Report it. Sort it.（https://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/report-it-sort-it/）
Visit the St Helena Homepage（https://www.sainthelena.gov.sh）
About St Helena（https://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/st-helena/）
History and Heritage（https://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/st-helena/history-and-heritage/）
Invest in St Helena（https://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/st-helena/invest-in-st-helena/）
News（https://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/st-helena/news/）
News（https://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/st-helena/news/）
Gazette（https://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/gazette/）
Ambassador Newsletter（https://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/newsletters/）
Statistics（https://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/st-helena/statistics/）
Visiting St Helena（https://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/st-helena/visiting/）
Entry requirements（https://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/st-helena/entry-requirements/）
Travel Information（https://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/st-helena/travel-information/）
St Helena Government（https://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/st-helena/government/）
Government Structure（https://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/st-helena/government/government-structure/）
Executive Council（https://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/st-helena/government/executive-council/）
Legislative Council（https://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/st-helena/government/legislative-council/）
Scrutiny Committees（https://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/st-helena/government/legislative-council/scrutiny-committees/）
Legislation（https://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/st-helena/government/legislation/）
Laws of Ascension（https://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/st-helena/government/legislation/laws-of-ascension/）
Laws of St Helena（https://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/st-helena/government/legislation/laws-of-st-helena/）
Laws of Tristan da Cunha（https://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/st-helena/government/legislation/laws-of-tristan-da-cunha/）
Service portfolios（https://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/st-helena/government/portfolios/）
Central Support Service（https://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/st-helena/government/portfolios/central-support-services/）
Economic Development（https://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/st-helena/government/portfolios/economic-development-portfolio/sustainable-development/）
Education, Skills & Employment（https://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/st-helena/government/portfolios/education-employment/）
Environment, Natural Resources & Planning（https://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/st-helena/government/portfolios/environment-natural-resources-planning/）
Health and Social Care（https://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/st-helena/government/portfolios/health/）
Safety, Security and Home Affairs（https://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/st-helena/government/portfolios/safety-security-and-home-affairs/）
Public Information（https://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/st-helena/government/public-information/）
Elections（https://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/st-helena/government/public-information/elections/）
Form Library（https://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/st-helena/government/public-information/form-library/）
Performance Reports（https://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/st-helena/government/public-information/performance-report/）
Publications Archive（https://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/st-helena/government/public-information/publications-archive/）
Equality and Human Rights（https://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/st-helena/government/equality-human-rights/）
Treasury（https://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/st-helena/government/treasury/）
UK Office（https://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/st-helena/government/st-helena-government-uk-office/）
Government Vacancies（https://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/st-helena/government/government-vacancies/）
Public Services
Social Care
Adults Services（https://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/st-helena/government/portfolios/health/adults-services/）
Children’s Services（https://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/st-helena/government/portfolios/health/childrens-services/）
Probation Services（https://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/st-helena/government/portfolios/health/probation-team/）
Residential Services（https://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/st-helena/government/portfolios/health/residential-services/）
Sheltered Accommodation（https://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/st-helena/government/portfolios/health/sheltered-accommodation/）
Social Security（https://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/public-services/social-security/）
St Helena Children’s and Adults Safeguarding Board（https://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/st-helena/government/portfolios/health/st-helena-childrens-and-adults-safeguarding-board/）
Support Services（https://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/st-helena/government/portfolios/health/support-services/）
Safety, Security & Home Affairs
Criminal Investigations Department（https://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/st-helena/government/portfolios/safety-security-and-home-affairs/criminal-investigations-department/）
Emergency Control and Command Centre（https://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/st-helena/government/portfolios/safety-security-and-home-affairs/emergency-control-and-command-centre/）
Emergency Planning（https://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/st-helena/government/portfolios/safety-security-and-home-affairs/emergency-planning/）
