St Helena : St Helena Executive Council Report for March 2009
Submitted by Saint Helena Herald (Juanita Brock) 04.04.2009 (Article Archived on 18.04.2009)
Our first paper this morning was an Information Paper about how the police will be able to use a recording device when interviewing suspects.
EXCO REPORT 27 – 24th March 2009
Our first paper this morning was an Information Paper about how the police will be able to use a recording device when interviewing suspects. All Operational Police Officers have already undergone training in the use of this equipment which is expected to arrive on the 11th April. It is in fact a twin deck tape recorder and its use will be under a Code of Practice that was before the Council for approval. The Code runs to 8 pages and will serve as a guideline as to how such interviews will be conducted in order to ensure that the recording is a correct one and that every aspect of the process is fair and consistent. Councillors were happy to recommend the adoption of the Code and it will appear before the coming Legislative Council.
We have had quite a few instances of visiting ships and yachts seeking a waiver of entry fees. A good example would be where the vessel may be owned by a charity or where they feel able to offer the Island so much publicity that is may be in our interests to encourage them to stay. Up until now the Executive Council has had to discuss such requests without the benefit of an agreed policy and our next Memorandum was recommending just such a policy. It stated that if a vessel is asking for such a waiver then that request must be submitted at least a month before the proposed visit, and a statement as to whether there are fare paying passengers on board and if there is likely to be any financial benefit to St.Helena must also be made. The new policy was accepted.
The next Memorandum gave us the opportunity to apply the brand new policy as it was a request from S.V.Concordia for us to grant such a waiver. Councillors supported the Financial Secretary’s recommendation that in this case no waiver should be made.
We then moved on to those items that are closed to the public. As usual there was nobody to leave the chamber as Exco is not generally regarded as a public spectacle. I discussed this aspect of our proceedings with Councillors and we felt that it would be fairly boring for most people to attend especially as they would not have the papers to be able to follow what was happening. However it was felt that it would be useful for us to make more of the opportunity that exists for attendance especially if there is a contentious subject under consideration.
The next item was not particularly contentious being an Information Paper indicating where we are up to with the Approved Investor Status situation. This mechanism is designed to encourage both Saints and inward investors to set up in business here. Once a business has achieved this status, then various exemptions from customs duty and tax benefits will be granted in order to stimulate our private sector. Quite a few improvements have been made to the process since its inception and these include a fast tracking of entry permits, changes in the Immigrants’ Landholding situation and environmental and financial safeguards. This is a complex area and is made far more so by the prolonged pause in the airport approval. We all felt that this was in need of a detailed discussion in the fuller forum of InfoLegco, and so it was agreed to do just that in the near future.
There were quite a few matters raised under Any Other Business:
Ø I was able to clarify that we have received an additional £2.25 million grant from DfID towards the protection of Jamestown from the dangers of rock fall.
Ø I was also able to confirm that I will be taking up the matter of the inadequacy of our fuel farm with DfID.
Ø The schedule for the RMS for the 2010-2011 year was raised by me as I have been under considerable pressure from SHL to confirm this for some weeks. You may already know that the RMS will need to have both its main engines replaced or substantially refurbished during 2010. Without that, the whole certification of the vessel would be in doubt. Thus it has been decided to replace the engines one at a time during two dry dockings in Cape Town. The timings of this will be similar to the normal annual visits to the UK although they will be rather longer. Thus the RMS will not visit the UK during 2010, but then this year it has its normal annual dry dock as well as two UK trips. So after the UK visit this coming September, it will not return again to the UK until March 2011.
Another feature of the schedule for 2010-11 is the fact that there will be no visits to Walvis Bay after February next year. This is a difficult decision as our Chamber of Commerce has been pressing for more, not fewer, Walvis trips and we have every sympathy with the view that a consistent service would be helpful to any build up of trade. However the recent report on SHL carried out by Julian Morris confirmed that the Walvis call is particularly expensive and overall I agreed with SHL that a concentration on Cape Town is far more efficient.
One final aspect of the RMS is that we have re-introduced a visit to Tristan da Cunha, which is scheduled for February 2011. I know that this has always been a very popular voyage and I am sure that the Tristanians will appreciate the resumption of this link between our two islands.
Ø I was able to bring Members up to date with the latest in the long running saga of our airport. Although a great deal of work is going on behind the scenes, the pattern of the consultation will not be apparent until the document is published in a week or so. Once that happens, then we will be able to decide what kind of response might be appropriate. In the mean time, while London are setting about trying to decide whether we need an airport or not, thus covering a great deal of ground already trampled on, I have asked Paul Blessington our Government Economist to look at what the real benefit will be to the average Saint. In other words how much more will you all actually have in your pockets, and how will it get there. All Councillors expressed their sincere thanks and admiration for the arguments being made on our behalf by MPs and our supporters in the UK.
Ø I confirmed that I have asked the Chief of Police to follow up the work done by Caroline Crowson in allaying our fears over the unexploded ordnance. This will involve mapping other possible sites for the bomb disposal experts to examine and organising an amnesty for those who may have potentially dangerous objects that they wish to bring along for examination.
Ø We also discussed the situation with regard to the unfortunate lack of husbandry for some coffee plantations on the island and ANRD will be reporting on this in the near future.
Ø Cable & Wireless have proposed that the licence for the reception of TV should be increased by £2 per month from 1st April. Under the terms of their licence with government this request comes before EXCO, and Councillors are always aware that any increase of this type is unwelcome to all of us. However the supporting case for such a rise shows very clearly that they are not passing on all of the increase that they have to pay, and we felt obliged to agree.
This was a useful EXCO finishing at 12.30 and with the longest LEGCO of the year which includes the annual budget starting on Thursday our Councillors have a great deal of work ahead of them. I thanked the EXCO Members for the hard work that had been done, especially on the Tax Bill, in my absence from the island and I would not wish to leave the LEGCO only Members out of that gratitude.
A.M.Gurr
Governor
24th March 2009
|
