“We have made our case – a very strong case,” said Premier Joseph E Farrell following this year’s budget support mission from the United Kingdom.
“I’m certain that the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) will have heard it, and that they in turn will make a case for us when they return to London.”
Officials from the Government of Montserrat, the Governor’s Office and the UK’s FCDO gathered together on island this January to discuss the annual budget for Montserrat.
They took part in roundtable meetings with the government’s ministries and departments, site visits as well in person talks with members of the private sector and the opposition.
Following the week-long event, on 11 January the government held a live streamed press conference.
Governor Sarah Tucker, Premier and Minister of Finance, Joseph E Farrell, and Adam Pile, deputy director of the overseas territories in the FCDO, summed up their thoughts.
‘A very bold ask’
During her address, Governor Tucker said the Government of Montserrat had made a “very bold ask” of the UK government, however she did not go into details.
“It’s not just to maintain where we are today, but to motivate and to develop Montserrat as we go forward,” she said.
“I think it’s very clear to the foreign office that we have a very passionate public service, a very passionate government being supported today, and there’s a lot of ambition.
“We recognise the challenges, but this hasn’t just been three days just talking about budget, it has been talking about looking forward.”
As well as the government meetings, the governor said the meetings with the private sector were very useful.
They allowed them to express what their challenges are and how the government can support them, she said.
She summed up the mission as extremely exhausting but exhilarating.
“To see the passion, and the debate and the discussion – and it’s been very, very robust – I think has been really positive for Montserrat,” she said.
‘A strong case’
In his address, Premier Farrell agreed that it was “a very intense and informative three days” of robust discussion.
“We have made our case – a very strong case. I’m certain that the FCDO will have heard it, and that they in turn will make a case for us when they return to London.”
He said the topics of the meetings included education, health and access among others.
Not only did the government and private sector present and identify issues, he said, but they were discussed between all of the parties involved.
“I think at the end of the day, we had very good outcomes,” he said.
“We were informative, the ministry and departments presented – not as usual, but presented in a way that we were able to understand, and appreciate and share.
“So, all in all, it was three days of fun, but three days of hard work for all of us.”
One team
FCDO’s Pile agreed that the mission, which included numerous meetings with government officials, business leaders and citizens, had been “very intense”.
“The premier and his team, the Cabinet, have been very clear about the needs facing the islands and the need for the UK to continue with support,” he said.
He stressed that the mission is not the totality of discussions and exchanges will continue to be made from the UK, describing participants as “one team”.
Pile briefly described the UK’s recent financial contributions to Montserrat.
He said in 2023, the UK provided a $2 million fund for health transformation along with technical assistance from the UK Health Security Agency.
He also mentioned the £40 million FCDO’s Capital Investment for Resilience Economic Growth (CIPREG) to support infrastructure development on the island.
That is funding projects including the New National Hospital, parliament building and the subsea fibre project, which was completed in 2021.
Pile spoke about the £28.3 million investment from the UK for the Little Bay port, along with extra support in acquiring various critical equipment for the island.
That included the CT scanner, mammography machine, the oxygen plant and fire tender and much more, he said.
The UK also funded the high-speed generator, and is looking to help Montserrat with moving to renewable energy as soon as possible.
“But whilst the UK provided the funding, it’s because the Government of Montserrat, the public service had that clear idea of what was needed,” Pile stressed.
Future projects
“So, what are the next projects we want to start work on? It’s really important that things don’t just tail off – there is a long pipeline of infrastructure,” Pile said.
In 2023 to 2024, the UK is providing up to £30.32 million in financial assistance to the Government of Montserrat through the Montserrat Budget Support Programme.
This assistance supports Government of Montserrat in its delivery of essential public services such as health, social services and education.
It also funds technical assistance and capacity-building support, and maintaining air and sea access to the island, the UK government said on its website.
“In terms of budgetary support, what happened after the last mission, last year – because of the good working relationship we had, we were able to provide an uplift of 25%,” Pile said.
“So that was an additional £6.2 million compared to the 2022 settlement.”
But, he said, that was just the budgetary support, and the UK has been looking beyond that in terms of what it can do to upskill the public service and build relationships.
“I think what we’ve got now is a good foundation to help support and build capacity and economy in Montserrat moving forward,” he said.
The governor, premier and Pile thanked everyone who took part in the mission.
