At a meeting of the Executive Council on 27 September 2023, increases to Income Related Benefit (IRD) and Basic Island Pension (BIP) of 4% were approved.
With effect from 1 October 2023 the IRB will increase by £3.00 to £78.00 and BIP will increase by £3.10 to £80.60.
IRB and BIP rates are customarily increased at least annually and were last increased on the 1 October 2022 as part of the 2022 Cost of Living Package.
Following these changes IRB rates, including the proposed 2023 increases, will have increased by 55.5% and BIP rates by 55.9% since 2011. This increase is above the total inflation since 2011 of 32.9%.
The overall aim of IRB is to protect vulnerable groups of people from living in poverty in St Helena; it is an essential social protection mechanism safeguarding against abject poverty.
The BIP is intended to reward and support those aged 65+ who have completed at least 20 contributory ‘in kind’ years on Island and who lack an adequate financial work place pension. BIP persons on less than the full rate may also qualify for a top up on IRB.
IRB and the BIP (in the absence of alternative savings based pension schemes) provide social protection against the loss of income in the case of short or long term unemployment and ill health, for families with children under five years, and provide for those with either no pension or an inadequate one.
As part of our Police and Crime Plan priority ‘Make our roads safer’, the Royal St Helena Police will be conducting a road safety campaign in October and again in December 2023. The ‘Could Have, Would Have and Should Have’ campaign will run across both St Helena and Ascension between Sunday, 1 October, and Tuesday, 31 October 2023, and again between Friday, 1 December, and Monday, 8 January 2024.
We will use our Road Safety Strategy to achieve:
Safe People
Safe Vehicles
Safe Speed
Safe Roads
The campaign is designed to assist in changing the mind-set of drivers. We want to reduce risky behaviours on the road, motivate positive changes in their conduct, and for them to be considerate and safe.
The main issues that we face are Road Traffic Collisions. Since April this year, on St Helena we have had 33 reported collisions and on Ascension five reported collisions.
We’ve observed a trend of motorists failing to stop, failing to report road traffic collisions and also of motorists fleeing the scene of collisions. Any motorist identified and taken to court for failing to stop or failing to report their road traffic collision could be disqualified from having or obtaining a driver’s licence.
The most common causes of collisions are:
Drivers having consumed excess alcohol, which puts them over the prescribed limit of 50 micrograms of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath;
Vehicles which are unsafe and not in a road worthy condition;
Drivers who exceed the maximum speed limit; and
Drivers who do not drive to the conditions of the road.
During our campaign, we will be conducting:
Driver’s Licence checks – Drivers will be asked to produce their driver’s licence. If not available at the time of the stop, the driver will be required to produce the license within five days.
Safety checks of vehicles – Vehicles will be stopped and checks will be carried out on their brakes, steering and exhausts. If any vehicle does not meet the required standard, the driver will be issued with a Vehicle Defect Rectification form. For a minor offence, the driver will be given seven days to rectify the fault. However, if the vehicle is unsafe, it will be placed off the road until it is inspected by a vehicle inspector or, in the worst case, the vehicle’s licence can be revoked. We will also check our database to ensure that your vehicle is properly covered by insurance.
Monitoring of vehicles being driven at a safe speed and to the condition of the roads – Vehicles will be stopped if they are being driven carelessly, without due consideration to other road users, recklessly or dangerously.
Breath Testing Drivers – If a police officer has reasonable cause to suspect that someone is driving, attempting to drive or is in charge of a vehicle on a road with excess alcohol, or that they’ve been involved in a road traffic collision, then they will be breath tested.
All competent drivers should know the St Helena Highway Code and the rules of the highway. Drivers and vehicle owners should ensure they have a valid and current driver’s licence for the class of vehicle they are driving. Drivers must ensure their vehicle licence is valid and the vehicle is insured.
Police Inspector, Jonathan Thomas, said:
“Our slogan for this campaign is ‘Could Have, Would Have and Should Have’. In life, with hindsight, we could have, would have, should have made different choices – don’t make that mistake and have regrets.
“We encourage our community on both islands to assist and to report any of the above issues to us, especially when driving standards fall below what is expected of a careful and responsible driver. This includes when drivers are driving in an anti-social manner and definitely when someone is under the influence of alcohol and attempting to drive or actually driving a vehicle.
“We hope that this campaign will act as a reminder of safe driving standards and that it isn’t too late for drivers to learn or change their mind-set, to take less risk and be safe and considerate drivers. Keep safe.”
