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4.1 Deputy T.M. Pitman of St. Helier of the Minister for Home Affairs regarding the Metropolitan Police Interim Report':
Given that, on 8th June 2010, when asked whether he would make available to Members the Metropolitan Police Interim Report, the Minister stated that he would have to take legal advice before coming to a decision, will he now advise whether he has taken such advice, who, specifically, the advice was sought from, whether he will be making the report available to Members, and if so, at what date?
Senator B.I. Le Marquand (The Minister for Home Affairs):
I am very pleased to see that Deputy Trevor Pitman has had a change of heart here. Four weeks ago he was very, very strongly putting it to me that the report did not exist. Now he seems to have had a change of heart, and now accepts that it does exist, as indeed it does and always has. There has been no change in the position since I answered questions 2 weeks ago. I have not been able to take advice from the person from whom I wish to take advice, and there are indeed other related matters I wish to take advice from that person on.
Connétable P.H. Hanning of St. Saviour :
Excuse me, Sir, can I raise the défaut on the Connétable of St. Helier ?
The Deputy Bailiff :
It is proposed the défaut be raised on the Connétable of St. Helier. The défaut is
raised.
Deputy T.M. Pitman:
I am sorry. I did not catch the date that the Minister was going to make the report available. I wonder if he could just repeat his answer to that.
Senator B.I. Le Marquand:
I have made no decision on that. I must first take advice.
- Deputy T.M. Pitman:
When will that advice happen? Contrary to the Minister's understanding of my position, I know something exists. The fact that it is an actual report, I think, is a complete myth; it is a collection of notes.
Senator B.I. Le Marquand:
It is a very strange question that is being asked, then, by the Deputy , about something which he does not believe exists.
Deputy T.M. Pitman:
This is, with due respect, rather silly on the Minister's point. We know something
exists; when will he let us all see it? That is all we would like, and we can come to a
conclusion.
Senator B.I. Le Marquand: The same response as before.
- Deputy T.M. Pitman:
I think maybe Punch and Judy outfits might be in a ... Perhaps I can follow up then: ask the Minister, considering his answer to written question 15, that the former Minister for Home Affairs suspended the Chief Police Officer without ever seeing the so-called interim report, does the Minister think it is in any way credible that this Assembly will be asked to vote on the successor to the suspended Chief Police Officer, while we are also led to believe that the author of the interim report is himself being investigated following complaints about its accuracy?
Senator B.I. Le Marquand:
I am absolutely certain there are Members of this House who wish to see the contents of this report.
- Deputy M. Tadier of St. Brelade :
I would suggest to the Minister, it is only reasonable the Deputy remains agnostic as to the nature of the document, seeing as he has not seen it. I would advise against being too harsh, it is only a reasonable position. The question is, though - it is one of the questions that the Deputy did ask - as to from whom the Minister would be seeking advice with regard to the document. Could the Minister answer that part of the question?
Senator B.I. Le Marquand:
I answered that question the last time questions were asked of me about this. I probably should not have revealed who that was, because of the convention which exists in relation to the taking of legal advice from a certain public body, but I did answer that last time.
- Deputy M. Tadier :
Will you do us and the public the courtesy of answering the question now? It has been allowed as a question under Standing Orders. If it was already in the public domain, presumably it would not have been allowed as a question. But whatever is the case, will the Minister answer now for openness and transparency?
Senator B.I. Le Marquand:
Yes, I will. It is the Law Officers' Department.
- Deputy T.M. Pitman:
Would the Minister consider this is the best he can do? Perhaps it is the wrong person facing a vote of no confidence today.
Senator B.I. Le Marquand:
I have faced, over the last weeks, repetitive questions in relation to the same matters, we have gone over and over again. I have often thought that this might be some sort of political Groundhog Day. The questions are going absolutely nowhere. The questioners know perfectly well what I have said on numerous occasions, which is that I will put as much as I possibly can into the public domain as soon as I can. Why they seek to waste everybody's time by asking me further questions, I really do not know. [Approbation]