St Helena Fire and Rescue Service（https://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/st-helena/government/portfolios/safety-security-and-home-affairs/fire-and-rescue-service/）
HM Customs（https://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/st-helena/government/portfolios/safety-security-and-home-affairs/hm-customs/）
HM Prison（https://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/st-helena/government/portfolios/safety-security-and-home-affairs/hm-prison/）
Immigration（https://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/st-helena/government/portfolios/safety-security-and-home-affairs/immigration/）
Infrastructure（https://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/st-helena/government/portfolios/safety-security-and-home-affairs/infrastructure/）
Maritime Adminstration（https://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/st-helena/government/portfolios/safety-security-and-home-affairs/maritime/）
The Royal St Helena Police Service（https://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/st-helena/government/portfolios/safety-security-and-home-affairs/police-service/）
Port Control（https://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/st-helena/government/portfolios/safety-security-and-home-affairs/maritime/port-control/）
St Helena Resilience Forum（https://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/st-helena/government/portfolios/safety-security-and-home-affairs/st-helena-resilience-forum/）
Sea Rescue Service（https://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/st-helena/government/portfolios/safety-security-and-home-affairs/sea-rescue-service/）
Education, Skills & Employment
Career Access St Helena（https://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/st-helena/government/portfolios/education-employment/careeraccess/）
Inclusion Services（https://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/st-helena/government/portfolios/education-employment/inclusion/）
Library Services（https://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/public-services/library/）
Primary Schools (KS1 & KS2)（https://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/st-helena/government/portfolios/education-employment/primary-schools-ks1-ks2/）
School Enrolment（https://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/st-helena/government/portfolios/education-employment/school-enrolment/）
St Helena Community College（https://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/st-helena/government/portfolios/education-employment/community-college/）
St Helena Research Institute（https://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/st-helena/government/portfolios/education-employment/st-helena-research-institute/）
St Helena Secondary School（https://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/st-helena/government/portfolios/education-employment/prince-andrew-school/）
Teacher Training Service（https://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/st-helena/government/portfolios/education-employment/teacher-training-service/）
Finance
Income Tax（https://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/public-services/income-tax/）
Environment, Natural Resources & Planning
Agriculture & Natural Resources Division（https://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/st-helena/government/portfolios/environment-natural-resources-planning/agriculture-and-natural-resources-division/）
Biosecurity（https://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/st-helena/government/portfolios/environment-natural-resources-planning/biosecurity/）
The Darwin Initiative（https://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/?page_id=26533）
Environmental Management（https://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/st-helena/government/portfolios/environment-natural-resources-planning/environmental-management/）
Land Planning and Building Control Division（https://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/st-helena/government/portfolios/environment-natural-resources-planning/land-planning-and-building-control-division/）
Records, Statistics and Access
Archives（https://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/st-helena/government/public-information/archives/）
Judicial Services（https://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/st-helena/government/public-information/judicial/）
Public Access To SHG Information（https://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/st-helena/government/public-information/public-access-to-information/）
Statistics（https://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/st-helena/statistics/）
Island Life
Coins & Stamps（https://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/public-services/coins-and-stamps/）
Communications, Networks and Services（https://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/communications-networks-services/）
Environmental Health（https://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/public-services/environmental-health/）
Postal Service（https://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/public-services/postal/）
Public Transport Service（https://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/public-services/publictransportservice/）
Recreation and Sports Facilities（https://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/public-services/recreation-and-sports-facilities/）
Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages（https://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/public-services/registry-of-births-deaths-and-marriages/）
Veterinary Services（https://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/public-services/veterinary/）
Waste Management Services (WMS)（https://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/st-helena/government/portfolios/environment-natural-resources-planning/environmental-management/waste-management-services-wms/）
Health
Care Homes（https://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/st-helena/government/portfolios/health/care-home-visiting-hours/）
Clinics（https://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/st-helena/government/portfolios/health/clinics/）
Community Mental Health（https://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/st-helena/government/portfolios/health/community-mental-health/）
Dental Services（https://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/st-helena/government/portfolios/health/dental/）