On Thursday 28 September, Chief Minister Julie Thomas remotely addressed attendees of the Virtual Island Summit (VIS) 2023. She spoke on ‘The way forward for St Helena with regards to Renewable Energy’.
During her address she noted that whilst St Helena currently generated 21% of its electricity supply through renewables (wind and solar), this Government’s goal is to deliver 80% of the Island’s energy demand from renewables by the year 2027/28, sooner if possible. To this end, last month the Executive Council endorsed a new Renewable Energy Policy for the period 2023-2030. The policy outlines the Government’s strategic direction on renewables and will now be shared with key delivery partners to establish a tangible plan for delivering its key aims before publicising the Policy.
SHG will be working with its Utilities Service Provider to design a renewables system for an external supplier to deliver and operate. At present the mix of wind and solar power that will make up the renewables infrastructure is not known, as research to inform the design feasibility element of the project continues.
The design and delivery of this project will be split into phases, to allow for use of different funding sources and approaches. Further external technical capacity is being sought through consultancy for specialist renewable energy input for final electricity demand modelling and design of a cost effective and reliable renewable energy hybrid solution for St Helena. It is expected that consultancy services will be secured by the beginning of next year, with all necessary modelling and design outputs completed by March 2024.
Work will then commence on the procurement process, with the expectation that a contract for delivery of the project will be signed before the end of 2024. It is anticipated that physical works would begin in the year 2025, with transition to 80% demand generation from renewables by 2027/28.
Notes to Editor
The Virtual Island Summit (VIS), which is organised by Island Innovation, represents a global network of over 500 islands in helping advance innovation and drive sustainable change across island communities worldwide. This year’s theme was “The Race to Renewables: Redefining the Potential of Economic Prosperity Through a Just Transition”.
The Children and Adult’s Safeguarding Board would like to notify all registered charities that the consultation period for comment on new policy templates is now open. The proposed documents can be found on the SHG website at www.sainthelena.gov.sh/public-services/st-helena-childrens-and-adults-safeguarding-board/. Hard copies can also be found at the Public Library in Jamestown.
As part of our ongoing commitment to the safeguarding of children and vulnerable adults, we have developed new policy templates that we believe will form a sound basis for all safeguarding policies across the charity sector. However, we understand that every charity is unique, and we want to ensure that our templates are tailored and achievable for all charities, regardless of their size and resources.
For this reason we have developed three different templates, each reflecting the Island’s key charity types. These are:
Charities that have regular or unsupervised contact with children or vulnerable adults
Charities that have only incidental contact with children or vulnerable adults
Religious or faith based charities
We therefore seek input from all registered charities on the policies. All views are encouraged, but we particularly seeks views in considering the following:
The policies in general and comments on their content
Whether implementing these are likely to be achievable for the charity, along with further information on this
Whether this is believed to be proportionate for the charity
We believe that our policies must reflect the realities of the sector and the unique challenges that different charities face. Therefore, your input and feedback are critical to ensuring that our policies are practical, proportionate and effective for safeguarding vulnerable individuals.
During this consultation period we will have an open session where parties are invited to attend and provide feedback or ask any additional questions. Further details on this session will be provided shortly.
All charities are asked to return their comments by 31 October 2023. Reponses can be submitted by email via shsafeguardingboard@shg.gov.sh. We will not be able to consider comments received after this time.
For more information, please contact the Chair of the Safeguarding Board, Tim McDermott, on shsafeguardingboard@shg.gov.sh.
Notes to Editors
The Safeguarding Board is committed to promoting and safeguarding the welfare of children and vulnerable adults. Led by experts in safeguarding, we work with a range of partners and organisations to ensure a coordinated and effective approach to safeguarding across St Helena
Did you know that 38% of St Helena’s land is designated as National Conservation Areas (NCAs)?
St Helena Government (SHG) are partnering with the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC) and the South Atlantic Environmental Research Institute (SAERI) to develop plans for the sustainable management of the ‘nature’ NCAs. These are six Nature Reserves, five Important Wirebird Areas and two of the National Parks. This does not include The Peaks National Park, which has not been included in this project.
The project, Sustainable management of St Helena’s National Conservation Areas, aims to actively involve local community members, businesses and landowners in and around the NCAs to develop management options for sustainable land-use. The project (DPLUS154) is being funded by the UK government through the Darwin Plus Fund.
To understand the current level of awareness around the NCAs, Project Officer Tom Kitching and JNCC team member Eve Englefield, visiting from the UK, will be undertaking some initial engagement with members of the public. This will be through a short survey, alongside an opportunity to chat about the project in person and ask questions. This engagement will provide important context ahead of work beginning to start formulating and developing management plans.
