Category: Press Releases

Earlier today, Wednesday 28 June, Minister for Treasury, Infrastructure and Sustainable Development, Mark Brooks, announced the signing of a lease between SHG and OneWeb. The announcement was made during Minister Brook’s 2023/24 budget speech to the Legislative Council.

The lease will allow OneWeb to develop an earth station at Horse Point, in the area designated for St Helena’s Space Park. OneWeb will now be working with their local agent, Sure South Atlantic, to develop and build the earth station.

The establishment of the earth station is closely aligned with SHG’s key strategic policy goals, including the Satellite Ground Station Policy, Sustainable Economic Development Plan 2018-29, the Ten-Year Plan 2017-27, the Investment Policy and Strategy and the Digital Strategy.

The development of the earth station represents a significant economic opportunity to the Island through the creation of financial opportunities throughout the lifespan of the development. It will generate direct income for the government through the lease and licencing arrangements, money that can be invested back into delivering public services and improving living standards for all, as well as offsetting the costs associated with running the Island’s fibre cable link. It will also make a contribution to wider Island economy through construction, maintenance and operational activities throughout its lifespan, whilst at the same time creating job opportunities for the local population.

By locating an earth station on St Helena, OneWeb will be able to interconnect their satellite network to the world’s fibre network, via the Island’s cable landing station. All associated traffic will be transmitted off-Island through Google’s Equiano subsea cable.

The implementation of this critical and key facility will improve telecoms coverage across the southernmost remote parts of the South Atlantic Ocean via OneWeb’s platform. This will contribute to closing the digital divide within the South Atlantic Ocean, including Tristan da Cunha and Ascension, and will improve travel experience and safety of navigation for aircraft and vessels.  Maritime and aviation safety will also be greatly enhanced following the establishment of the gateway.  

On the signing of the lease, Minister Brooks said: 

“This is the first realisation of SHG’s Satellite Ground Station Policy, published back in 2020, and is the first of what we hope will be many such firms that choose to come to St Helena to do business. This shows that taking a strategic approach to issues and making sure that appropriate structures are in place for the private sector to build on, our enabling environment, does deliver results in the long run. OneWeb will now be working with their local agent to complete the build of the station and begin operations.”

Notes to Editors

A ground station is a terminal that allows extraplanetary communication with satellites or space craft. Earth Stations are viewed as a collection of equipment installed on the earth’s surface that enables communications over one or more satellites. Earth stations consist of a reflector antenna (or parabolic dish), a feed system to send and receive the RF carrier, data handling equipment and mechanical tracking equipment to keep the satellite within the antenna’s data send/receive area.

OneWeb’s proposed earth station will allow telecommunication with spacecraft including, OneWeb’s constellation of more than 600 plus Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites, which aims to provide global broadband coverage. 

#StHelena #IsolationConnected #AltogetherWealthier

The Minister for Treasury, Infrastructure and Sustainable Development, Mark Brooks, today, Wednesday 28 June 2023, delivered the 2023/24 budget speech for St Helena to the Legislative Council. A copy of the budget speech is available online at www.sainthelena.gov.sh/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Budget-Speech-2023-24.pdf

In his opening remarks, Minister Brooks said: 

“This budget continues to support our Vision, published in March last year, but also takes into account the realities of the changing economic and operational environment resulting from yet another year of continuing recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, and ongoing global inflationary pressures.”

“At the heart of our vision is our environment, our economy, and our social obligations. While the government, I feel, is clear on its priorities, in tandem it is important that I highlight the need for a genuine mind-set change. A mind-set change by SHG, its leaders, the civil service, and indeed the general population. We believe we need to focus on what makes St Helena attractive, what truly makes us great and unique, and use these characteristics to grow and develop.”

The budget is presented following agreement of a 4% increase in the Financial Aid settlement from the UK Government when compared to 2022/23, equivalent to an additional £1.27 million. This includes an increase in core financial aid of £1.071 million, £114,000 for airport operations and £500,000 to further develop the tourism industry.

The UK Government continues to provide contingency funding on a call down basis, albeit at a lower level of £1.7 million. This means total available funding from the UK Government of £33.06 million.  

In his budget speech, Minister Brooks expressed gratitude to His Majesty’s Government for their continued support to St Helena through Financial Aid.  

In concluding his budget speech, Minister Brooks said:

“We speak a lot as an Island, about creating an enabling environment on St Helena. In reality there is still much we need to do across SHG to perform better, be it our procurement systems, HR processes or customer services. We are also well aware of the need to update some of our outdated procedures, policies, and legislation across the board. But the change in mind-set does not just involve the government.”

“The challenges we face demand a united front and a shared commitment to progress. By embracing the strength of collaboration, we can combine our diverse talents, ideas and perspectives to achieve outcomes that surpass our individual capabilities.”

