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WQ.178/2023
WRITTEN QUESTION TO THE CHIEF MINISTER BY DEPUTY M.R. SCOTT OF ST. BRELADE
QUESTION SUBMITTED ON MONDAY 24th APRIL 2023 ANSWER TO BE TABLED ON TUESDAY 2nd MAY 2023
Question
“With reference to the Chief Minister’s letter to the Corporate Services Scrutiny Panel dated 20th April 2023, will the Chief Minister provide the following information –
- who were the members of Our Hospital Political Oversight Group (‘OHPOG’) on 28th September 2022 and which of these were present at the OHPOG meeting on that date (the ‘OHPOG Meeting’), other than the Chief Minister, the Constable of St. John and the Infrastructure Minister;
- what was her disagreement with the Infrastructure Minister on policy matters related to the OHPOG meeting to which the Chief Minister’s letter to the Infrastructure Minister dated 7th October referred;
- a copy of the minutes of the OHPOG meeting and all other meetings of the OPHOG as reconstituted during her term of office;
- whether the Council of Ministers meeting on 28th September 2022, took place after the OHPOG Meeting and included discussion of any events that took place at the OHPOG;
- what was the nature of the disagreement regarding the way in which the Chief Executive’s departure had been handled; and
- what steps, if any, does the Chief Minister propose to take to address the concerns expressed by the Infrastructure Minister?”
Answer
- The members of the OHPOG as of 28 September 2022 were the Chief Minister, the Minister for Health and Community Services, the Minister for Infrastructure and the Minister for Treasury and Resources. All were present at the meeting, although the Minister for Treasury and Resources was not in attendance for the first 50 minutes of the meeting.
- I do not recall a specific policy disagreement in the OHPOG on 28 September, nor is one referred to in the minutes. My letter to the Minister for Infrastructure refers to the generality of policy disagreements from time-to-time being natural and understandable, and indeed, often healthy as Ministers are not always expected to be of the same mind on all subjects. Good policy is aided by good quality debate.
- All records, including minutes, are available to the relevant Scrutiny Panels.
- There was not a Council of Ministers meeting on the 28 September. There was a meeting that week on 27September, which did not consider the hospital or health care facilities.
- The position of the Minister for Infrastructure is well documented and outlined in the published correspondence.
- I am committed to continuing the development of the Council of Ministers as a team, which includes focused time exploring how we work, and any improvements we can make, supporting a high performance, mutually supportive, and appropriately challenging environment at the most senior levels of government. I am committed to continual learning and improvement. This will include a programme of work facilitated by a local specialist.