The Premier, Hon Joseph E. Farrell, Deputy Premier, Dr. the Hon. Samuel Joseph and the delegation of officials wrapped up a successful visit to the UK, on the occasion of the Joint Ministerial Council (JMC), with a series of bilateral meetings with UK Ministers, senior officials and parliamentarians over the last two days.
On Monday November 20th, a meeting was held with the Head of the Montserrat UK Office, Ms Janice Panton to facilitate a presentation and discussion on the Montserrat Diaspora Database, which is in its final stage of development. This database will enable members of the diaspora who possess skills and experience that can be utilized in the development of Montserrat, both in Montserrat and at a distance, to register their interest. The singular goal of this initiative is the sustainable development of the island. The database is currently in its early testing stage and will be launched in the very near future.
Monday ended with a meeting at the House of Lords with Lady Baroness Floella Benjamin, a dedicated advocate for the Windrush generation. Discussions focused on possible avenues available for Montserrat to seek development support.
Tuesday November 21st saw a return visit to Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), when the Premier and Deputy Premier met the newly appointed Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, Robbie Moore, MP. The discussion covered a wide range of areas for possible assistance and collaboration between DEFRA and the Government of Montserrat, including water production, waste management, marine environment, agriculture and biodiversity. Both the Premier and the Deputy Premier, expressed their appreciation for the work carried out by DEFRA for the benefit of Montserrat and reiterated their desire for future mutually beneficial partnership in these critical areas.
The mission concluded with several meetings with Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) officials with expertise in areas of financial reporting, budget management, project management, contract management and other technical areas.
The Deputy Premier also took the opportunity to have a bilateral meeting with the Director General at the FCDO, Mr. Vijay Rangarajan to discuss the progress on the geothermal development project and the potential for further assistance from the UK government to enable the Montserrat government to achieve its renewable energy goals.
The Team will return on island today (Wednesday November 22nd).