“Each and every one of us must take ownership of our own futures, recognising that our choices, actions, and contributions play a crucial role in shaping the destiny of our Island. It is not enough to simply rely on external forces or wait for others to chart our path.”

The motion to consider the Appropriation Bill 2023 now stands adjourned until Friday 30 June 2023, when the details of the Bill will be debated by Legislative Council. 

Allocations for both recurrent and capital expenditure as outlined in the Appropriation Bill 2023 and the Budget Book are as follows: 

• Pensions and Benefits – £5.7 million
• Health and Social Care – £9.1 million
• Education, Skills and Employment – £3.6 million
• Environment, Natural Resources and Planning – £1.7 million
• Treasury, Infrastructure and Sustainable Development, which includes grants and subsidies, centrally managed contracts like the swimming pool and public transport system etc. – £14.1 million
• Central Support Service which includes support to Council and the Technical Cooperation Budget – £10.0 million
• Safety, Security and Home Affairs – £2.6 million
• Attorney General’s Chambers – £105,000, and
• Judicial Services – £147,000

#StHelena #Budget23 #AltogetherWealthier

The 2023 Register of Electors has today been published in an Extraordinary Gazette. This Register is effective from 1 July 2023.

The 2023 Register of Electors is available on the SHG website at: https://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/news/government-gazettes/.

Alternatively, hard copies of the Register will be available from the following locations:

• Customer Service Centre, Jamestown
• Public Library, Jamestown
• ENRPP Offices, Scotland
• The Office of the Registration Officer, the Castle, Jamestown

#StHelena #RegisterOfElectors

St Helena Primary Schools have entered the Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition for a number of years, and this year was no exception. The Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition (QCEC) is the oldest school essay competition in the world, established in 1883, and has welcomed winners from across the globe during its many years.

With thousands of young people taking part each year, it is an important way of recognising achievement, giving young people a voice and developing key skills through creative writing.

Each year, participants write on a theme that explores Commonwealth values, promotes an empathetic worldview in the next generation of leaders, and encourages young people to consider new perspectives on the challenges facing the world. Themes include the environment, community, inclusion, the role of young leaders and gender equality.

In 2022, on the occasion of her Platinum Jubilee year, Her Majesty the Queen celebrated 70 years as Head of the Commonwealth. The theme of the competition was ‘Our Commonwealth’, asking candidates to explore the positive impact that dedication and selfless commitment to our Commonwealth can have.

A record 26,322 candidates from across the Commonwealth entered the QCEC, including students from St Helena.

The topics for the junior category were:

• Imagine being a grandparent in 2022. Tell your grandchildren a bedtime story about an inspirational person.
• What do you think are the best ways for young people to serve the Commonwealth?
• Our Commonwealth Community
• Write a job description for a superhero needed to solve a problem in your community.

An awards ceremony was held at Plantation House on Tuesday 20 June, presented by Governor Nigel Philips, Head Teacher of St Paul’s Primary School Patricia Williams, teacher Gavie Williams and Director of Education Wendy Benjamin. All successful entries received a Certificate of Participation. In addition, 14 students were awarded bronze medals, six were awarded silver medals and five were awarded gold medals at the ceremony, surrounded by their families, teachers and invited guests.

Head Teacher of St Paul’s Primary School, Patricia Williams, commented:

“The evening went extremely well, thanks to our Governor and Mrs Phillips and the Plantation staff who prepared for the occasion. It was really overwhelming to hear what our young students had to say about our Commonwealth community, considering situations around the world and also creating an application for a superhero to solve a problem in St Helena.”

“Clearly at this age, they are already thinking and seeing the problems we face on the Island and how best to overcome some of them. Their depth of thought and creativity was astounding and there was a lot of food for thought for our audience, which included the Chief Minister who is no doubt working with her team on the same issues. Thanks also go to our teachers who provided stimulus for our students in order for them to achieve these fantastic awards. Well done to all of our students for your inspiring essays and poems.”

#StHelena #QueenCommonwealthEssay #EssayCompetitionRecital #PrimarySchools

The International Maritime Organization (IMO) recognises 25 June each year as Seafarers’ Day. This day is an opportunity to honour the role of seafarers in a global industry that contributes greatly to the movement of supplies and goods around the world.

This year, the IMO celebrates the 50th anniversary of the implementation of the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL), which requires the prevention of pollution of the marine environment from ships, whether operational or accidental. This year’s campaign, therefore, focuses on the contribution of seafarers to the protection of the marine environment.

Raising awareness of marine pollution is a recurring and important theme here on St Helena. For instance, just recently on World Oceans Day on Thursday 8 June, the Marine Environment Management Plan was published, which heavily featured actions and mitigations around marine pollution.

