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WRITTEN QUESTION TO THE CHIEF MINISTER BY THE DEPUTY OF ST. JOHN
ANSWER TO BE TABLED ON TUESDAY 2nd JUNE 2009
Question
Since taking office, has the Chief Minister attended any meeting in the French Regional Governments of Normandy or Brittany or the National Assembly in Paris, or visited Jersey's office in Caen, and, if not, why not?
Does the Chief Minister consider that a good working relationship with France is important, and if so, what actions, if any, will he take to foster good relations with France.
Will he undertake to publish a list annually of proposed visits to both national and regional governments of France?
Answer
I do of course consider a good relationship with France to be a very important matter, and always endeavour to keep abreast of our ongoing work with France. In November 2008, in my role as Deputy Chief Minister, I met with the representatives of the French Senate in Paris.
Subsequently a good relationship was established with the French Minister of Finance, Christine Lagarde, through the signing of a TIEA with France in March. With the TIEA there will be ongoing contact with the Ministry of Finance and I have indicated a wish to meet the French Minister, Christine Lagarde, in Paris to further cement this political and economic relationship. This will also continue to be advanced by the contacts that take place between the Jersey Financial Services Commission and the French regulatory authorities.
I intend to meet with representatives of the Conseil Général de la Manche in Jersey on 9th July and the Conseil Général d'Ille-et-Vilaine on 15th September. These meetings will include discussions with the Normandy and Brittany working groups on current developments on economic, tourism, cultural, educational and environmental matters.
I will also be accepting an invitation from Senateur Le Grand to the D-Day celebrations this weekend in Normandy. Furthermore, I would like to arrange an invitation for the Ambassador of France in the United Kingdom to visit Jersey in the near future.
It would not be possible to publish an annual list of proposed visits since these are not agreed upon so far in advance. However, there is a commitment to meet annually with representatives of each of the Conseils généraux de la Manche and d'Ille-et-Vilaine.