St Helena : St. Helena ExCo Report 17 – 12th August 2008
Submitted by Saint Helena Herald (Juanita Brock) 18.08.2008 (Article Archived on 01.09.2008)
H. E. the Governor Mr Andrew Gurr updates us on what happened during this important Committee meeting.
St. Helena ExCo Report 17 – 12th August 2008
This promised to be another short Executive Council as the business on the agenda was reasonably straightforward.
The first item was one which may be of interest to the public. I am sure that many of you wonder what happens about all the Undertakings and Resolutions that are made during a Legislative Council Meeting. You may hear a Councillor propose a motion in LegCo that something should be done by the government, and then nothing appears to happen. Well, I can assure you that something does happen. The minutes of every LegCo are carefully examined in order to be sure of exactly what we have been asked to do, and then those undertakings are reported to Executive Council in order to be sure that everything gets done. Today we were looking at the undertakings given during the LegCo on 11th July. I will give you as an example the very first one which you may well remember: “The Acting Chief Secretary undertook to circulate to Members details of the costs of upkeep and repatriation of both stowaways.” We were able to report that this has been done. There were two more undertakings. Both concerned with the Immigration Bill, one has been done and the other will be done as appropriate.
We also had the Resolutions made at the 11th July LegCo reported.
The first one was to do with consideration being given to creating a Land Tax on all landowners who refuse to clean their property of invasive plants. We were able to give an assurance that such consideration will in fact take place along with all the other issues involved in the current review of taxation. All this kind of reporting ensures that we follow through on what we are tasked to do.
The next matter considered was unusual in that someone had approached the Attorney General to find out if it is possible to bury a body at sea. It is common practice of course when travelling by sea, but the question was whether we could do so when someone dies on land. The Attorney General had studied the law and found that as things stand we cannot carry out a marine burial. It may be possible outside of the 12 mile limit, but that would add greatly to the cost. The law in fact specifies various burial grounds where bodies may be laid to rest and thus excludes the option of burial at sea. However, it was felt by Councillors that there is an increasing problem with cemeteries becoming full and that it would be prudent to consider alternative options, including burial at sea. It was therefore agreed that we should approach the Public Health Department to seek their view on the matter before any further consideration is given.
That was the end of the items on the agenda, but some fruitful discussion took place under the heading Any Other Business.
The question was asked whether it is true that there is some kind of cap on earnings. Apparently it has been said that when Can France were employing local workers, this government was restricting how much those workers could be paid. We were able to assure Councillors that such an accusation is false, there is no maximum wage limit; and employers can pay as much as they like. We are in the process of considering introducing legislation to ensure that there is a minimum wage level, so that employers will be unable to pay less than a certain hourly rate, but there is no restriction at the top end.
The fact that the price of crude oil has reduced on the world market was mentioned in the context of asking when it may be reduced here. In my broadcast on 17th July, I said this: “I can assure you that if and when the cost of fuel does reduce, then the savings will be passed on in a similar manner to the way in which the increases are being dealt with.” What that means is that just as there was a time delay in raising the cost of fuel, so there will inevitably be a time delay in reducing it. It was explained to ExCo that the cost of fuel at the pumps is decided when we know the cost of each delivery. Thus we know exactly what the fuel in the tanks at Ruperts is worth, and we charge for the petrol and diesel in order to recover that cost. When we have a delivery that costs less, then the price at the pumps will reduce. To some extent the same is true with electricity, and the time lag there is caused not just by the delay in delivery of cheaper fuel but also because the whole issue is too complicated to change quickly.
I said on 17th July that we would review electricity charges next April and thereafter on an annual basis. The level of the bunker surcharge on the RMS will be reviewed every quarter as previously agreed.
There was one other subject discussed because it has been the subject of obvious public concern recently – that is the apparent surge in the number of consultants visiting the island. There seem to be two reasons for reacting to these visitors, one is that it can make the administrative arrangements for their visits very difficult and that puts enormous pressure on the whole Civil Service. There is however a second reason and that has been demonstrated by comments in the press. There is a perception that somehow money is being wasted by having so many advisers. The implication is that we don’t need them but can get on and do things for ourselves. That view has many supporters, but it actually has little substance when we get into the detail. If we were all aware of the reason behind most of the visits and what each one actually produces, I suspect that many of the objections would be overcome. With that in mind we intend to provide exactly that information.
At the end of each month, the Chief Secretary, or at present the Acting Chief Secretary, will come on the radio and issue a statement just as I do after each ExCo. That broadcast will inform all of you as to what the visiting advisers have achieved over the past month and who will be coming to advise us on what over the next two months.
You will notice that I am using the word “adviser” rather than “consultant” as in many ways I feel it is more appropriate. In nearly every case it is your own government that has asked or pleaded for the advice that these experts bring, and much of what has been achieved over the past few years would not have happened without the skill that has been made available by these visitors. It must also be remembered that not all advisers come from DfID. Many other organisations sponsor advisers who may be here on no more than a fact finding mission. Nearly all of them are welcome. They bring additional cash in to our economy, fill up the cabins on the RMS, and in many cases provide work for our fledgling tourist industry.
Am I saying then that all consultants and advisers produce positive recommendations that are acted upon? No I am not. There is plenty of evidence that some reports lie on shelves and nothing changes as a result of their production. Maybe that is because they contain a review of options for change and we have decided to remain as we are, or more likely, we simply cannot afford to do what is recommended and other actions assume priority. It is one of my intentions to see that this becomes a rarity.
We are working hard within government to make sure that we gain as much as we possibly can from each adviser. If we are successful in that, I know that our economy will make more rapid progress than if left to its own devices.
As you can appreciate, what started as a short agenda actually produced a meeting with some interesting discussion.
The meeting closed at 11.15 am.
AMG
12th August 2008
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