Costs of attendance at CPA events

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WRITTEN QUESTION TO THE CHAIRMAN OF THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE OF JERSEY BRANCH OF THE COMMONWEALTH PARLIAMENTARY ASSOCIATION

BY DEPUTY P.V.F. LE CLAIRE OF ST. HELIER

ANSWER TO BE TABLED ON TUESDAY 26th FEBRUARY 2008

Question

1. W  o uld the Chairman advise membershowmanydelegations from Jersey have attended Commonwealth Parliamentary Association(CPA)conferencesand seminars in the past 6 years?
2. W  h o attended as delegates, where did they attend and whatdidattendanceattheseevents cost? Answer

1. & 2. The table below shows all CPA conferences and seminars attended by delegations from Jersey since 2002 together with the associated costs. It may firstly though be helpful to set out details of the arrangements that are in place for attendance at the various annual events.

In g e neral Jersey delegations attend 3 separate types of CPA events as follows –

B r it i sh Islands and Mediterranean Regional conference

T h e A nnual Regional Conference brings together delegates from the 13 branches of the British Islands and

Mediterranean Region (Alderney, Cyprus, Falkland Islands, Gibraltar, Guernsey, Isle of Man, Jersey, Malta, Northern Ireland, St. Helena, Scotland, United Kingdom, Wales). The conference is hosted by one of the regional branches each year and was last hosted by Jersey in 2005. Under the Regional Constitution Jersey is entitled to send 4 members and a secretary to each Regional conference. The funding arrangements for the Regional conference are that delegations pay their own travel costs to the conference location but all accommodation and other costs are then met by the host branch. The Jersey Branch provides members with a £15 a day expenses allowance to meet minor incidental costs such as meals during the journey, laundry and any meals that are not covered as part of the conference programme (no other expenses claims from delegates are permitted).

S m a l l Countries and Commonwealth Parliamentary (Plenary) conferences

T h e s e two conferences take place in a different Commonwealth country each year. The two day Small

Countries conference brings together parliamentarians from jurisdictions with a population of less than 500,000 and this conference is followed by the Plenary conference which brings together some 600 delegates from all Commonwealth countries. Jersey is entitled to send three members and a secretary to the  conferences.  The  funding  arrangements  are different  from  the Regional  conference  as  the  CPA Secretariat refunds the full cost of travel to the conference location (by the cheapest economy fare) and the host branch meets all accommodation and other costs on arrival. The Jersey Branch only therefore has to pay for the £15 per day expenses allowance although, on occasions, it is necessary to pay for one additional night's accommodation if delegates arrive in advance of the official arrival day (as delegates must travel in Economy Class the Jersey Branch will allow members to arrive one day early on long haul flights).

S e m i nars

O n e annual seminar is organised by the CPA Secretariat in conjunction with a different host branch each year. These seminars bring together a small number of parliamentarians from across the Commonwealth

for an intense programme of discussions on various issues relating to the parliamentary process. Jersey has been fortunate in obtaining a place on many of the seminars in recent years. Normally one member is selected per seminar and the funding arrangements are similar to those for the Regional conference. Jersey must meet all travel costs to the seminar location but, on arrival, all costs are met by the host branch. The

£15 per day expenses allowance is paid to any member attending from Jersey. A number of seminars are also

organised at Westminster by the United Kingdom CPA Branch and a number of members from Jersey have attended these in recent years. The funding arrangements are the same as for the seminars organised by the CPA Secretariat.

E v e n ts attended since 2002

Small Countries/Plenary – Fiji Deputy M.F. Dubras £2,261 2 – 10 September 2005 The Bailiff

Senator P.F.C. Ozouf

Mrs. A.H. Harris

Seminar – Malta Senator P.F. Routier £850 31 October – 4 November 2005 Mr.  M.N.  de  la  Haye  (for  CPA

HQ)

Seminar – Westminster Deputy A. Breckon £266 6 – 17 March 2006

Regional Conference – Malta Deputy R.G. Le Herissier £2,136

Senator J.L. Perchard

Connétable A.S. Crowcroft

Deputy D.W. Mezbourian

Mr. D. Filipponi

Seminar – Westminster Connétable D.F. Gray £347 7 – 19 May 2006

Seminar – Turks and Caicos Deputy S.C. Ferguson £1,035 28 May – 3 June 2006

Small Countries/Plenary – Nigeria Senator T.J. Le Main £1,342 3 to 10 September 2006 Connétable D.J. Murphy

Deputy J.B. Fox

Mr. M.N. de la Haye

Seminar – Westminster Deputy S. Pitman £209 6 to 8 November 2006

Mid-year Executive Committee Mr. M.N. de la Haye (observer re. £40 Cyprus 16 – 21 April 2007 arrangements for 2008 meeting)

Regional Conference – Belfast Deputy S.C. Ferguson £1,753 13 – 17 May 2007 Deputy C.J. Scott Warr en

Deputy K.C. Lewis

Deputy S. Power

Mrs. A.H. Harris

Small Countries/Plenary – India Deputy R.G. Le Herissier £1,927 22 – 30 September 2007 Deputy J.G. Reed

Deputy J. Gallichan

Mrs. A.H. Harris

Seminar – Canada Deputy G.P. Southern £1,604 21 – 27 October 2007 Deputy A.E. Pryke

Seminar – Edinburgh Deputy J.A. Martin £269 28 October – 3 November 2007

Notes.

