Along with environmental hazards come government decisions that are often debated.  According to Derek Ingram, in 1998 Chief Minister David Brandt and the British government were at odds over what to do with the island of Montserrat.  The British government claimed they were going to redevelop Montserrat, while Brandt accused them of declaring it unlivable, forcing the inhabitants to find a new home.  Clare Short, the International Development Secretary, announced an addition to the cash put into Montserrat, making the new total £ 49.3 million that has been granted since the eruptions began in 1995 (Ingram, 1998).

Also, who decides to evacuate the island if scientists predict a future eruption?  A panel of scientists, including the MVO director and a few outside experts, meet at least twice a year (sometimes more often, depending upon the volcano's activity) to discuss the risk to the community.  They give advice to an emergency committee which has the power to force an evacuation.  There have been recent evacuations, and they have not been  popular with some island inhabitants.  They had to leave their homes and their jobs. 

Longrigg, from the U.K.'s Foreign and Commonwealth Office and a member of the committee, has allowed workers and homeowners to enter the evacuated zone for five hours a day, six days a week to try and keep the jobs in the evacuation zone active.  Because Montserrat is still a territory of the U.K., Britain has some responsibility to support the island and its people in times of need.

The economy of Montserrat is barely showing signs of life, even after receiving $350 million in assistance from the U.K. since 1995.  The population has rebounded from 2,740 in 1997 to 4,500 in 2003, but it is still well below the more than 12,000 that inhabited Montserrat before 1995.  The population has been growing a little mostly because of guest workers from surrounding Caribbean islands.  The Montserrat government will have to work with Britain and other countries to help Montserratians get back on track and support their families, whether it is on the island or elsewhere.  The UK launched a three-year $122.8 million aid program to help the economy recover (The World Factbook, 2003).