Skip to main content

Jersey Competition Regulatory Authority: appointment of Non-Executive Director

This content has been automatically generated from the original PDF and some formatting may have been lost. Let us know if you find any major problems.

Text in this format is not official and should not be relied upon to extract citations or propose amendments. Please see the PDF for the official version of the document.

STATES OF JERSEY

JERSEY COMPETITION REGULATORY AUTHORITY: APPOINTMENT OF NON-EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Presented to the States on 26th September 2018 by the Chief Minister

STATES GREFFE

2018  R.128

2

REPORT

Background

Under Article 3(3) of the Competition Regulatory Authority (Jersey) Law 2001, the Chief Minister is required to notify the States of appointments of members to the Jersey Competition Regulatory Authority ("JCRA").

A vacancy has arisen on the Board of the JCRA due to the resignation of Mr. Peter Neville with effect from 27th July 2018. This was Mr. Neville's second period serving on the Board, the first being from 2012 to 2014. I wish to put my thanks on record to Mr. Neville for his contribution to  the JCRA. The JCRA will miss Mr. Neville's Channel Islands knowledge, regulatory and broad-based Board expertise.

Mr. Neville's  appointment  resulted  from  the  integration  of  the  Office  of  Utility Regulation in Guernsey and the Jersey Competition Regulatory Authority under a single Board and identity as the Channel Islands Competition and Regulatory Authorities ("CICRA").

Mr. Curran's appointment is intended to continue the balance of Jersey and Guernsey interests on the CICRA Board.

Recruitment process

The  JCRA  Chairman  has  advised  that  a  recruitment  process  aligned  with  the requirements of the Jersey Appointments Commission has taken place.

A full open recruitment process was run, with the recruitment panel comprising the JCRA Chairman, a JCRA Non-Executive Member, and a States of Guernsey Official. The Chief Executive's Office has been kept informed and consulted on the process. This appointment is intended to balance Guernsey's interests on the Board, noting that the appointment is also a Ministerial appointment in Jersey, so there is an appropriate level of input by both Islands into the appointment.

There were 18 applications and, of those, 4 were shortlisted. Recommendation of Mr. John Curran

The JCRA Chairman has advised that the Board recommends the appointment of Mr. Curran, who has considerable experience of applying regulation in the Channel Islands and in other settings.

It was the unanimous view of the recruitment panel that the appointment of Mr. Curran would strengthen the JCRA Board, through both his technical skills in the areas of economic regulation and competition law, and his ability to engage with stakeholders at the highest levels across the Channel Islands.

His experience combines a solid understanding of both the political and commercial environment within the Channel Islands, and a background in the technical and legal aspects of the JCRA's work.

R.128/2018

3

Mr. Curran has previously served as a member of the JCRA Board and was, until 2012, Chief Executive of CICRA. He is currently serving as a Non-Executive Director on the Boards of the Channel Islands Financial Ombudsman and the Guernsey Data Protection Authority, and is a member of the States of Guernsey's Transport Licensing Authority.

During  his  career,  Mr. Curran  spent  4 years  with  the  Office  of  the  Director  of Telecommunications Regulation (now Comreg) in Ireland, and the Irish Regulatory Agency for Telecommunications and Post. He then worked as Regulatory Adviser to Telstra, the Australian Telecoms incumbent. In 2003 he took up a position with the Office  of  Utility  Regulation  in  Guernsey,  becoming  Director-General  of  that organisation in February 2005. Mr. Curran was also the first Chief Executive of the Channel Islands Competition and Regulatory Authorities, and was appointed by the States to the JCRA Board on 1st October 2010.

The appointment of Mr. Curran has been recommended to the President and members of the Committee for Economic Development in Guernsey.

Conclusion

A Ministerial Decision accepting the recommendation of the Chairman has been signed, and the commencement date of the contract will be 1st September 2018. The term of office will be 3 years, to expire on 31st August 2021.

Resource implications

The Chief Minister's Department provides the JCRA with a grant to administer the Competition Regulatory Authority (Jersey) Law 2001 (£300,000 in 2018). The fees payable to Non-Executive Directors of the Authority are sourced from the Annual Grant.

There are no other financial or manpower implications for the States.

R.128/2018