States Members attend Commonwealth Parliamentary Association’s British Islands and Mediterranean Reg
2 May 2023
Last week, the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) welcomed delegates for the 52nd CPA British Islands and Mediterranean Region (BIMR) Conference at the UK Parliament.
42 delegates took part in the three-day programme, which focused on creating and sustaining diverse and inclusive parliaments, tackling the climate emergency and parliamentary scrutiny best practice and procedure. Deputy Rob Ward, Head of the Jersey branch of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, attended the conference alongside Connétable Andy Jehan, Deputy Raluca Kovacs, Deputy Hilary Jeune, and the Greffier of the States, Lisa Hart.
Delegates from Jersey were able to share their own experiences with those of other legislatures. Deputy Ward took the role of speaker at a session on parliamentary standards and Deputy Jeune was speaker in a session on climate change. All four delegates enjoyed listening to contributions from a range of expert speakers, including The Rt Hon. Sir Lindsay Hoyle MP, Speaker of the House of Commons, Karen Bradley, Chair of the House of Commons Procedure Committee and Stephen Twigg, the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association Secretary-General. They also took part in a Select Committee workshop, where Deputy Jeune was given the role of Chair.
Deputy Ward commented: 'The conference was a great opportunity to share in the values of the Commonwealth and raise awareness and understanding of our Island among a diverse range of voices from across the globe. It is one small step to building relationships between Jersey and other Commonwealth jurisdictions and has helped to involve the States Assembly in a useful exercise of parliamentary benchmarking. We are grateful to the CPA for organising and funding this excellent event.'
