Ascension : BUSINESS NEWS FROM ST HELENA - Ex-Co Report 18th – 2nd September 2008
Submitted by The Islander (Ascension Island Government) 11.09.2008 (Article Archived on 25.09.2008)
Although it has been three weeks since an Ex-Co, there were only two items on the agenda for today’s meeting. However there was some useful discussion during Any Other Business.
Although it has been three weeks since an Ex-Co, there were only two items on the agenda for today’s meeting. However there was some useful discussion during Any Other Business.
The first matter was a further consideration of the Application for Development Permission with regard to the airport. As you will all be aware we are now approaching a period when most of those involved in the access project are anticipating a decision. It would be fair to say that such people are expecting a positive decision. That means that we need to move now on some of the preparations for construction. DfID has set us an excellent example by spending some £250,000 on ensuring that the way is clear for the haul road by funding a large team of archaeologists to excavate the slave graves at Ruperts. One of our tasks is to ensure that the process for Development Permission is in place. Today we agreed that the conditions attached to the granting of that permission will be threefold:
1. The social and environmental mitigation measures described in the Environmental Management Plan must be strictly adhered to,
2. Detailed designs for the external finishes of the terminal must be approved by the Governor in Council, and
3. Separate permission must be obtained if the Contractor’s Designs vary significantly from the Reference design.
All these are tightening up measures to ensure that we are getting what we want with regard to the airport.
The second matter was a paper that aided discussion on the issue of our possible use of Ex-Gratia payments when Islanders have suffered some kind of loss through no fault of their own. This is a very difficult area and yet we felt obliged to look into it as part of our undertaking to assist those who are vulnerable. One of the principles we agreed on was that it would be wrong for your government to pay recompense for something that is capable of being insured against.
Rock-fall is a good example of this. It is now possible to insure against rock-fall damage and so for government to pay for refurbishment as a result of rock-fall would be particularly unfair to those who had purchased insurance. I am not saying that government shouldn’t protect against rock-fall, but that it cannot act as an insurance company would to benefit those who, for whatever reason, are uninsured.
I know that few Saints appreciate the value of insurance and Councillors suggested that the marketing of the wide range of insurance protection now commercially available here should be stimulated. The principle is clear – if you can insure against it and haven’t, don’t expect government to provide your insurance cover. However, the Councillors felt that the whole issue would benefit from a wider discussion and so it was agreed to take the issue to an Informal Leg-Co and subsequently to public consultation.
Under Any Other Business the Attorney General outlined some minor changes to the legislative programme and Councillor Drabble briefed us on some issues relating to his forthcoming visit to the OTCC Conference in London.
I was then pleased to report that our new Chief Secretary, Andrew Wells, has signed his contract and is likely to arrive here on 30th October. I am sure that he will be a most welcome addition to our government. That in no way devalues the excellent work that Mrs Ethel Yon has done over the past seven months since Martin Hallam stepped down; our chance to pay tribute to her will come later.
We then discussed the petition that Councillor Yon had presented to me that asked for the closure of Pilling Primary school and the reopening of the one at Half Tree Hollow. I had asked the Head Teacher of Pilling to analyse the petition and let me know how many children currently attending the school were represented by the signatures on the petition. The answer was 33. This is 38% of the pupils.
Councillors were very sympathetic to the situation facing the parents of children attending Pilling, especially those from Half Tree Hollow who were all bar 2 of those who signed the petition. However it is clear from the figures that a substantial majority of parents and guardians of the children are not in favour of the suggested move.
The petition actually quoted the meaning of what I said immediately after the disaster. That I feel it is a human right to be secure from such a thing as falling rocks, and I take the point that this applies especially to our children. However it would be wrong to interpret that as my meaning that we must all live and work outside of Jamestown. What I meant was that it is the responsibility of your government to make you as safe in Jamestown as it can, and we have already been working very hard to achieve that. Obviously the rock-fall was a disaster, but there were many blessings in spite of it.
• We recently had a Disaster Management desktop exercise that had trained us in how to respond
• Only three months ago, we had commissioned a report to be done by the geologist accompanying Can France, Stacey English. Her report was due last week, and we now have most of it.
• The FCO, immediately after the rockfall, circulated a request for us to bid for funds that could be used to begin the process of adequate protection.
• Nigel Kirby was visiting us and was able to provide expert advice in formulating the initial bid. All these things have led us to a position where the bid has already been submitted and we await a response within a relatively short time.
I intend to broadcast to you in about a fortnight outlining more precisely what is going to happen. However, we had a Disaster Committee Meeting yesterday and I can outline that we intend to have in place a thoroughly researched and approved Protection Plan for Jamestown by the end of March next. This plan will indicate where protection is most needed and what kind of protection is ideal. It will deal with the whole of the built up area of the valley and will have a timetable for completion and maintenance.
I am convinced that this will be an ongoing programme. It will take several years to complete the initial work and will require constant attention for as long as people live here. I do not believe that we can locate a single source of funding, but will almost certainly have to operate on a bid-as-you-go basis in order to complete the programme.
Nevertheless it will provide us with a degree of protection that has been unavailable before and will greatly increase our security as we live and work and go to school in this historical town.
Another subject that occupied our attention recently has been the debate as to whether the population is falling or not. I have been doing some analysis of the data provided by the Immigration Service and am issuing a Press Release today with my conclusion based on the facts. Put simply, the figures show that the population has not decreased appreciably over the last 3 years. The details supporting that statement will be available for all who wish to examine them.
The meeting finished around 1.30 pm and had generated useful debate on some very complex issues.
AMG
2nd September 2008
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