On Tuesday 12 May I was unable to attend the Legislative Council Adjournment Debate due to an important meeting relating to ongoing discussions with the United Kingdom Government regarding the future BIOT Agreement.

Over recent weeks, supported by the Ministerial Team, I have been engaged in discussions with the UK Minister for the Overseas Territories, Stephen Doughty, and senior officials. The existing agreement between the St Helena Government and the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is due to expire on Friday 15 May 2026. Discussions between all parties are continuing, and we hope to share further news at the earliest opportunity once an agreement has been reached.

I am grateful to my Honourable colleague, Minister Henry, for leading the Adjournment Debate in my absence, and to both Ministers Henry and Thrower for their thoughtful and heartfelt contributions, which reflected both the realities and responsibilities of the current situation.

I also recognise that Adjournment Debates are an important opportunity for Councillors to raise the concerns, frustrations and questions being expressed by members of the public. I will therefore review the minutes carefully to ensure those views are fully considered.

I wanted to take this opportunity to share some of the reflections I had prepared.

St Helena operates under a Ministerial system of Government established under our Constitution. We are not a system of party politics with a formal Government and Opposition. We are one Government, collectively accountable to the people of St Helena and accountable to one another for both the decisions we take and the conduct we demonstrate.

Within that system, we each hold different constitutional responsibilities.

Ministers are entrusted with strategic leadership, policy direction, decision-making and delivery across their portfolios. Councillors play an equally important role in representing community concerns, scrutinising decisions, challenging constructively where necessary, and helping ensure accountability and transparency in the public interest.

These roles are complementary.

Healthy scrutiny strengthens Government. Honest challenge improves decision-making. But all of us in public office also carry a responsibility to conduct ourselves in a way that maintains public confidence in our institutions, particularly during periods of uncertainty when reassurance, stability and mature leadership matter greatly.

The people of St Helena rightly expect their elected representatives to work together respectfully and responsibly, even where there are differences of opinion. The public deserve leadership that informs, reassures and helps unite communities rather than deepening anxiety or division, particularly in difficult times.

These have indeed been difficult times.

Since taking office, this Government has faced a succession of operational and national challenges – airport operational difficulties, the Foot and Mouth Disease situation in South Africa affecting food supply resilience, the recent hantavirus precautionary response, electricity outages, financial pressures, and wider resilience concerns linked to growing international instability and conflict in the Middle East.

Many of these challenges stem from years of underinvestment, deferred maintenance, ageing infrastructure, difficult financial realities, and the practical difficulties of operating essential services within a remote island environment and the weather. We are also particularly vulnerable to external shocks and events beyond our control, while having limited local capacity and resources to absorb their impact.

But despite this, our resolve has only strengthened because this is ultimately about securing the future resilience and wellbeing of St Helena.

Our community deserves a Government prepared to face challenges honestly, work through disagreement constructively, and remain focused on solutions rather than division.

Again and again, whether through engagement with our shareholder-owned entities, the Utility Regulatory Authority, the Equality and Human Rights Commission, St Helena Airport, charities, community organisations or international partners, the message has been clear:
we must work together better, communicate better, and break down silos. With limited resources and capacity, there is simply no sustainable alternative.

That is why partnership, collaboration and openness sit at the heart of the draft Vision and Strategy for St Helena going forward.

We are already addressing long-standing challenges and laying important foundations for change across fisheries, utilities, infrastructure planning, environmental management and public service reform, while continuing to build on progress within health and education.

We cannot solve every challenge all at once. If everything is treated as a priority, nothing truly becomes a priority. Instead, we must remain focused, work step by step on the areas that matter most, and move forward together as a community.

I also want to place on record my sincere thanks to all those who have worked tirelessly in recent weeks to support the health, safety and resilience of our community.

I thank our healthcare professionals, Public Health teams, emergency responders, utility workers, engineers, civil servants, police officers, airport staff, technical specialists, and all those working quietly behind the scenes, often under immense pressure and public scrutiny.

During the recent hantavirus precautionary response, staff across Government and partner agencies worked calmly, professionally and responsibly alongside the UK Health Security Agency, UK Government and international partners to protect our community and ensure preparedness.

Our Public Health teams acted quickly and responsibly in escalating concerns early, enabling vital international support and precautionary planning arrangements to be put in place at an early stage.

During the recent electricity outage, teams across Government, Connect St Helena and other essential services worked around the clock to restore power and minimise disruption to homes, businesses and critical infrastructure.

Thank you to everyone involved for the professionalism, teamwork and commitment shown throughout the response. I also want to thank residents and businesses across the island for their patience, understanding and support during what has been an extremely difficult period for many households.

Looking ahead, Government will continue working closely with Connect St Helena to better understand the underlying infrastructure challenges, resource pressures and longer-term investment requirements needed to strengthen resilience across the island.

At the same time, our Resilience Forum continues important work to strengthen preparedness around wider risks and threats, including fuel resilience, biosecurity concerns such as Foot and Mouth Disease, and broader infrastructure and supply chain resilience.

Much of this work is unseen by the public, but it is critically important, and those involved deserve our gratitude and support.

St Helena has always endured through resilience, community spirit and people stepping forward when it matters most.

St Helena is a remarkable community with remarkable people.

If we continue to work together with honesty, respect and shared purpose, I firmly believe we can build a stronger, fairer and more resilient future for the next generation.

Thank you.

Yours,

Rebecca