinations work by training and preparing the body’s immune system, to recognise and fight off the viruses and bacteria they target. After vaccination, if the body is later exposed to those disease-causing germs, the body is immediately ready to destroy them, preventing illness. Large numbers becoming immunised within communities, also creates a form of protection for persons within those communities who are not able to receive vaccinations; this is called ‘herd’ or ‘community’ immunity. 

Vaccines are one of science’s greatest innovations and have provided protection for over two centuries, saving millions of lives each year.  The last century has seen vaccines providing protection from many diseases, this has resulted in the eradication of smallpox in the 1980s and the world now close to being free of polio.  The continuous advancement and development of vaccines means we are also near to being free from diseases such as tuberculosis and cervical cancer.    Vaccinations against vaccine-preventable diseases such as measles, tetanus and whooping cough, now allows people to live healthier lives by providing protection against such.  (Adapted from WHO – World Immunization Week Campaign)

SHG
28 April 2021

ROUTINE VACCINATIONS ON ST HELENA

Table showing routine vaccinations available on St Helena.

Things you need to know about vaccines:

 They DO

They DO NOT

Extracted from www.NHS.uk

St Helena Government (SHG) has received confirmation of a Financial Aid Settlement of £31.79 million from the UK Government (UKG) – a flat line budget in cash terms when compared to the core financial aid budget for the 2020/21 financial year. This is a one-year settlement for the financial year 2021/22 and is Year Three of the three-year Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed with the UKG for 2019/20-2021/22.

Commenting on this year’s Settlement, Financial Secretary Dax Richards said:

“This is a very good outcome for St Helena given the current economic climate in the UK and recent announcements of a reduction in the UK Aid budget. SHG would like to thank the UK Government for its continued investment in and support to St Helena. Special thanks are extended to all those who have worked tirelessly behind the scenes to achieve this positive result for the Island.”

SHG Directors and senior officials will now work with Elected Members to reprioritise the Budget based on the Settlement to prepare a ‘balanced’ budget, after which the draft Budget will be presented to Executive Council and Legislative Council for approval. 

Further details on the Budget will be published in due course as part of the Financial Secretary’s Budget Speech.

#StHelena #FinancialAid #Budget 

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SHG
28 April 2021

During the current round of Constituency Meetings, Elected Members have been asked to provide updates on various key work streams.

Below is an update on a number of key work streams that fall under the remit of the Economic Development Committee: 

Fibre Optic Cable Project

Work is progressing well with the new Fibre Optic Cable Project which aims to provide the Island with faster internet connectivity. The proposed high speed fibre cable would offer opportunities for private sector development, distance learning, tele-medicine and e-commerce.   

Latest activities/milestones under the Project

*Note these dates are subject to change

The Project is currently on schedule with the cable set to go live in early 2022. The landing of the cable will bring many benefits to the Island including encouraging investment opportunities in the construction of satellite ground stations on the Island and increased use of internet-based technology and delivery through, for example, digital financial transactions.

Communications Networks and Services

The Communications Networks and Services Policy was endorsed by Executive Council in October 2020. The Policy can be found at: https://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/government/public-information/

The procurement of the Public Communications Networks and Services licence holder has started, with announcement of the preferred bidder due in the second half of this year. 

Ships Registry

Since the endorsement of the new Ships Registry Policy, a Maritime Compliance & Policy Officer (MC&PO) has been appointed, with a view to establishing a Maritime Authority. The Authority will lead on developing Maritime policy and regulation as required by the International Maritime Organisation’s (IMO) Instruments Implementation Code (IIIC).

St Helena is a member of the Red Ensign Group (REG), which is responsible for the UK Ship Registry, and as such can expect to be audited alongside the UK, by the IMO. Procedures to be adopted for Ship Registry services, and meeting the requirements of the IMO audit (no confirmed date as yet) are in progress.

More on Ship Registry can be found on the SHG website at: https://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/public-services/registry

Company Registry

The Company Registry Policy was endorsed by Executive Council in December 2020. Drafting of the appropriate legislation is awaited.

A new post will be recruited to drive the Company Registry work forward, including the work to modernise the anti-money laundering checks, and include more information on beneficial ownership – this post is likely to be advertised in the first half of this year.

