St Helena : ST HELENA – IN FOCUS (06/19/09)
Submitted by Saint Helena Herald (Juanita Brock) 01.07.2009 (Article Archived on 15.07.2009)
As was to be expected after a gap of two weeks the phone-in programme received a barrage of questions and comments, all of which were noted and are being dealt with. Councillor Mervyn Yon had received answers to a number of questions put forward on behalf of callers to the programme and these were relayed on Tuesday evening.
ST HELENA – IN FOCUS
Tuesday evening 9th June 2009 saw the return of IN FOCUS at Radio St Helena with Cyril Gunnell, following absence of the programme for two weeks due to team members commitment to attending public consultation meetings on the proposed new Constitution.
As was to be expected after a gap of two weeks the phone-in programme received a barrage of questions and comments, all of which were noted and are being dealt with. Councillor Mervyn Yon had received answers to a number of questions put forward on behalf of callers to the programme and these were relayed on Tuesday evening.
WIND TURBINES
Question: How much was approved for the last three wind turbines and what is the actual expenditure to date?
Answer: Funding approved was £350,000. Expenditure to date is £350,000.
Question: What expenditure is required to complete the project?
Answer : Funding required to complete the project £186,424. This will cover materials only.
Question: A statement was made by the Manager/Head of PW&SD that all turbines would be up and running within two weeks following the arrival of the RMS from the UK in mid April. Four weeks have elapsed since the arrival of the RMS and nothing has happened; how soon will it be before we can see all six turbines up and running?
Answer: Since all materials did not arrive on the RMS when she arrived from UK, and since further materials have to be ordered providing additional funding is required, it will not be possible to have these other turbines up and running before mid November, because it will take 8 weeks to order and manufacture the parts 3 weeks to deliver and 2 days for each turbine for fitting the new parts; this will only be possible if the funding can be secured. If the funding is not forthcoming it will be later than mid November.
On a point of information if and when all turbines are up and running there will be a saving of fuel in any one year to the tune of £187,000.
Question: Can we have printed in both of the local papers a 3-5 year data of the electricity generated by the existing turbines in a graph form at 12 monthly intervals and a repeat when all 6 turbines are up and running to compare the success of the project?
Answer: Councillor Yon said the Manager/ Head of Department assured him that this would not be a problem because they have the data at their fingertips. To date however, the data has not appeared in either of the papers.
Mr Derek Richards, Manager/Head of PW&SD provided the answers to the above questions.
VACANT SENIOR ENGINEER (TRANSPORT) POST
Question : With the recent retirement of the Senior Engineer (Transport) can we be told when will this post be filled and how much is it costing to transport the Senior Executive Officer from Jamestown to Donkey Plain and return daily using a private hire bus?
Answer: The post of Senior Engineer (Transport) will be filled in the near future. As regards the Senior Executive Officer she is working on site in an acting capacity and also looking at various activities within the Section, the cost of transport is £25.00 per month.
Mr Derek Richards, Manager/Head of PW&SD provided answers to the above questions.
TENDER FOR FOUR NEW BUSES
Question: Four new buses have been brought into the Island - was the procurement put out to competitive tender?
Answer: Yes, the procurement was put out to competitive tender.
Question: How many competitors were involved?
Answer: 8 suppliers, local, UK and SA were invited to tender. Tenders were received from 5 of the invited tenderers.
Question: Did the procurement comply with the specifications and from where were the buses ordered?
Answer: If you mean did the buses supplied meet the specification, then yes. The buses met the specification as required when they were ordered. The buses would have been ordered by the contractor, it is assumed that they were ordered from Japan.
Question: Who makes the final decision when placing an order of this nature?
Answer: In this case the procurement was done through the Tender Board. They invited the tenders, received them and then provided the information to PW&SD, where a panel, consisting of the Manager, the Chief Engineer and the Senior Transport Manager evaluated the tenders and then made a recommendation to the Tender Board who approved it and advised the tenderers.
Mrs Susan O'Bey, Contracts and External Services Manager said the Manager/Head of PW&SD supplied the above answers. From his answers I can confirm that the process followed is compliant with that outlined in Contract Regulations, Mrs O'Bey said.
USE OF SHG FUEL BOWSER
Question: Is the Government fuel bowser used only to fuel SHG vehicles or can the bowser be hired by the public to fuel their vehicles and if so what would be the charge?
Answer: I could not find any record of me replying to this although I feel sure I have, but in any case the answer to your question is that the Transport Division does have a fuel bowser and this is used to fuel heavy plant on site, or as an emergency standby for any vehicle which requires fuel after hours when pumps are closed. The department does not provide this service to the Public.
Mr Derek Richards, Manager/Head of PW&SD provided the answers to the above questions.
HOME HELPERS
Currently there is a shortage of home-helpers and they are hard to come by.
Question: Recently some income related benefit recipients who also work as home-helpers, received a 4 % raise and some of them had their benefits cut - what is the logic of this when these people play a vital role in helping to keep people in their homes for as long as possible and also helps the Public Health budget?
Answer: People on Income Related Benefits are allowed to make additional money from part-time work such as being Home-Helpers or Carers. For a single person they can make up to £20 per week from part-time work and still receive their full benefit of £40. If they earn more than £20 per week, say £25 per week then their benefits will be reduced by £5 to £35 per week. The same is true for a couple, they can make up to £30 per week and still receive their full benefits of £60 per week. But if they make more than £30 per week, say £35 per week then their benefits will be reduced by £5 to £55 per week.
Question: Can consideration be given to home-helpers being made full time?
Answer: The department is aware that it is difficult for Public Health to attract home-helpers and carers, so only the older folk are available for this work and society appreciates this. However, we know they are also concerned when the home-help allowance is raised which means that if they go over the £20 for the single person or £30 for a couple, their benefits are reduced. I can assure them that a review will be taking place shortly and this is an area that will be looked at to ensure the older folk is not penalised in any way for doing these important tasks.
Ronald Coleman, Employment Benefits and Administration Officer provided the answers to the questions above.
IN FOCUS is grateful for the co-operation received from those providing answers.
Cyril Gunnell, Radio St Helena,19th June 2009
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