1. Former Senator J.A.Le Maistre was a Regional Representative ontheCPA International Executive Committee between the end of2002andSeptember2005.In this capacity, in addition to the

Regional conferences shown above, he also attended the Bangladesh, Canada and Fiji Plenary

conferences during this period and 3 mid-year Executive Committee meetings held in Uganda, Australia and the Isle of Man. The expenses of Regional Representatives attending these meetings are met by the CPA Secretariat and are not the responsibility of the Branch.

2. The RegionalConferencewas held in Jersey in2005 and, as explained above, Jersey, as host branch, had to meet all the accommodation and otherexpenses for thedelegateswho attended. The cost to the JerseyBranchwas£47,262.

Question

3. H  o w are selections of delegates made under current rules and, what was the recent application of those rules in this regard by the Executive Committee?

Answer

3. T h e Executive Committee ofthe Jersey Branch is keen to encourageasmanymembersof the States as possible to participate inCPA activities. At the beginning of each year all membersare invited to express an interest in attending the various eventswhichtheBranch has been notified about and the Executive Committee then meetsto make a choiceof delegates. At this meeting a complete list of all the various conferencesand seminars that membershave previously attendedis available. Membersof the Committee whohave expressed an interest in attending aneventleave the meeting during the selection of delegates for that event.

T h e Branch will usually select one experienced member to lead the delegation. The Branch regards

Regional conferences as an excellent starting point' for participation in CPA events and, as there are four places available, will always try, if possible, to choose two delegates who have not previously attended a CPA conference. Because of the nature of the Small Countries and Plenary conferences the Executive Committee considers that, if possible, it is preferable to send three members who already have some experience of CPA events. In relation to seminars, the Branch considers that these are also ideally suited to newer members of the Assembly and the Committee will often choose from applicants who have never previously attended any CPA events.

W h e n the selection of delegates is made the conference topics are not always known but, occasionally, this

information is available and it is then possible to select one or more delegates who have a particular interest in the subject. For example the Branch was notified this year that the theme of the Regional Conference is the Environment' and the Chairman of the Environment Scrutiny Panel who had expressed an interest was a logical choice to join the delegation.

I s h o uld point out that there are almost always more applicants than there are places available and, for this

reason, some members will always be unsuccessful. This may be particularly true if members limit their interest to only one event where they may be competing against 15 or more of their colleagues for only three or four places. The Branch will also be conscious, when making selections, of applications from members who express continued interest in CPA matters over a period of time rather than simply expressing a one off' interest in a particular conference destination.

I a m satisfied that the recent selection of delegates for 2008 as set out below met the Committee's usual

criteria.

Question

4. W  h atCPAevents will Jersey delegationsbe attending in 2008,what are thethemesofthese events and whichdelegateshavebeenselectedto attend?
5. W h at is the anticipated cost of attending the 2008 conferences and how will these costs bemet?

Answer

4. & 5. To date Jersey has received three invitations to attend CPA events in 2008. These are as follows –

W e st minster Seminar organised by the UK Branch – 3rd to 14th March 2008. Deputy K.C. Lewis

will attend this seminar. This annual seminar is an intense learning experience on a wide range of parliamentary practices and procedures. The total cost to the Jersey Branch will be the cost of a return air fare to London (£96.80 return), travel to central London (£28.80 return) and the £15 per day expenses allowance (£180).

R e g io  nal Conference in Gibraltar – 11th to 15th May 2008

S e n a tor Ozouf , the Connétable of St. Martin and Deputies Duhamel and Le Claire will attend this year's

Regional Conference accompanied by the Hon. Secretary, Michael de la Haye. The overall theme for the conference is the Environment'. No firm bookings have been made for the conference yet but the costs to the Jersey Branch will be the return air fares to Gibraltar and the £15 per day expenses allowance.

S m a l l Countries and Plenary conferences in Malaysia – 3rd to 10th August 2008

S e n at ors Vibert and Perchard and the Deputy of St. Martin will attend this conference accompanied by the

Hon. Secretary, Michael de la Haye who will also attend the Society of Clerks conference which is always held in parallel with the CPA Annual Conference. No details of the conference topics have been received yet. The figures given in answer to questions 1 and 2 above show that the average total cost to the Jersey Branch of attending these annual conferences over the last six years has been approximately £1,767 and it is probable that the 2008 cost will be similar.

A l l d irect costs associated with attendance are met from the annual grant from the States referred to in

answer 6 below.

J er s e y has applied for one place on the 2008 CPA Seminar which is being held in Ottawa in June. The

Branch will hear in April whether or not its application for a place has been successful.

Question

6.   A r e the accounts of the Jersey Branch available for inspection and, if so, where can they be inspected and who is entitled to view them?

Answer

6. T h e Jersey Branch receives an annual grant from the States that is shown as part of the States Assembly estimates in the Annual Business Plan. In recent years the amount of the grant has been fixed at £40,000 per year. A substantial proportion of this grant goes towards Jersey's annual subscription to the Association which this year amounted to £26,629. This subscription is Jersey's contribution to the Association's work across the Commonwealth which, in addition to the conferences and seminars shown above, includes post-election seminars as well as training and general assistance for parliamentarians, particularly in developing countries, to help them improve and enhance democratic structures. Membership also enables the Jersey Branch to access the research facilities provided by the CPA Secretariat.

D e t ai led accounts of the manner in which the annual grant is spent are kept by the States Greffe under the

supervision of the Treasurer of the States in his capacity as Honorary Treasurer of the Jersey Branch. Annual accounts are circulated to members and considered at the Jersey Branch's AGM each year. The accounts are not confidential and can be made available to anyone who wishes to inspect them through the Honorary Secretary, Mr. Michael de la Haye, at the States Greffe.