Mr Alan Huckle, Head of the Overseas Territories Department, Mr Ian Hendry, Deputy Legal Advisor and Mr Michael Bradley Overseas Territories Department Constitutional Advisor arrived on Tuesday. The team comes from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and will remain on Island until Tuesday 6 May when the RMS St Helena departs for Ascension Island.

On Tuesday 29 April the team met with HE the Acting Governor John Styles who also arrived on the same ship, and the Attorney General Kurt De Freitas OBE. Following this they met with the St Helena Governments Management Team and then with Mrs Quentin-Baxter QSO, the independent Constitutional Advisor.

The team has a busy schedule. Today they will meet with Legislative Council, Heads of Department, the Citizenship Commission and the Chamber of Commerce.

They will also be present at three public consultation meetings, which will take place this afternoon and tomorrow. The purpose of these meetings is for the team to hear the people’s views on constitutional development as well as to convey views from London. It is hoped that people will take advantage of the visit and attend one of these important meetings to put their views forward.

Further meetings have also been planned with Legislative Council on Thursday, Friday and Monday. Governor Hollamby will return on Monday, 5 May and will meet with the team before they depart on Tuesday.

Michael Bradley has visited St Helena before but this is the first visit for Ian Hendry and Alan Huckle so they will also be taking the opportunity to meet with a number persons including the Agency Manager of the St Helena Development Agency, the Environmental Co-ordinator, the Attorney General and Senior Legal Officer, the Chief Development Officer, the Public Solicitor, the Chief Education Officer, the Chief Administrative Health and Social Services Officer, the Social Work Manager, the Chief of Police and personnel from Argos.

The team will also give a radio interview and will hold a press conference with Members of Legislative Council.

A St Helena Nature Conservation Group walk has been planned at High Peak along with a tour of the Island. On Saturday 3 May the team will plant trees at the Millennium Forest where representatives of the St Helena National Trust will be present.