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The Prince, a serving Naval Officer, arrived in Montserrat by helicopter at 10 am on Monday 13, March. He was met by H.E. the Governor, the Speaker of LEGCO, the Chief Minister, other members of Executive Council and the Acting Commissioner of Police.
There were two social functions for the Prince to attend, the Hon. Chief Minister hosted him to lunch at Tropical Mansions Suites Hotel and H.E. the Governor hosted a cocktail party in his honour at Government House. As expected, the Prince's helicopter had an overflight of the volcano before it actually arrived in Montserrat so that he could see the devastation that has occurred since his last visit. Prince Andrew left Montserrat on Tuesday March 14 at lunchtime for a visit to Anguilla. Before arriving here he was in the British Virgin Islands. This was all part of an official visit to Caribbean Overseas Territories. For more Pictures of the royal visit click here MONTSERRAT CELEBRATES INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY Montserratian women joined in with the worldwide celebrations for International Women's Day on Wednesday 8, March when scores of women attended a one day forum at the Pelican Room of the Vue Pointe Hotel and even more attended a Craft Exhibition of products made by women in the small business sector organised and mounted by the National Development Foundation at Davy Hill. In addition, local businesswoman, Margaret Dyer Howe used the occasion of the eve of International Woman's Day to launch some new products at Tropical Mansions Suite Hotel. The one day forum at the Pelican Room was organised by the Community Services Department and was attended by the Hon Adalina Tuitt, Minister of Education, Health & Community Services. Mrs Tuitt gave the assembled women words of encouragement and this was followed by keynote speaker Rev Florence Daley. Rev Daley pointed out the many leadership positions that women in Montserrat held in both the public and private sector. One of the many topics discussed on the day was the problem of violence against women in the home in Montserrat. The Craft Exhibition at the NDF's buildings at Davy Hill was a huge success. Planned and presented by the Small Business Development Unit of the NDF the exhibition and sale brought to the forefront the talent of many of Montserrat's women. A stream of visitors to the exhibition all day has the NDF planning similar ventures in the near future. It is thought that they will now plan and organise courses in presentation, packaging and marketing of these products. Mrs Howe's launch of her new product, Montserrat Bay Rum at the Tropical Mansions Suites Hotel the previous evening was well attended. This adds to her range of products that Howe's Enterprises have been developing for the year to date. Altogether, the activites for International Women's Day in Montserrat were well planned, attended and attested to the many talents of women on the island. INVESTITURE AT GOVERNMENT HOUSE
Mr. Nanton, a former member of the RAF, was awarded the MBE for his services to sports and community groups in Montserrat. The photograph shows Mr Nanton with his sponsors and family members together with H.E. The Governor, the Hon Speaker of the Legislative Council, the Acting Commissioner of Police and Second Lt. Alvin Ryan of the Cadet Corps. MONTSERRAT'S TURNAROUND A primary duty of all governments is to ensure the provision of a good level of public services. This is not a temporary duty. Public services will be as important for future generations as they are for the present - for your children and their children as well. It is for this reason that no responsible government will sacrifice its people's future by continually running large deficits. In Montserrat's case the size of the government's deficit is measured by the level of budgetary aid payments. The Government of Montserrat has recognised its responsibility to maintain provision of public services in the future by its declared objective of reducing budgetary aid over time. This objective is widely held. It is shared by DFID. All Montserratians who oppose the idea that their country should remain heavily dependent on financial assistance from the British Government and who desire a future with better, not worse, public services will also share this objective. That is why the reduction in budgetary aid announced for the Year 2000 should be widely welcomed as progress. In each of the last three years the government deficit, met via budgetary aid, has been around EC$35 million per year but this year (2000) it is EC$27.3 million. This reduction reflects both lower expenditure and higher revenue. Government expenditure in 2000 is estimated at EC$54.5 million - the higher levels of the recent past were principally due to specifically emergency related spending. Expenditure in 2000, however, remains significantly higher than in the pre-crisis situation (Government expenditure was EC$40.3 million in 1995) . Government revenue in 2000 is estimated at EC$27.2 million showing a continuing gradual rise from the lowest level which was posted in 1998. This figure though, is still well below the 1995 revenue of EC$40.8 million. These figures do indeed suggest a turnaround as they reflect that Montserrat has moved out of its period of immediate crisis and into a phase of reconstruction, restructuring, development and planning for the future. It would be a wilful negation of development to plan for a future of unending dependency and deteriorating public service by maintaining budgetary aid at its crisis level. The perspective of planning for the future also shows that declining budgetary aid is p[art of a broader scheme whereby DFID's financial assistance supports the government's strategy. The extent of the reconstruction effort has been enormous, there have been significant investments in key public services and many more are planned and there is extensive assistance for private sector development. This is not confined to the NDF - there are significant projects such as port improvement, the wider development of Little Bay, provision of factory shells and the promotion and development is not only stimulated by direct projects, it is enhanced by many other types of investment assisted by DFID - in physical infrastructure (such as roads and electricity), the support for overseas transport links, fuel supplies, agricultural and fisheries projects and training & technical assistance. It is these investments which will provide the basis for development and economic growth and thereby the revenue base for public services in the future. But such projects will not automatically provide growth. It is the people of a country, not its government and officials, who do that. It is for the government to ensure the future of the services it provides to its people by a clear and determined strategy to reduce deficits from crisis levels over time. The progress in reducing budgetary aid shows there is such a strategy and it is working for a better future.
