St Helena : St Helena EXCO REPORT – 10th August 2010
Submitted by Saint Helena Herald (Public Relations Information Office) 13.08.2010 (Article Archived on 27.08.2010)
This meeting of EXCO was attended by all the substantive Members with the exception of the Chief Secretary who returns to the island tomorrow. Mrs. Gilly Francis deputised as Acting Chief Secretary as she has done so ably during Andrew Wells’s absence.
St Helena EXCO REPORT – 10th August 2010
This meeting of EXCO was attended by all the substantive Members with the exception of the Chief Secretary who returns to the island tomorrow. Mrs. Gilly Francis deputised as Acting Chief Secretary as she has done so ably during Andrew Wells’s absence.
Our first Paper, and the only one in the Open Session was a summary of all the Undertakings Given and Resolutions Made at the Formal Legislative Council Meeting held on 2nd August. This helps Hon. Members to ensure that their deliberations in LEGCO are followed through. You may recall that there were 11 questions and 5 motions and at the end of our consideration Members were content that either actions have been taken or are in progress. In fact the presence of some kind of tracker document was sought, just as we now have with EXCO, and officers will see that this is done.
At the beginning of the Closed Session we confirmed the minutes of the previous EXCO and moved on to Matters Arising which we looked at in conjunction with the tracker. Once again time was taken up with explanations from Officers and Committee Chairs of what has happened under 40 different headings spread over 12 pages of minutes. I am well aware that some people feel that this kind of committee work is a waste of time, but it is heartening to see the number of things that have actually been achieved. All too often we concentrate on what hasn’t happened rather than what has. This time the reports indicated that action had been taken on such matters as revising Gazette notices, having a meeting with Solomons directors, improving the remuneration of some of our judiciary, moving ahead with the Media Board, sorting out the reporting structure within government, improved office accommodation for Councillors, dealing with the contaminated water problem in Sandy Bay, improving the office accommodation for Kedell in London, the possible disposal of Wranghams and many other matters.
The next item was by way of a Memorandum by the Acting Chief Secretary. It related to a planning matter that becomes the business of EXCO because it is within 50 metres of the sea. There was some discussion about the actual process involved but we ended up unanimously approving the Application for Variation to Development Permission of the North End of our wharf. A cheaper, but just as effective, type of sewage disposal, is to be adopted.
The next Paper was a very important one, indeed it may well turn out to be historic. It was a memorandum laying out some of the basic issues involved in preparing a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between DfID and the Saint Helena Government. This MOU relates to the fourth condition recently spelled out by the DfID Secretary of State that must be met prior to the signing of a contract for the construction of our airport. The document summarises the improvement and modernisation that your government will be tackling as part of making sure that we are really prepared for the airport. We have made a great deal of progress over the past few years on many of the themes in the MoU, but it is obvious that much work remains to be done. Councillors endorsed the objectives, principles and policy intentions in the Paper and asked that it should be made public so that all of us on the island would have a clear understanding of what is involved. I agreed with that suggestion and we will be publishing the document shortly.
We then agreed with a special warrant covering the additional cost of a flexible broadband facility in the Castle that would be particularly helpful for video conferencing and interviewing which must now be set to increase.
Under AOB we looked at a summary of the government accounts for the first 4 months of the year. We are actually £44,000 down in that our income is a bit behind our budget and so is our expenditure, but not by quite as much.
The meeting closed at 1.20 pm
I feel that it may be helpful for me to add a post script regarding my departure from the island tomorrow. Although it is sensible to take holidays and I probably need one, I will miss the airport related activity as we build up the MoU over the next two months. I will be taking a genuine holiday, but as ever, there will also be a significant amount for me to do in the UK. Among my appointments will of course be the FCO and DfID. However there is quite a move at the moment within HMG for other departments to become involved in helping the Overseas Territories, and I will try to add my weight to that idea. I will also intend to see SHELCO, Cable & Wireless, Argos, Keene, Impregilo, Alan Savary, Paddy Perry, SHL, as well as the private sector people who have been interested in our airport as their interest could well be broader than simply an airstrip and we need to ensure that we get the support of those who are prepared to invest real capital here.
I will also be holding meetings in Cape Town next week and will try to produce a report towards the end of September, when I will be spending most of the time in London.
Andrew Gurr
Governor
10th August 2010
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