Over the past year, staff from SHG and other organisations on the Island have also taken part in anti-pollution training, and a Pollution Preparedness and Response Working Group has been formed. This includes representatives from across SHG and has been tasked with developing and implementing plans for dealing with pollution incidents. As seafarers are a key part of the solution to protecting the marine environment, Merril Lawrence, who served on the ex-RMS St Helena, shared his own experience of complying with the MARPOL Convention:

“As Second Engineer on board the RMS St Helena, I was responsible for ensuring compliance with the MARPOL Convention. The MARPOL Convention requires that all movements of fuel, lubricating oil, sludge and bilge water must be accurately recorded in an oil register and retained for inspection. The Convention also stipulates that bilge water containing more than 15 parts per million of oil must not be discharged into the sea.

In practice, an oily water separator is used to separate the oil residues from the bilge water. The water is then pumped overboard through an oil-in-water monitoring system and the oil residues are pumped to a sludge tank which is stored for disposal ashore at an approved waste treatment centre. When the bilge water is discharged, all GPS positions are recorded and the amount of bilge water is discharged into the sea.

I will always remember my first major responsibility, which was to operate and maintain the oil/water separator and pump bilge water overboard in accordance with strict requirements. It was a very frightening experience when I considered the consequences if I discharged oil overboard, or if for some reason the oil/water separator was not maintained in good working order. If this process went wrong, I would be responsible for the environmental damage, the ship would be detained with a hefty fine and I could potentially go to jail. It was at this stage that I really started to appreciate what we have here in St Helena. As a child, I took it all for granted. The sea and the outdoors are unique. After travelling and studying in the UK I realised how special St Helena is. I remember working a lot of overtime on the machinery, maintaining and repairing it, to keep the ship in compliance with MARPOL regulations and able to sail.

Recently, in my current role with Connect St Helena, I attended the Pollution Response and Preparedness training organised by SHG and it brought it all back to what we did during my 18-year career at sea. I’m happy to see the progress we’ve made in marine awareness and pollution prevention on the Island, but it’s also shocking to see the amount of plastic waste washing up on our coastline compared to 10 years ago. I think it’s important that we all understand and help to protect our environment before it’s too late to reverse the damage or effects of marine pollution.”

#StHelena #OceansWorthProtecting #SeafarersDay #MarinePollutionAwareness

To improve transparency and accessibility, Formal Legislative Council sessions are now available on the St Helena Government YouTube channel. These recordings can be accessed anywhere and at any time.

Whilst Hansards are produced which provide a written record of every formal meeting, making audio recordings available online will improve the ways in which people can access and engage with the business and proceedings of the Legislative Council, promoting further transparency in the process.

The three Ministers Question Time sessions are now available on the SHG YouTube channel at the following link www.youtube.com/@StHelenaGovernment1638. They can also be accessed through the Legislative Council section of the SHG website via www.sainthelena.gov.sh/government/legislative-council/order-papers/.

Whilst it won’t be possible to upload copies of previous formal sessions of the Legislative Council due to issues with the audio recordings of these, all future Formal open sessions will be put online. This includes Formal Legislative Council sittings, Minister’s Question Time and Select Committee Meetings.

Audio recordings of proceedings will be uploaded shortly after the conclusion of the sessions, usually within three working days.

Formal Legislative Council meetings are also broadcast live across St Helena on SAMS Radio 1 and are open to members of the public to attend in person.

#StHelena #LegislativeCouncil #MinisterQuestionTime

A formal meeting of Legislative Council will take place on Wednesday 28 June at 10am at the St Helena Community College. This is the first sitting of the thirteenth meeting of Legislative Council and will be broadcast live via SAMS Radio 1.

The Order Paper includes six Sessional Papers and fifteen questions for oral response. There will also be a total of two Bills for debate, namely the 2023 Appropriation Bill, which details the expenditure budget for 2023/24 and the Telecommunications (Amendment) Bill 2023.

Bills can be viewed on the SHG website at www.sainthelena.gov.sh/government/legislative-council/bills-for-an-ordinance/

A copy of the Order Paper, which is subject to change, can be viewed on the SHG website at https://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/government/legislative-council/order-papers/.

The second sitting of the thirteenth Legislative Council will take place on Friday 30 June 2023.

The session will conclude with the customary Adjournment Debate, during which each Elected Member will have the opportunity to raise various island issues.

#StHelena #LegislativeCouncil #FormalLegCo #OrderPaper

The International Day of Women in Diplomacy is celebrated annually on 24 June. It was established by the United Nations (UN) on 20 June 2022 to reaffirm that women’s participation, on an equal footing with men and at all levels of decision-making, is essential to achieving sustainable development, peace and democracy. The International Day of Women in Diplomacy provides an opportunity for the world to recognise and applaud the work of women diplomats.