Hospital（https://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/st-helena/government/portfolios/health/hospital/）
Pathology Laboratory（https://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/public-services/pathology-laboratory/）
Pharmacy（https://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/st-helena/government/portfolios/health/pharmacy/）
Licensing, Regulation & Registry
Driving Licence（https://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/public-services/driving-licence/）
Firearms（https://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/public-services/firearms/）
Labour Regulating Authority（https://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/public-services/labour-regulating-authority/）
Land Development Control Authority（https://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/public-services/ldca/）
Liquor Licence（https://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/public-services/liquor-licence/）
Planning & Building（https://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/public-services/planning-building/）
Registry（https://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/public-services/registry/）
Contact（https://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/contact/）
St Helena（https://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/st-helena/）
St Helena Government（https://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/st-helena/government/）
Government Structure（https://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/st-helena/government/government-structure/）
Governor's Message（https://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/st-helena/government/governors-message/）
Equality and Human Rights（https://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/st-helena/government/equality-human-rights/）
Complaints Procedure（https://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/st-helena/government/complaints-procedure/）
Public service portfolios（https://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/st-helena/government/portfolios/）
Legislation of St Helena, Ascension & Tristan da Cunha（https://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/st-helena/government/legislation/）
Public Information, Reports and Policies（https://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/st-helena/government/public-information/）
Legislative Council（https://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/st-helena/government/legislative-council/）
Executive Council（https://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/st-helena/government/executive-council/）
Government Vacancies（https://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/st-helena/government/government-vacancies/）
Public Consultation（https://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/st-helena/government/public-consultation/）
Treasury（https://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/st-helena/government/treasury/）
UK Office（https://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/st-helena/government/st-helena-government-uk-office/）
Government Structure
This webpage seeks to provide an overview of the Government with reference to the Constitutional authority, the various roles and responsibilities and what happens in practice.
St Helena is a British Overseas Territory and is in receipt of UK Government (UKG) financial assistance to support recurrent and capital expenditure as part of the UKG’s obligation to ensure that the reasonable needs of the population are met. The Governor is appointed by His Majesty the King on the advice of the British Government and acts as the Constitutional Head of Government and Commander-in-Chief of the Territory (St Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha). The Chief Minister is the Elected Head of the Government. The St Helena Government Structure has three branches, the Executive, the Legislature, and the Judiciary, with the Judiciary being independent of the Executive and the Legislature. As shown in the figure below, these branches are supported by the Public Service.
The Ministerial form of Government was introduced in 2021 following consultation and majority vote. Unlike the UK and various other jurisdictions, St Helena does not have political parties. For St Helena, this is a form of government where executive power is exercised by a Chief Ministers and their Ministerial team, who are collectively responsible to the legislature and individually responsible for their respective government portfolios. This means that Ministers are individually accountable to Legislative Council for their own actions and the actions of their portfolios, and collectively responsible for the overall performance of the government.
Diagram text
THE GOVERNMENT
The Governor
The Executive (ExCo)
Makes top level government policy and secondary legislation
The Legislature (LegCo)
Approves Primary Legislation and serves on Scrutiny Bodies including the Public Accounts Committee
Portfolio Ministers make policy relevant to their specific portfolio
The Judiciary
Applies the Law
The Public Service
Extracts from the Constitution of St Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha
Governor Expand
CONSTITUTIONAL AUTHORITY
The Governor
26. (1) There shall be a Governor of St Helena.
(2) Appointments to the office of Governor shall be made by His Majesty by Commission under His Sign Manual and Signet and a person appointed to the office shall hold office during His Majesty’s pleasure.
(3) A person appointed to the office of Governor shall, before entering upon the functions of that office, make before the Sheriff of St Helena oaths or affirmations of allegiance and for the due execution of that office in the forms set out in the Schedule.
(4) The Governor shall have such functions as are conferred or imposed on him or her by this Constitution or any other law and such other functions as His Majesty may from time to time be pleased to assign to him or her through a Secretary of State, and, subject to the provisions of this Constitution and of any other law by which any such functions are conferred or imposed, shall do and execute all things that belong to his or her office according to such instructions, if any, as His Majesty may from time to time see fit to give him or her through a Secretary of State; but no court shall enquire whether or not he or she has complied with any such instructions.
