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EXCO report: 16 April 2013
 

Today we began our meeting with discussion of a paper presented by the Attorney General, which sought approval for the number of Council Committees to be reduced from eight to five and for work to be taken forward to produce detailed proposals on how the Committees should be structured.
The Attorney General noted that recent consultation about possible revisions to the Constitution foundered upon the issue of whether there should be a Chief Councillor.
However, during that exercise it seemed clear that a broad consensus existed within Council, and amongst the public, for a reduction in the number of Committees.
To adjust the number of Committees does not require an amendment to the Constitution and it would be open to Councillors to choose to restore the link between Committee Chairmanship and Executive Council.
Councillors approved the proposed return to five Council Committees and undertook to address the detail of the structure with a view to a further paper coming to EXCO with recommendations for the Committee structure.
The issue will first be further discussed by all 12 Councillors at an informal meeting of LEGCO on Friday.
 


The Solicitor General joined EXCO to present the next paper which concerned the introduction of a Minimum Wage on St Helena.
The Solicitor General had been more closely involved over some months with the development of the Minimum Wage policy.
Council was asked to approve the Minimum Wage rates as recommended by the Employment Rights Committee and that the rates, if approved, should become effective from 1 June 2013.
Council approved the minimum wage rates and confirmed that they should be introduced from 1 June 2013.
Council welcomed the establishment of minimum wage rates and the expected positive social impact to be gained from protecting the interests of the lowest paid.

 

Moving on to the next paper, this concerned the annual increase in the freight tariffs and passenger fares on the RMS St Helena; and the first stage of phasing out transhipment subsidies for freight.
The paper was presented by Councillor Derek Thomas, Deputy Chairman of the Access and Transport Committee. Council approved the routine 4% annual increase in RMS fares and freight to take effect from 1 July 2013, which was in keeping with the RMS 2013/14 business plan.
In respect of the reduction in the transhipment freight subsidy this applies only to cargo shipped from the UK.
It was agreed in the DAPM process, that the subsidy should be reduced in stages over three years from 2013/14 so that it is removed completely by the time the airport opens in 2016.
Council noted that given the time over which this change is being introduced there should be no appreciable impact on the economy.
The reduction in subsidy will take effect from 1 June with (depending on the type of cargo) the following increase in cost per 20 ft container: 60 to 100 pounds in the first year; and 200 pounds per year in the following two years.

 

A paper presented by the Attorney General on a licence issue related to Connect Saint Helena Ltd was deferred to the next sitting of Council to allow more time for review of the details.



The final matter for discussion today was a letter from a member of the public to Governor in Council seeking relief from customs duties.
Council instructed that the letter should be dealt with by the Collector of Customs in accordance with current regulations.



Before our meeting closed at 12.30, I told Councillors that I would visit the UK shortly on business to attend the annual FCO Leadership Conference and also a Governors¡Ç Conference.
I would follow that with some leave in Europe, returning to St Helena in early June.



Thank you as always for listening and so, from Jamestown, a very good afternoon to you all.



Mark Capes



Governor



SHG



16 April 2013






FUNERAL OF LADY THATCHER



Lady Thatcher¡Çs funeral will take place tomorrow at 11.00 (GMT), Wednesday 17 April 2013.
Members of the public are welcome to express their sympathy by signing a Book of Condolence, which will be placed in the Council Chamber foyer at the Castle, on the day of the funeral, Wednesday 17 April, from 09.00 to 16.00.
Flags will be flown at Half Mast tomorrow, when the funeral ceremony, with full military honours, will take place at London's St Paul's Cathedral, following a procession from Westminster.

 

The Queen, accompanied by the Duke of Edinburgh, will attend the service.



SHG



16 April 2013




GOVERNOR TO DEPART ON BUSINESS & LEAVE



Next Monday, 22 April 2013, HE The Governor and Mrs.
Capes will depart for Cape Town from where they will continue to the UK.
In London, the Governor will attend the annual Foreign and Commonwealth Office Leadership Conference which is attended by all Governors, Ambassadors and High Commissioners from around the global, British diplomatic network.



In addition, the Governor will join a separate conference for Governors and will also call on a number of UK Government officials and other business related contacts.
After a short spell on holiday, the Governor will return to St Helena on Thursday 13 June.
In his absence, Chief Secretary Mr. Owen O¡ÇSullivan will act as Governor.



SHG



15 April 2013





REVIEW OF MARITIME SECTOR OF ST HELENA



St Helena has a long and proud maritime tradition and has the potential for recreational tours, water sports, observation of local marine life and sports fishing.
The institutional arrangements that support existing maritime operations and what would be needed to facilitate these developments, need to be improved.
SHG requires advice and guidance on the adequacy of the existing legislative framework, the adequacy of current industry governance and recommendations for change.

 

The contract for this review, through public tender, was awarded to Marine Maven (T&T) Ltd, owned by Chris (Hedge) Shuter, who will also assess the standards of construction, manning and operation of small commercial vessels, and mechanisms and methods suitable for St Helena¡Çs location and size for the cost effective regulation of this business sector. The initial tasks of the review are to research the ways similar functions are carried out in other jurisdictions, particularly small Island states, and prepare options for discussion whilst taking into account the new investment policy.
Marine Maven (T&T) Ltd will identify the maritime industry stakeholders and make arrangements to ensure that they are properly consulted.
It will quantify the existing maritime industry support infrastructure, including arrangements for licensing and training. ¡ÆWorkshop¡Ç sessions to Elected Members, SHG Directors, managers and industry stakeholders will explain the options, recommendations and implementation tasks for the reform of the maritime sector, and obtain support and endorsement of the recommended way forward.



An Inception Report will be produced, to include a draft work plan, a report of the research, a description of the options available, and consideration of the practicalities of implementation.
A final Report at the end of the assignment will make recommendations and set out the next steps.



Hedge commented: ¡ÆI see the challenge of the review is firstly to gather relevant information from individual, corporate, institutional and Government stakeholders, in order to gain their views on how the maritime sector can be improved. Secondly, to devise options for regulation and governance of the commercial and leisure sectors, with the emphasis on producing sound regulation which provides a balance between the burden of legislation and safe operating procedures. Whatever is implemented must be achievable by and affordable to local people.



¡ÆDue to the high volume of work required in a short timescale, I will employ two local research assistants.
My company intends to stay in St Helena and help develop the maritime sector in the lead up to the airport opening.
Any capital gain for my company in completing this project will be taxed on the Island and certain profits will be re-invested in the local economy.¡Ç



SHG



15 April 2013





JOURNALIST MICHAEL BINYON TO GIVE PUBLIC TALK


Michael Binyon, a journalist working for The Times, will give a talk called "Behind the Times" at the Museum this Thursday, 18 April, at 7.00pm.
The public are welcome to attend.
The talk will look at the daily life of this famous British newspaper - how it works, how it decides what to report, and what influence it has in Britain and the world.
Michael will also detail some of the things that happen behind the scenes that the public doesn't usually see.
Michael Binyon joined The Times as a young reporter in 1972, working first on the home desk, and then on the foreign desk.



In 1975 he was sent to Washington to work in The Times Bureau there, and in 1977 he went to Moscow to reopen the paper's Bureau in the Soviet Union after a gap of five years.
He then moved to Germany in 1982, to Washington again in 1985 and Brussels in 1989.
He returned to London in 1991 as Diplomatic Editor, and became the paper¡Çs Chief Foreign Editorial Writer in 2000, retiring from the paper in 2009.



He still writes for The Times, as well as for various other journals and publications, and is a frequent broadcaster for the BBC and foreign radio and television stations.



SHG



15 April 2013




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