Gumwood trees in the Barn and Stone Top National Park – Geological formations in Sandy Bay National Park
What are the National Conservation Areas (NCAs)?
St Helena has 23 designated National Conservation Areas (NCAs) split into four types: National Parks (3); Nature Reserves (6); Important Wirebird Areas (5) and Historic Conservation Areas (9).
List of St Helena’s National Conservation Areas, those highlighted are covered under the current project.
Name of NCA
Type of NCA
Name of NCA
Type of NCA
Sandy bay
National Park
Plantation House
Historic Conservation area
The Peaks
National Park
Longwood House
Historic Conservation area
The Barn and Stone top
National Park
Napoleon’s tomb
Historic Conservation area
Man and Horse
Important Wirebird Area
The Briars
Historic Conservation area
Broad Bottom
Important Wirebird Area
Knollcombes
Historic Conservation area
Deadwood Plain
Important Wirebird Area
Prosperous Bay Plain
Nature Reserve
Bottom woods
Important Wirebird Area
Millennium Forest
Nature Reserve
Upper prosperous
Important Wirebird Area
Heart-shaped water fall
Nature Reserve
Heritage coast
Historic Conservation site
High hill
Nature Reserve
Jamestown
Historic Conservation site
Deep valley
Nature Reserve
Lemon valley
Historic Conservation site
Islands
Nature Reserve
High Knoll fort
Historic Conservation site
What is the purpose of having NCAs?
They are designated to protect and enhance the iconic natural landscapes, endemic biodiversity and built heritage of St Helena, whilst promoting sustainable use. There are four types of NCAs, although this project will only be focused on the three type of NCAs that are designated for nature.
National Parks – Large areas with a mixture of special features. Intended to preserve the character and visual impact of landscapes, but also to encourage sustainable recreational use. These may have discrete areas within them of particular biological, cultural or geological importance.
Nature Reserves – Discrete areas containing some of St Helena’s most important habitats and species. Intended for the conservation and restoration of St Helena’s globally important biodiversity.
Important Wirebird Areas – The most important breeding locations for St Helena’s only remaining endemic vertebrate. These areas are a mixture of farmed and natural habitats and are designated to safeguard the wirebird population and support appropriately maintained habitats.
Historic Conservation Areas – St Helena’s most important built and cultural heritage sites.
Why do NCAs need management plans?
To make sure the NCAs deliver on the objectives for which they were designated, they need to be appropriately managed.
The new management plans will consider the future needs of competing land uses, taking a comprehensive and structured approach to planning which considers not only environmental priorities, but developments as well.
Heart Shaped Waterfall Nature Reserve
How can you engage with this project?
If you would like to have your say on how our NCAs are managed, or would like more information about the project, then please come and speak to us at the Market in Jamestown on 12 October between 09:00 and 14:00. Alternatively, contact Tom directly by email through thomas.kitching@sainthelena.gov.sh or by telephone on 24724. The online survey can be accessed at https://forms.office.com/r/MVq7jgwCCn.
Each year the International Maritime Organization (IMO) recognises today, Thursday 28 September, as World Maritime Day. This day serves to emphasise the importance of the maritime industry and aims to promote innovations in the industry that improve maritime security, maritime environment, shipping and safety.
The theme set by the IMO this year is “MARPOL at 50 – Our commitment goes on”. The theme spotlights the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL), which covers prevention of pollution of the marine environment by ships from operational or accidental causes.
Currently, the Safety, Security and Home Affairs (SS&HA) portfolio is hosting members of the Maritime Coastguard Agency (MCA) from the UK. Alison Leighton, Chris Doherty-Ingram and Lucy Pope are here to support SHG’s Maritime Authority with preparing for a proxy audit, expected to be carried out early next year, on St Helena’s compliance with international maritime obligations.
Some of the principles of MARPOL will be covered within the audit and SHG will be assessed against how well the practices and procedures in place comply with these. Working closely with our partners in the MCA will help to ensure that St Helena is playing its part in protecting the Island’s marine environment.
Three new officers have recently arrived at St Helena to bolster the ranks of HM Prison and Offender Management Service (HM Prison).
On 9 September 2023 Clyde Greene and Stephen Gibson joined the service from the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation in the Turks and Caicos Islands, bringing with them a wealth of knowledge and experience in correctional services. On 16 September 2023 Adonis Sampson joined HM Prison from the UK, enhancing our diverse custodial expertise.