IN BRIEF SALEM CAMPUS OF MSS TO BE REHABILITATED In early March, DFID approved a grant of EC$2.308 million for the renovation of the Salem Campus of the Montserrat Secondary School to restore it to a functioning educational facility. The buildings at Salem have been used as an emergency shelter for a number of years and are now empty. The Secondary School has been using the Primary School buildings at Look-Out. Work has already started at Salem so that the building will be ready for the start of the new school year in September 2000. The work includes building renovation, the completion of the concrete blocks built in 1996, cleaning, painting, fencing, roadworks, drainage and the establishment of sports facilities at the campus. When completed, Salem Campus will provide a much improved teaching and learning environment for secondary school teachers and students. DFID FUNDED PROJECTS FOR YEAR 2000 PASS $6 MILLION MARK Since the start of this year, DFID has approved funding of over EC$6.3 million for a number of projects in Montserrat. These include; the renovation of Salem Campus, the construction of hardcourts at Davy Hill, Look-Out and at Salem Campus, construction of Early Childhood accommodation (the Look-Out Nursery School), support of the government architect's section, the restoration of electricity supplies and the repairs to roads at Iles Bay Hill. Last year (1999) DFID spent a total of more than £20 million (EC$86 million) in Montserrat.
VIDEOS PRESENTED At a recent ceremony at Government House, Mr David Lea of Living Letters Christian Outreach presented video sets to a number of libraries and educational institutions. The videos, filmed, scripted and edited by Mr Lea were accepted by H.E. the Governor, Mr Tony Abbott on behalf of the recipients. They will be used for educational purposes in Montserrat, the region and the wider outside world and will be distributed to; the Montserrat National Trust, the Montserrat Secondary School, the University of the West Indies both at home and abroad, the Brades Primary School, the St Augustine Primary School, the Ministry of Education, the two nursery schools on island, the Public Library, the Governor's Office and the Foreign & Commonwealth Office Library in London. Mr Abbott thanked Mr Lea for his kind donation and said that the videos represented a complete history of Montserrat as it struggled through the volcanic crisis and will no doubt be part of the curriculum for years to come.
EDUCATION TALKS HELD The Hon. Adelina Tuitt, Minister of Education, Health & Community Services and Senior Education Officials met DFID's Senior Education Advisor for Overseas Territories, Dr Gren Jones and Senior Programme Officer Alan Campbell in Montserrat on 21, 22 and 23 February 2000. The meeting was to review the education sector in Montserrat and was also attended by the Development Unit's Social Policy Assistant, Katya Jobes. The DFID officials visited schools, the site of the soon to be constructed nursey school at Look-Out, and the site for the UWI's Centre at Salem. They met with headteachers, members of staff, parents and Education Officials. A strategic plan for future participation by DFID in the education sector is to be developed, but one immediate outcome of the visit is a recommendation to increase assistance for the completion of the UWI Teleconference and Computer Facility at Salem.
MONTSERRAT'S HOUSING STRATEGY REVIEWED
DFID officials from London and the Montserrat office met with the
Hon. Brunel Meade, Minister of Agriculture, Housing, Lands and the Environment,
his officials and members of the Development Unit during the last week
of February to discuss a future housing strategy for Montserrat. Participants
reviewed the findings and implications of the draft Comprehensive Housing
Needs Assessment recently prepared by the Housing Unit and concluded
that now that Montserrat has moved into a reconstruction phase in its
development, Government needed to look towards developing a strategy
for land and housing which will provide for immediate and longer term
housing requirements for all residents of Montserrat.
