St Helena : St Helena EXCO Report for 22 April 2008
Submitted by Saint Helena Herald (Juanita Brock) 26.04.2008 (Article Archived on 10.05.2008)
H. E. the Governor Mr Andrew Gurr updates us on what happened during this vital Committee meeting.
ST HELENA EXCO REPORT FOR 22 APRIL 2008
By H. E. the Governor Mr. Andrew Gurr
This was my tenth EXCO meeting and was by far the longest, lasting from 9.30am until 2 pm. The reason for that was the substantial nature of much of the business. Councillor Reid deputised for Councillor Drabble who is representing us abroad. There were no members of the public present and so the open part and the closed part of the meeting consisted of only the members and officials.
The first paper covered an interesting and controversial topic. It was designed to begin discussion on the possibility of some kind of Price Commission. Councillors always find discussion of the cost of fuel, electricity, the RMS, Cable & Wireless and such like, very difficult. On the one hand nobody wishes to approve any increase in cost of goods and services to the electorate, on the other hand there is a responsibility to balance the budget and provide a thriving economy where the vulnerable can receive protection and care. I have witnessed this dilemma a number of times over the past few months, and it seems that some kind of independent body, that makes clear recommendations, or even decisions, on some of these issues, could be a sensible way forward.
Garth Armstrong, who was advising us on our economy recently, prepared a very useful paper on the topic of Fuel Pricing and the possibility of setting up this kind of Authority.
Councillors felt that although the idea has some merit, they were nervous about the possible erosion of political control or influence. It became clear in the discussion that more thought needed to be given to the concept, and so it was agreed that we would consider further refinement of the idea and come back to EXCO with a revised Information Paper in about six months time.
We then moved on to consider the Stamp (Invalidation) Order of 2008. Stamps have to be destroyed once they have been in existence for some time as this makes them worth collecting, and philately provides a worthwhile income for us. This paper proposed the destruction of stamps dating back to 1992, the most recent being 2001 editions. This is actually a fairly obvious move and there was hardly any discussion.
Next was a 39 page Bill on the subject of Education, and it was presented by Councillor Eric Benjamin. There has not been a revised Education Bill since 1989 and this one is substantial and far reaching.
Much of what it contains reflects the modern education system today. The headline is I suppose the increase in the school leaving age to 16. This is long overdue, and will mean that every pupil on the island should leave school with certificated qualifications that will fit them for life and higher earnings than would otherwise have been the case. The Bill also ensured that no pupil can be caned, a measure that some of us in the room wished had been applied many years ago! The Bill was accepted and will now be printed for public consultation before coming back to Legislative Council.
Earlier I mentioned Garth Armstrong, our economist. During his recent visit I asked him to prepare some brief papers on a number of topics and the next two Information Papers were in fact on two of those subjects. They were circulated to Councillors in order to provide them with a professional economist’s view of some of the issues facing us. The first one was on the long term impact of Remittance Flows, and Councillors were quick to see the complexity of a society that has a very high number of retired Saints. The second was on the subject of agriculture. I asked Garth for this paper following a visit to the farms at Longwood. Virtually everyone I speak to about farming agrees that it is not good to be so reliant on imported fruit and vegetables, and yet it is hard to construct a solution to the problem. The paper went some way to helping us understand the problem, but the solution will require a great deal of thought.
We then turned to consider a Memorandum on the proposed SHELCO development at Broad Bottom. I am well aware of the interest and debate that this venture has caused. I was also made aware, prior to the meeting, of the disquiet felt by some of the Legco-only Councillors. As is our new custom, they too had received the papers, and in some ways it was unfortunate that they had not received all the papers on this topic in the past, as we could only answer some of their concerns in a meeting at which they were not present. I explained the obligations that have been entered into by us in the past, and the fact that the purpose of the Memorandum in front of us is to agree with SHELCO that we will move forward with them at a pace that suits both of us, and provides this government with all the safeguards that may be considered appropriate.
Of course Broad Bottom is one of the most beautiful and potentially productive parts of this island, but equally obvious is that once the airport is here, we will have to have developed suitable accommodation at a standard expected by those who are prepared to pay large sums of money to stay here. If we ensure that the project outlined by SHELCO comes to pass, then we will have an asset capable of attracting the most suitable tourists and providing well-paid jobs and increased prosperity throughout this island. Our primary concern with developments of this type is that the island must derive substantial economic benefit, and the course that we have adopted with SHELCO is forecast to do just that. Councillors were unanimous, after one minor addition, in recommending that the draft agreement between SHG and SHELCO should be signed when I am in London on 22nd May.
This was an interesting example of the constitution in action. The decision making mechanism of Governor-in-Council, with senior officers attending, and with all the value of corporate memory, was able to reach a clear conclusion that differed from the views of some of the absent Legco-only Members. We were well aware of the need for clarity and transparency in all decisions and agreed to discuss the matter with all Councillors at an InfoLegco in the near future.
Under Any Other Business I was able to confirm that the 2009-10 RMS schedule will essentially be similar to the 2008-9 one. There is quite a division of opinion within the community on this, but in agreeing to retain the 2 visits per year to the UK, I have the support of the majority of all Councillors, SHL and Andrew Weir Ltd.
I reported that Ian Hendry will be visiting us from 30th April until 9th May. He is the man who is involved in drafting proposals for our constitutional revision. While he is here there will be a number of public meetings and I do hope that many of you will attend. Our constitution underpins much of our life – it outlines the principles by which we operate, and is superior to any other legal document. If an ordinance contradicts the constitution, it is the constitution that is deemed to be correct.
This was a long and interesting meeting. We are dealing with issues that really do have an impact on the lives of us all. Such matters deserve healthy debate, sound advice, and the flexibility to step aside from self interest. I am confident that your Executive Council is employing all three.
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