Of the 193 United Nations member states, only 34 currently have women as elected heads of state or government. Progress has been made in many countries. However, there is still a long way to go in terms of women’s representation at other levels of global political office. Currently, women make up:

• 21% of the global ministers
• 26% of national parliamentarians
• 34% of elected local government representatives

According to a new UN report, at the current rate of progress, equal representation in global parliaments will not be achieved until 2062.

What about St Helena?

The St Helena Legislative Council has 15 members, 12 of which are elected for a four-year term by popular vote of the public and are voting members. Of the other three members, two fulfil the roles of the Speaker and the Deputy Speaker, with the Attorney-General also being an ex-officio member of the Council.

Currently, five women, are part of the St Helena Legislative Council. This means that 41% of Elected Members are women. Two of the five Ministers (or 40%) in the Executive Council, St Helena’s executive branch, are women.

In comparison, in February 2020 40% of members of the European Parliament were female, and in 2022 30% of ministerial positions in the UK were held by women.

The chart below shows the number of women elected at St Helena general elections since 2013:

To mark this day, a short interview with Chief Minister Julie Thomas will be released on SHG’s social media channels.

• YouTube: www.youtube.com/@StHelenaGovernment1638
• Twitter: www.twitter.com/StHelenaGovt
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/StHelenaGovt

Reflecting on International Day of Women in Diplomacy 2023, Chief Minister Julie Thomas said:

“Female representation in diplomacy is vitally important. Women have different viewpoints on how we see politics and life in general when compared to men, so we are able to bring different experiences to the table. I’m proud that in my position as Chief Minister, I am able to be an ambassador for St Helena and communicate to the world what it is our fantastic Island and community has to offer.”

If you’d like more information and figures about women in politics and public life, please visit www.commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/sn01250/, or www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_GGGR_2022.pdf.

#StHelena #InternationalDayofWomeninDiplomacy #WomenRepresentation #InterviewChiefMinister

News, updates and communications from St Helena Government are available through a variety of communication channels. These options are designed to suit the habits and needs of the St Helena community, ensuring you can keep up-to-date and informed as you see fit.

News and updates are posted to the SHG website at www.sainthelena.gov.sh, the SHG Twitter feed at www.twitter.com/StHelenaGovt and the SHG Facebook page at www.facebook.com/StHelenaGovt.

You can also request to be added to our direct mailing list, to receive updates directly to your email. If you’d like to be added, please contact kimberley.peters@sainthelena.gov.sh.

In addition to the main SHG channels, several portfolios and directorates also have their own social media handles. Through these, you can keep up-to-date with what is going on across a variety of government work areas.

All available channels are listed below. It is now up to you to choose your preferences.

#StHelena #News #Updates #Communications #SocialMedia

Between Monday 12 June and Friday 16 June, a number of events were held across the Island to mark Diabetes Awareness Week 2023. The week was used to raise awareness of the risks of diabetes, and what you can do to help prevent or manage diabetes yourself. Around 1 in 4 people in St Helena are taking medication for diabetes and roughly 400 people are living with prediabetes.

Dietitian Sarah Mattinson was on hand throughout the week at various locations running pop up awareness cafes. During these, she discussed and answered questions from the community, as well as shared important information about diabetes. Areas covered included:

• What is diabetes?
• What are the symptoms associated with diabetes?
• How to manage type 2 diabetes?

She also gave advice on how to eat healthier by suggesting recipes that we can all reproduce using the food we find available to us on the Island. This covered a wide range of potentially delish and healthy meals, including pancakes and roasted beetroot hummus:

Sarah also cooked and shared some healthy snacks for attendees at events, showing off what can be made locally to replace the processed products available in the shops.

At the events; it was explained that a healthy, balanced diet is about eating the right types of food and drink in the right amounts. To help with this, advice was given on recommended portion sizes for a meal. A portion is how much food you want to eat at one time, whether in a restaurant, from a packet or at home. The picture below is an example of how the use of your hands is an easy way to measure food portions.

Rae Dickie-Clark, Emergency Care Assistant, was also on hand to any questions and take the blood pressure of anyone who wished to have it taken. The main goal of a blood pressure test is to check if your blood pressure is healthy, or if it’s high or low.Blood pressure is the term used to describe the strength with which your blood pushes on the sides of your arteries as it’s pumped around your body. High blood pressure (hypertension) can increase your risk of developing serious problems, such as heart attacks and strokes, if it’s not treated. Having this quick test is the only way to find out what your blood pressure is it could save your life.

Dietician Sarah Mattinson commented:

“I’d like to thank all the people who visited us and spoke to us during Diabetes Awareness Week. I’d also like to thank the health promotion team for their support over the past few days. Public awareness is important if we are to have the resources to prevent diabetes. We encourage everyone to remain mindful of their diets, and keep an eye out for any signs of possible diabetes illness“

Photos:

#StHelena #Diabetes #AltogetherHealthier