Governor’s special responsibilities
44.21 (1) The Governor shall be responsible for the conduct (subject to this Constitution and any other law) of any business of the Government of St Helena, including the general direction and policy control of any department of government, with respect to the following matters—
(a) defence;
(b) external affairs;
(c) internal security, including the Police;
(d) the appointment of any person to any office in the St Helena Public Service, the suspension, termination of employment, dismissal, or retirement of any officer of the St Helena Public Service or the taking of disciplinary action in respect of such an officer, and the application to any such officer of the terms or conditions of employment of the Public Service (including salary scales, allowances, leave, passages or pensions) for which financial provision has been made;
(e) the administration of justice; and
(f) finance.
(g) …
(1A) The Governor, acting in his or her discretion, may by directions in writing delegate, with the prior approval of a Secretary of State, to the Chief Minister or any other Minister recommended by the Chief Minister such responsibility for any of the matters specified in subsection (1) (c), (e) and (f) as the Governor may think fit upon such conditions as he or she may impose. A Minister to whom such a responsibility has been delegated shall exercise that responsibility in accordance with section 36.
What happens in practice – Roles and responsibilities
The Governor is appointed by the HM the King and is normally in office for a period of up to 4 years.
The Governor is supported by staff appointed by the FCDO who are a part of the Governor’s Office and by the PA to the Governor who is an SHG employee.
The Governor presides over Executive Council and also have regular and separate meetings with the Chief Minister and with his direct reports ie the Chief Secretary, the Attorney General, the Chief Auditor and the Chief of Police
The Governor has wide ranging constitutional responsibilities, including:
The powers of pardon relevant to convictions and imprisonment of offenders. In this regard the Governor chairs the Advisory Committee on the Prerogative of Mercy. See sections 29 and 30 of the Constitution
Responsibility for the appointment of the Chief Minister who is elected by Elected Members and appointment of Ministers after they have been selected by the Chief Minister
Responsibility for the appointment of other persons to serve on statutory boards and committees
Special Responsibilities
Section 44.21 (1) of the Constitution assigns special responsibilities to the Governor.
The Governor may however delegate some of these special responsibilities ie internal security, including the Police; the administration of justice; and, finance, to the Chief Minister or any other Minister as may be recommended by the Chief Minister. Such delegation would need to consider what constraints and safeguards would need to be put in place.
Section 95 of the Constitution makes provision for the Governor to delegate responsibility for the management and operation of the Public Service to an officer or officers within that Service. This responsibility has been delegated to the Chief Secretary who is also the Head of Public Service.
See role of the Chief Secretary
Emergency Powers
The Emergency Powers Ordinance, 1978 and the Emergency Powers (Overseas Territories) Order 2017, provides for the Governor in Council to make Regulations if the Governor is of the view that a situation is likely to interfere with public safety or disrupt the supply or distribution of essential commodities to the people of St Helena. Where practicable, the Governor will consult with the Executive Council before making a Proclamation of Emergency.
It is difficult to relate how emergency powers might be used until the emergency is known.
The Steering Committ e e
The Governor also chairs the Steering Committee which has been established to support the delivery of Saint Helena Government’s (SHG) Vison and Strategy. Where development programmes are funded by the UK Government, the SC will ensure they are aligned with SHG’s strategic objectives, meet donor compliance requirements monitor progress and provide direction when required.
Steering Committee membership comprises Chief Minister, SHG Ministers, Chief Secretary, Financial Secretary, UKG/FCDO Deputy Director for Overseas Territories, UKG/FCDO St Helena Team Leader, Head of SHG Programme Management Office and the Development Attaché from the Governor’s Office
The Committee’s responsibilities and objectives include:
- Approve strategic programmes and projects for St Helena.
- Provide high level oversight to delivery of development funded programmes.
- Monitor SHG’s strategic risks to ensure residual risks rated high or above are factored into Steering Committee decision making.
- Approve proposals for capital programmes against priorities for St Helena, relevant Business Case objectives, affordability, and value for money considerations.