These fully trained and highly experienced professionals have generously been deployed to St Helena for the next three months. Their arrival marks a crucial addition to our dedicated team during a busy period for our service. Their presence ensures the continuity of a constructive prison regime, allowing us to uphold our commitment to safety, security, and rehabilitation.
Superintendent, Jay Kendall, expressed his gratitude by saying:
“We are delighted to welcome Officers Stephen Gibson, Adonis Sampson, and Clyde Greene to our close-knit community here on St Helena. Their expertise and dedication will undoubtedly contribute to the continued success of our Prison Service. Together, we look forward to maintaining our high standards and serving the community. Welcome to our team!”
The arrival of these officers reaffirms the collaborative spirit and commitment to excellence that defines HM Prison on St Helena.
For any enquiries relating to this matter or HM Prison more generally, please contact the Superintendent by email through Jay.Kendall@sainthelena.gov.sh
The Virtual Island Summit (VIS) is taking place this week from Monday 25 September to Friday 29 September 2023. The summit is organised by Island Innovation, which represents a global network of over 500 islands in helping advance innovation and drive sustainable change across island communities worldwide. Speakers will cover all 17 of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, in addition to other topics relevant to island communities. This year’s theme is “The Race to Renewables: Redefining the Potential of Economic Prosperity Through a Just Transition”.
On Thursday 28 September at 10:00 (GMT), Chief Minister Julie Thomas will be speaking on ‘The way forward for St Helena with Regards to Renewable Energy’. She will be addressing attendees remotely.
The session will explore how islands around the world can be, and already are, at the forefront of the renewable energy revolution. It will also looks at how they can harness these changes for sustainable economic growth and social equity, in the pursuit of a greener, more equitable future for islands and their communities.
Participation to the virtual event is free, maximising the accessibility of the event to people around the world. Those interested in attending the event in person may do so at the Canister Conference Room from 09:30 onwards. Alternatively, registration for online events can be completed through https://islandinnovation.co/events/virtual-island-summit/.
Initial public consultation on the draft Immigration Policy concluded at the end of 2022. Since that time the Safety, Security and Home Affairs (SS&HA) Portfolio have been collating responses and liaising with Ministers and Elected Members to consider these.
A number of responses were received and as a result the policy is being revised and expanded. The revision will mean that the policy provides greater detail into the background on the need to develop a new Immigration Policy for St Helena, and the drivers for the specific changes proposed.
These amendments are currently being drafted, following which Ministers and Elected Members will be provided further opportunity to review the updated policy and options, before it is released once again for public comment.
Whilst it was expected that we would be further through the policy making process at this stage, the responses received during the first stage of consultation have been crucial in helping to inform the development of the policy.
The Public Service apologises for the delay, but it is important to ensure that any policy put forward is fit for purpose and meets the ethos of a sustainable environment that creates opportunity and inspires social and economic progress, in-line with the Ministerial Vision. Consultation is critical element of this.
The public are thanked for their input into the initial consultation stages, and are encouraged to view the new policy when it comes out for public consultation.
The Royal St Helena Police (RSHP) have welcomed the sentencing last week of Dr Sergio Bran, following prior guilty pleas, and hope that this in some way provides a degree of closure to the members of the community whose lives have been affected.
The investigation itself was both complex and extensive, requiring additional resourcing from the UK to support criminal investigators already on the Island. The investigation conducted by the RSHP was perhaps the most comprehensive undertaken in St Helena in recent years and required collaboration from many different agencies and specialists, both on-Island and overseas.
Tribute must be paid to the victims and all affected by this case. They have shown tremendous bravery and resilience through what has been an incredibly challenging period. Hopefully this outcome will go some small way in allowing them to move forward with their lives.
The case officer, DC Rick Crowther, said:
“The investigation was long and extensive, due to a number of factors, so it is now pleasing to finally get some justice for the victims whom Mr Bran has admitted to recklessly wounding. I would like to thank the Health and Social Care Portfolio for initially raising their concern regarding the practises of Mr Bran and for their continued cooperation. But mostly I will remember this investigation for the strength and courage shown by the victims, and everyone who came forward, for staying with this case to its conclusion.”
The senior investigating officer, DCI Pete Found, said:
“It is credit to the hard work and tenacity of a number of skilled investigators, as well as the trust and bravery shown by numerous members of the public, that this matter has been concluded in this way. Hopefully this outcome provides some reassurance to the community as a whole that Royal St Helena Police will deal with all matters, irrespective of complexity or sensitivity, in a way which ultimately delivers justice to victims and makes the Island safer for us all.”