The discussion concluded that the Government's goal in this reconstruction phase should be to ensure continuous access to adequate, appropriate and affordable housing opportunities to meet all current and future housing needs on Montserrat, in line with its development objectives. This will involve moving away from Government being a direct provider of housing opportunities to meet the housing needs of all socio-economic groups. Over the next six months the Government will develop a five year housing strategy and indacative housing investment programme. This will involve assessment and prioritisation of housing need; development and testing of the feasibility of various housing and land delivery options for different groups defined on the basis of need; examination of institutional and financial implications; and development of a housing investment programme. The process will be undertaken in consultation with the public, non-government organisations, banks, the private sector and other groups with an interest in housing. DFID has indicated that it will support the Government with the development of its housing strategy and once the strategy is in place will help it to implement selected programmes which will contribute to the development of sustainable land and housing delivery mechanisms. DFID will continue to prioritise support to the most vulnerable individuals and households. Officials also met to review progress on the project to strengthen Housing and Land Policy and Management Capacity. They concluded that the project would focus in its second year on helping MAHLE to develop its housing strategy and key housing policies. The new Social Welfare system has come into operation this week with the distribution of the first set of Social Welfare cheques on Thursday 2 March 2000. This represents many months of hard work by a Steering group comprising members of staff from the Government of Montserrat, representatives of NGOs, the Media, consultants and other interested parties. Much has been achieved to get this new system in place so quickly. The Social Welfare System represents one of the many steps to get Montserrat back on its feet by providing help to the very needy and vulnerable and at the same time by supporting self-sufficiency throughout the community. The system is a Means Tested one and it uses the very same criteria for all applicants in determining which Household will be eligible for financial assistance. The eligibility criteria is as follows:
Financial circumstances (among other things) are taken into account when calculating benefit. Those households with income above the limit or with savings which are above the ceiling outlined under the system will not qualify for assistance. However, these households may apply again when their circumstances change. Those households which are eligible for assistance would be entitled to receive a level of benefit. However, not all Households will receive the same level of benefit. This is because different Households have different financial circumstances and as mentioned above it is the financial circumstances of the Household (among other things) which are taken into consideration when calculating levels of benefit. To date, most households who have qualified under the system are elderly based households. The Social Welfare system is a new system which means that there will be careful monitoring of it to ensure that help is really going to those who need it. The Social Welfare Board, the Working Group, the staff of the Community Services Department and the consultants are working together to continuously monitor this system and are collecting evidence to make sure that a fair, impartial and comprehensive service is provided to the people of Montserrat. This is the only the first stage in the integrated Social Welfare system and at this point it provides assistance to households for food and basic daily expenses. Help will soon be available with housing, health care, care of the elderly and other aspects of the Welfare system as we strive to complete the introduction of the Montserratian Social Welfare system. HRH ANNOUNCES FURTHER BRITISH ASSISTANCE HRH at lunch
During lunch HRH Prince Andrew told the assembled guests that he was delighted to be in Montserrat once again especially as his visit coincided with Commonwealth day. He noted that there was a marked contrast with his previous visits and was pleased to see the progress that has been made in developing the north of the island. During his speech, HRH announced that as a further demonstration of Britain's support for Montserrat, he was pleased to announce that the Foreign & Commonwealth Office has agreed to contribute £100,000 to the project, led by Sir George Martin and the Montserrat Foundation, to build a community centre at Littel Bay. HRH also announced that there had been an agreement in principle to fund the purchase of an offshore vessel for the Royal Montserrat Police Force. CULTURAL CENTRE A STEP NEARER The project to build a state of the art cultural centre at Little Bay is a step nearer following the announcement during the recent visit of HRH Prince Andrew, The Duke of York that £100,000 will be provided from Good Governemnt Funds (GGF) towards the construction of the centre. HE the Governor, Mr Tony Abbott who was instrumental in getting the GGF funds donated to the project has said that he is pleased that this worthwhile project is being supported. Mr Abbott also reiterated his support and admiration of Sir George and Lady Martin for their fund raising drives in support of the Cultural Centre. "Sir George and Lady Martin are well respected locally, regionally, in Britain and worldwide for their efforts in raising money for Montserrat" said Mr Abbott "Their hard work and dedication must be commended" he added. The Hon Chief Minister, Mr David S. Brandt also recently added his
own support and encouragement of Sir George and Lady Martin when he
told newspaper readers "An amount of US$600,000 has been allocated by
the Martins to help build our much needed culutural centre. This will
no doubt help our artists to showcase themselves in a way that benefits
their enormous talents". He went on to say "I'm appealing to every Montserrat
artist and citizen to help make the performing arts centre a reality
in as short a time as possible - it will be a great benefit to us all.
