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Jersey Overseas Aid Commission - appointment of non-States Commissioner

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STATES OF JERSEY

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JERSEY OVERSEAS AID COMMISSION: APPOINTMENT OF NON-STATES COMMISSIONER

Lodged au Greffe on 11th January 2008 by Deputy J.J. Huet of St. Helier

STATES GREFFE

PROPOSITION

THE STATES are asked to decide whether they are of opinion

( a ) t o appoint, in accordance with clause 7.4 of the Constitution of the Jersey Overseas Aid

Commission as set out in Schedule  1 to the Jersey Overseas Aid Commission (Jersey) Law 2005, Mr.  Geoffrey George Crill as a non-States Commissioner for a period of 3  years; and

( b ) t o appoint, in accordance with clause 7.2 of the Constitution, Deputy Ian Joseph Gorst of

St.  Clement as a States Commissioner.

DEPUTY J.J. HUET OF ST. HELIER

REPORT

The Jersey Overseas Aid Commission (Jersey) Law 2005 requires the Chairman, in making nominations, to use his or her best endeavours "to ensure that the Commissioners shall be a diverse and balanced group of people in terms of gender, age, experience and skills, who share a commitment to the promotion of the objects of the Commission". In meeting that statutory requirement, non-States Commissioners with a range of backgrounds and professional qualifications were appointed when the Commission was first established.

One of the first non-States Commissioners appointed was Mr. Ken Syvret MBE, whose 2  year term of office has just finished. Mr.  Syvret has indicated that he wishes to retire from office and not seek reappointment. I would like to extend heartfelt thanks on behalf of the Commission to Mr. Syvret for his invaluable work for overseas aid in Jersey, not only during his time as a Commissioner but also for the former Overseas Aid Committee during his time as Deputy of St.  Ouen.

With the retirement of Mr. Syvret I was particularly keen to appoint a replacement Commissioner with legal experience to maintain the balance of experience on the Commission. This requirement was therefore specified in the advertisement which was published for 2 nights in the Jersey Evening Post in December 2007. 7 peopl applied for the position and 3 who had legal qualifications were shortlisted. In order to ensure that the appointment of the new Commissioner was made in a fair and transparent manner, the selection process was undertaken in accordance with the procedures for such appointments established by the Jersey Appointments Commission with Mr. Mike Liston, Chairman of the Commission, involved in the selection process. The shortlisted candidates were interviewed by Mr. Liston, Senator Routier (a States Commissioner) and the Greffier of the States. The panel was unanimous that Mr. Geoffrey Crill should be appointed to this position and I am therefore very pleased to nominate him for appointment. A short biography of Mr. Crill is attached at the Appendix. In accordance with the Law this appointment will be for a 3 year period.

Senator T.J. Le Main has been a States Commissioner since the establishment of the Commission but has recently submitted his resignation to me in accordance with clause  6.3 of the Constitution. I would like to thank Senator Le Main most sincerely for the commitment he has shown to the work of the Commission during his term of office. I am pleased to nominate Deputy Ian Gorst to fill this vacancy. Members will be aware of Deputy Gorst 's personal interest and commitment in relation to overseas aid matters, and I am sure he will be a very valuable addition to the Commission. In addition I am pleased to be able to nominate one of the younger members of the States to this position as this will help  me to fulfil the  requirement  that  there  should  be  a  good  balance of age  among Commissioners. If appointed, Deputy Gorst will, in accordance with the Constitution of the Commission, initially serve until this autumn's elections when all terms of office of all the States Commissioners finish. He would, in common with the other States Commissioners, be eligible for re-appointment.

There are no financial and manpower implications arising from this proposition.

APPENDIX

Mr. Crill was born in Jersey in 1950 and qualified as a Solicitor of the Royal Court in 1977. He was a partner of Crill, Cubitt & Tomes but co-founded Crill Canavan in 1992 and is currently senior partner of that firm. He was Chairman of the Parents' Action Group for Education from 1995 to 1996 and has been a Trustee of the Jersey Heritage Trust since 2004. Of particular interest during the selection process was Mr. Crill's personal involvement with charitable work in India, Sudan and Mali.