St Helena : St Helena's Governor Submits Second Report from the UK
Submitted by Saint Helena Herald (Public Relations Information Office) 30.09.2010 (Article Archived on 14.10.2010)
Generally when visiting London, the Governor finds that he has a tight programme of meetings and that most of them have been scheduled efficiently by our London office. This trip has been no exception.
REPORT FROM HE IN THE UK – 2
Generally when visiting London, the Governor finds that he has a tight programme of meetings and that most of them have been scheduled efficiently by our London office. This trip has been no exception. As we passed through Cape Town I was very impressed by the hard work and usefulness of all that Charmaine does for us there and I was, as ever, equally pleased with the professionalism of Kedell and Glenda in the UK.
AIRPORT
In my earlier report I indicated that the enthusiasm of the DfID Secretary of State for our airport has created a wave of energy throughout that organisation. Having now had a meeting with him and the relevant Minister, Alan Duncan, it is easy to appreciate how that has come about. Andrew Mitchell radiates dynamism in a challenging way and is determined that the airport should be built, but equally determined that the conditions that he set in making that decision, should be met. In discussion it became clear that not only is DfID tackling their own conditions with zeal, they are also keen to help us if we should feel that we will have any problems in fulfilling our own objectives. That applies both in the preparation of the Memorandum of Understanding, which we hope to sign by Christmas, and in the subsequent planned preparation for the airport era.
We are going to be stretched over the coming months and that is going to show itself in all the work of government, especially our Council Committees, where many policy decisions and recommendations will be taken. It would be understandable if we felt that the airport issue has gone on for long enough, and I certainly feel frustration that yet more time will pass before the signing of the contract, but I felt that the Secretary of State was every bit as impatient as we are, and that is a very positive sign.
All three Ministers that I have met have emphasised that the coalition government has a very positive attitude towards Overseas Territories in general, and there is a real sense in which our airport is a flagship of that approach. The political courage of the decision has been mentioned by many and I believe that it places St.Helena in the situation where far from being forgotten, as has sometimes been claimed, we will be in the spotlight.
RMS
During meetings with the SHL Board, Julian Morris and DfID we discussed Julian’s forthcoming report and the future of the ship. Julian’s conclusions have not changed much since the public meetings during his visit and his report will be published in the Island in the near future. It will contain options along with the strengths and weaknesses of all of them, and there is no doubt that the airport situation influences our approach somewhat. The need to transport more passengers, yet retain the level of service to the island remains crucial, and I look forward to the public consultation on the options prior to any decision being made.
I discussed with the SHL Board a document handed to me by the crew on the RMS. There are some issues that concern those who work on the ship, some are clearly within the orbit of SHG (taxation for instance), but others are more specific to SHL. All I am able to report at this stage is that the points raised are being taken seriously by both the Access and Transport Committee and the SHL Board.
HEALTH
DfID had kindly arranged for me to meet Chris Bostock from the Department for Health, in order to discuss the complaints procedure within our Health Service and the idea to carry out an audit of what the hospital actually does and what should it do. I have no doubt that in some areas of activity we are able to provide a superb service that would be the envy of many, in other areas we may well be lacking in some way or have expectations that are unreasonably high. The whole point of the audit would be to pin this down so we are clear where we are. Chris kindly offered to introduce us to others who may be able to assist and I hope to be discussing some of the details with the Health Committee in the near future.
NATIONAL TRUST
On Tuesday evening there was a very encouraging launch of our National Trust strategic vision. The presentation was well attended with Saints and supporters, among them being Lord Shutt, Sir Brian Unwin, Colin Roberts, Michael Binyon, Bob Russell, and many more. Andy Pearson gave an interesting summary of his work on the slave graves in Rupert’s Valley. We may not make much of the Island’s part in the abolition of the slave trade, but Andy left us in no doubt that not only was our role vital, but the heritage that we have is truly world class.
CABLE & WIRELESS
The technical expertise of Cable & Wireless is essential to our Island and I discussed the current situation with regard to communications as well as the possibilities for the future that may well be unlocked by the renewal of our agreement.
SHELCO
I met with members of the Shelco Board and am pleased to be able to report that they remain very positive about their plans for Broad Bottom. Indeed the airport decision heralds the opportunity for them to fulfil their earlier ambitions and I suggested that they visit us in the near future so that we can all have our understanding of their plans refreshed.
OTHER MATTERS
There is obviously a great deal of detail that I will want to discuss with Councillors and Officials but among other issues were: increasing the professionalism of our recruitment in the UK, reviewing the next year’s strategy for our public relations with Keene (I feel that parliamentary relations are especially important), succession planning within SHG, issues involving both Ascension and Tristan that I will be taking up separately, and some matters relating to banking.
The most famous Falklands Governor, Sir Rex Hunt once advised me that all decisions concerning the Overseas Territories are made in London. I do not believe that to be entirely true, but nobody can doubt the crucial importance of maintaining close contact with all those in the UK who have an interest in our existence and future. I look forward to putting some flesh on the bones of this report after our return on 10th October.
Andrew Gurr
Governor
29th September 2010
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