Let me once again take this opportunity to thank Sir George and Lady
Martin for their kindness and continued efforts to benefit Montserrat.
Let me also thank every artist who has helped us in our time of trouble.
You have all touched our hearts and brought us great comfort and strength".
GEORGE MARTIN MUSIC LIMITED Summary of funds granted from Music for Montserrat charity in aid of Montserratians both at home and abroad.
Approximately US $600,000 is in reserve for the Montserrat Cultural Centre.
INTERIM LAW REVISION EXERCISE The interim law revision exercise was recently completed and 20 revised laws of Montserrat have been handed over to the Hon Speaker, Dr H.A. Fergus and the legal fraternity. The handing over ceremony was at held at Government House on 14, February. Present at the ceremony were H.E. the Governor, the Speaker of the Legislative Council, Ministers of Government, the Attorney General, members of the legal profession and several visitors from overseas. The overseas visitors included Mr Iain Christie, Legal Advisor to the Overseas Territories Department of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and Mr Neil Adsett the Law Revision Commissioner for the interim programme. In his remarks, the Governor said "Some time ago it was decided that a law revision exercise should be carried out in all Caribbean Overseas Territories (OT's). The project funded by DFID has now almost been completed in the other OT's but, in view of our preoccupation with the volcanic crisis, the work was delayed in Montserrat's case. However, in 1998 at Iain Christie's instigation it was decided to begin this present interim exercise. You may be interested to learn that costs of the programme were met from funds already allocated to the regional programme and were not a charge to Montserrat's bilateral allocation. The aim of the interim programme was to identify and update those laws in most urgent need of revision. During 1998 Mr Adsett and the Attorney General's Chambers consulted widely among Governement Depts, NGO's, and the Private Sector and produced a list of 20 laws covering everything from banking to electrical installations to the Penal Code. Having decided on the laws to be revised and following passage of the Revised Edition of the Laws Act (1999), Mr Adsett was formally appointed Law Revision Commissioner and began work on the actual revision. Although to those in and associated with the legal fraternity it is self evident, I should perhaps point out that law revision should not be confused with law reform. In the revision exercise the substance of law is not changed, except for in the correction of error and ommissions. It is simply that by incorporating all the changes that have been made to various laws over time they become more readily accessible, comprehensible and thus much easier to use. For example, since it was first passed in 1945 the Immigration Act has been substantively amended on no less than 14 occasions. A further nine orders as regulations and 12 subsidary amending orders have been made. Montserrat's laws on immigration were therefore contained in something like 35 different Acts, Regulations and Orders. This must have been a daily nightmare for those needing to apply and interpret the legislation. Today, thanks to Mr Adsett's work, the Immigration Act is once again a single cohesive document. I am sure you will appreciate the value of this exercise, particularly those of you who regularly need to consult the law. Inaccessible and incomprehensive law leads to inconsistency in its application and ultimately ceases to be of any worth. Once a law has been revised there should never again be a need to conduct such an exercise. The 20 laws that have undergone revision are now on a computer disc and future amendments can easily be incorporated and new booklets printed. A decision is also expected shortly on funding a further project to complete the revision of all Montserrat's laws. " VOLCANIC ACTIVITY INCREASES Activity at the Soufriere Hills Volcano was very high for about 7 hours on Monday March 20 with semi-continuous pyroclastic flows, mudflows and at least one magmatic explosion. At about 3:50 pm on that day, a period of pyroclastic flow activity commenced. This followed heavy rainfall on the volcano and also included some mudflow activity. The amplitude of the pyroclastic flow signals increased gradually with several pulses of higher level activity. Pyroclastic flows could be seen travelling down the Tar River valley to the sea, and ash from these events appeared to be drifting westwards although visibility was very poor due to low cloud. A marked increase in the size of the seismic signals occurred after 7 pm on the evening of March 20 with saturation on all seismometers in the short period network. At about 7.15 pm, glowing rock falls could be seen to the north-east of the volcano and these were followed by a sudden vertical explosion with red ballistics being shot to a few hundred metres above the summit of the volcano. Loud roaring and thunder