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WRITTEN QUESTION TO THE CHIEF MINISTER BY THE DEPUTY OF ST. JOHN
ANSWER TO BE TABLED ON TUESDAY 3rd MAY 2011
Question
Will the Chief Minister advise which States members attended the recent trip to Normandy and Brittany over the weekend of 1st to 4th April 2011 to represent Education, Sport and Culture, Economic Development and Planning and Environment, who they met, what subjects were discussed and which civil servants or industry personnel were also part of the delegation?
Would the Chief Minister advise what the trip cost and whether the Assistant Chief Minister, External Affairs, was part of the delegation?
As both Normandy and Brittany have vital sea routes, was a representative of the Ports of Jersey part of the delegation, if so, would he give details as to who this person was and who they met, and, if not, please explain why?
Answer
The Chief Minister and Connétable Vibert , in his capacity as Chairman of the Assemblée Parlementaire de la Francophonie, attended meetings in Caen and Deauville on Friday 1 April.
They met with Mr Alain Tourret, Vice Président of the region of Basse-Normandie, together with a number of French officials relevant to the matters under discussion, and also with Mr Phillipe Augier, mayor of Deauville.
Topics discussed comprised:
- International relations
- Possible air links with Jersey
- Tourism
- The World Equestrian Games 2014, to be hosted in Normandy.
The Director-General of the Jersey Financial Services Commission gave a presentation on Jersey's international finance industry to elected representatives of the Regional Council.
Officials from Jersey's administration comprised the Director of Tourism, Assistant Director of Education, Sport and Culture, and International Relations Officer. They were supported by officials of the Bureau de Jersey and La Maison de Normandie et de la Manche.
In the evening, the Chief Minister and Connétable Vibert met with Mr Laurent Beauvais, Président of the region of Basse-Normandie, over a dinner hosted by Mr Beauvais in honour of the visit to Caen.
On 4 April the Chief Minister and Connétable Vibert , supported by an official from the Bureau de Jersey, met in Rennes with:
- Mr Jean-Yves Le Drian, Président of the region of Bretagne;
- Isabelle Thomas, Vice Président in charge of sea and coastal protection;
- Maria Vadillo, Vice Président in charge of tourism and heritage;
- Loig Chesnais-Girard, regional councillor, president of the economic commission, delegate for innovation and social economy;
and a number of French officials relevant to the matters under discussion. Topics discussed included:
- Jersey's constitutional status and international relations
- Historic links with Brittany
- Further development of relations with the Department of Ile et Vilaine
- Jersey's economy and industries, and potential cooperation with Brittany
- Tourism
- Renewable energy resources.
It was agreed that the exchange of expertise and ideas on matters of shared interest was valuable and was an important step in developing closer links between Jersey and the region of Brittany.
On Tuesday 5 April, following the tragic death of Granville fisherman M. Philippe Lesaulnier, the Chief Minister decided to extend his visit to France in order to attend the funeral which took place in Folligny, Normandy. The Chief Minister joined the official delegation which included the Sous-Préfet de la Manche, the Président of the Conseil général de la Manche Sénateur Le Grand and elected representatives, the Mayor of Granville, high-ranking representatives of the Gendarmerie Nationale and French Navy, and a member of St Helier Lifeboat. The presence of the Chief Minister was much appreciated by the family of Mr Lesaulnier and warmly welcomed by the civil authorities.
Answer: Q2
The cost of the visit for the whole delegation from Jersey was £1,107.
The Assistant Chief Minister, External Affairs, was not part of the delegation due to attending meetings with MPs in London on Monday 4 April.
Answer: Q3
Sea routes are a responsibility of the Economic Development Department, not the Ports of Jersey. However, sea routes were not on the agenda for any of the meetings and no representatives were required for this subject.