Education and Home Affairs - Approved Panel Minutes - 19 July 2011

Present

Deputy R. G. Le Hérissier, Chairman Deputy T. M. Pitman, Vice-Chairman Deputy M. Tadier

Deputy J. M. Macon

Apologies

In attendance

Mr M. Haden, Scrutiny Officer

Ref Back

Agenda matter

Action

Resignation of Panel members

Members considered a draft statement prepared by the Chairman announcing their intention to resign from the Scrutiny Panel following the outcome of the debate on P.84/2011 (Prison Board of Visitors: Composition) once the ongoing review of the issues surrounding the financial management of Operation Rectangle has been completed.

Members agreed to support the action taken by Deputy Tadier in announcing his immediate resignation in the States following the debate on P.84/2011 on the Composition of the Prison Board of Visitors. They wished to make it quite clear that they felt strongly about the Minister's conduct in this debate, which was the culmination of two years of unreasonable delay and stonewalling. It was noted that several attempts had been made by the Panel to seek progress on the issue highlighted in the Panel's report SR7/2009; however it appeared to members that the long wait for legal advice had concealed the Minister's reluctance to examine the case for change brought forward in the review. The Minister's sudden change of mind, having initially indicated his support for the Panel's proposal, and his last minute use of new legal advice to justify his position, amounted, in the view of the Panel, to disrespect to the Scrutiny process.

The recent attempt by the Minister to remove Deputy Pitman as Chairman of the review of the issues surrounding the financial management of Operation Rectangle also indicated a failure on the part of the Minister to understand that members were entitled to persist with probing questions on issues which merited serious investigation. This did not prevent members from approaching issues in an objective fashion when they committed themselves to a Scrutiny Review.

Members believed that the above review, recently commenced by a Sub Panel, had revealed serious questions about the way the review of financial management was carried out and they were determined to pursue the matter to the end.

Members approved the draft statement prepared by the Chairman,

subject to a number of amendments, to be agreed by email, and requested that arrangements be made to present the finalised statement to the Assembly at the next opportunity.