could be heard and lightning was also observed in the ash clouds from this explosion. About 30 minutes later the signals had largely subsided to background levels with a few low amplitude rockfalls continuing. Light ash fall occurred across the island, and satellite information from NOAA suggested that the ash cloud from the main event reached at least 30,000 feet and travelled to the south-east. Observations in the Belham Valley showed that significant mudflows had occurred down the valley with large boulders being transported across the Belham Bridge. All roads in the area were closed. It is thought that the heavy rain triggered a continous collapse of the new lava dome for about three hours, which in turn led to the magmatic explosion from the volcano. Although levels lowered during the night, the MVO continued to monitor the activity throughout the night and gave updates on ZJB, who remained on air all night. Observations made as early as possible the next morning, and assessments of the activity reported to the relevant authorities and to the public. Scientists at the MVO say It is possible that further dome collapses and explosions may occur, and residents of and visitors to Montserrat are advised to tune in to ZJB Radio for up-to-date information on the status of the volcano. For the time being, the Day Time Entry Zone is closed and there is absolutely no admittance to the Exclusion Zone. MONTSERRAT RED CROSS SAY GOODBYE TO SECRETARY Mrs Ekins receives her gift from Patron, Mrs Margaret Abbott
A tireless worker behind the scenes of the local Red Cross, Mrs Ekins redrew the local branch constitution for the New Millennium to bring it in stream with international requirements and was successful in getting it approved by the British Red Cross. At a ceremony in her honour at the Pelican Room of the Vue Pointe Hotel, Mrs Ekins - a lawyer by profession - was presented with a gift by patron of the local branch, Mrs Margaret Abbott. There were also glowing tributes to the outgoing secretary by Executive Director of the local branch, Mrs Camilla Watts and President Mrs Lystra Osborne. Mrs Ekins will be replaced on the local Red Cross Board by Karen Duberry, an official at the Ministry of Health. NAVY SHIPS VISIT
The West Indies Guard Ship HMS Manchester and RFA Black Rover will visit Montserrat from 23 - 25, March for their first official visit since taking over duties in January 2000. The HMS Manchester has a crew of 216 and is under the command of Commander R.A.M. Brown OBE and the Black Rover, a supply ship, has a crew of 60 under Captain Richard Bliss. A packed programme of events has been organised for them including
sports and cultural events, receptions, and site seeing tours of the
island. The crew will also assist in a number of community projects
whilst on island. Commander Brown is a Londoner who has been in the Royal Navy since 1973. He has served on many ships including HMS Yarnton, HMS Birmingham, and HMS Leeds Castle during the Falkland's crisis. He is an electronics engineer and was promoted to Commander in 1994 and received an OBE in the 1998 New Year's Honours list. He took command of HMS Manchester in January 1999. Commander Brown is married with two daughters and is a keen musician in his spare time.
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HRH
Prince Andrew, The Duke of York visited Montserrat on 13/14 March. This
was the Prince's third visit to the island since the start of volcanic
activity, but unlike the other two, this was an official Royal Visit.
The previous visits were both private ones. 
A
packed programme of activities included visits to Look-Out housing where
the Prince visited with three families, the St John's Hospital for a tour
of the facilities, the Brades Industrial Complex to look at businesses
operating from there, the Golden Years Home for the Elderly, the St Augustine
Catholic School and the Salem Police Station. He also visited the Day
Time Entry Zone to look at the damage to Plymouth from a vantage point
on Richmond Hill. MVO Scientists were on hand to explain the volcanic
activity that caused the damage.
At
the St Augustine School, HRH watched children working on their computers,
which were recently donated to the school under the Governor's Small Grants
Scheme, as they celebrated Commonwealth Day. The theme for Commonwealth
Day worldwide was Communications and hence the internet surfing exercise
by the children. The internet access has been donated by Cable & Wireless
(Montserrat) and the children taught by computer specialist Jim Lee.
Mr
Lionel Beresford Nanton was invested with the MBE, awarded in the 1999
Queen's Birthday Honours List, at a ceremony held at Government House
on Tuesday 29, February 2000. 
During
the recent visit of HRH Prince Andrew, The Duke of York, the Hon.Chief
Minister, Mr David S. Brandt hosted a lunch at the Tropical Mansions
Suites Hotel for HRH. 
Late
in February the Montserrat Red Cross said goodbye to its Secretary of
two years, Mrs Julia Ekins. Mrs Ekins has returned to her native Britain.