More on Company Registry can be found on the SHG website at: https://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/public-services/registry

Sugar Tax and Imports

Since the introduction of the Sugar Tax in 2018, in general there have been decreases in the import of products subject to the higher level of duty (e.g. high-sugar soft drinks, fruit juices) and increases in the imports of healthier alternatives (e.g. water, low-sugar drinks) subject to a lower level of tax. This suggests that the tax is having the intended impact. By reducing the import cost of healthier food and beverages when compared to high-sugar options, the tax makes it easier for merchants to provide a wider variety of healthy options to their customers.

#StHelena #EconomicDevelopment #Update

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SHG
27 April 2021

The Capital Programme Office (previously known as the Programme Management Unit) is pleased to advise that the following micro projects, funded through the Economic Development Investment Programme (EDIP), have been approved for 2021/22:

Repairs to Bishops Bridge have also been prioritised, along with refurbishing the remaining Public Toilets, but these can only be implemented once detailed costings are developed in the next two to three months.

The approval of these micro projects is the result of a prioritisation exercise by Elected Members in early April 2021.

Project works will now progress during this financial year.

Notes to Editor:

In 2019, Executive Council gave approval for an annual budget of £150,000 under the Economic Development Investment Programme for ‘micro-projects’, or those projects that can be implemented relatively quickly with a low total cost (i.e. £50,000 or less). This budget is intended to support projects that may not have easily quantifiable benefits, but do directly support strategic economic development goals (e.g. increasing tourism, promoting a green economy, etc) or have the potential to improve future infrastructure investments.

#StHelena #EDIP #MicroProjects

SHG
26 April 2021

Napoleon, Emperor of the French, died on St Helena on 5 May 1821, five and half years after his exile to the Island in 1815. 

To commemorate the Bicentenary of the French Statesman’s death, a calendar of events specifically involving St Helena is taking place in France and in Belgium. Although local events are on a smaller scale than originally planned due to current travel restrictions, resulting from the COVID-19 Pandemic, the initial arrangements at Longwood House and the Tomb Valley have been maintained in full. Only the audience has changed, instead of the 800-1000 visitors by cruise ship or charter plane, the audience will be virtual

Events are being organised by the St Helena Napoleonic Heritage Society with support provided by St Helena Government, the Fondation Napoléon, Creative St Helena, the Catholic Church, Sure, Triple Six Photography and John Isaac’s contractors.

The death of Napoleon

On Wednesday, 5 May 2021, mini wreaths/flower bouquets will be laid on the Tomb’s slab on behalf of overseas organisations and members of the public. Over 400 people from Germany, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, Denmark, Spain, United States, France, Great Britain, Israel, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Czech Republic, Russia, Ukraine, Sweden and Switzerland have participated in this initiative through purchasing flowers online to be laid on The Tomb on this day. 

At 5.15pm (at the exact last hour of the Emperor’s life in 1821) a ceremony will take place at Longwood House to include a two-minute silence, the playing of the Last Post and various readings and pieces of music, half-masting of the flag and the Telegraph signals announcing Napoleon’s death. Members of the public are able to attend and there will be a late opening of the gardens which will be specially illuminated for the occasion.

Please note: like in 1821, no one will be authorised to go inside the Emperor’s apartments.

The burial of Napoleon

On Sunday, 9 May, a ceremony, marking the Bicentenary of the Emperor’s burial will take place at The Tomb, starting at 2.50pm. The ceremony will include readings, various pieces of music and songs from Island musicians and singers, a two-minute silence followed by the playing of the Reveille, and laying of the wreaths to accompany the mini bouquets from the public which should have already been placed on 5 May.

This important occasion in St Helena’s history is being marked by other events such as a Catholic Church mass on Thursday, 6 May. French Consul, Michel Dancoisne-Martineau has also taken part in various interviews with international TV channels and magazines. He will also attend in person a number of exhibitions and shows on the Bicentenary in France and Belgium.

It is planned for local events to be broadcast live via Social Media. To follow the latest news on upcoming events please visit: www.napoleonsthelena.com/

The full Calendar of events can be viewed here: https://fondationnapoleon.org/en/. Details of local events and commemoration programmes are available via: http://napoleon200.sh/ or https://www.napoleonsthelena.com/en/.  

#StHelena #NapoleonBicentenary

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SHG
27 April 2021