Censure of Treasury Minister Withdrawn in Favour of PAC Investigation
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| Treasury Minister, Philip Ozouf |
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| Senator Sarah Ferguson |
'It is quite clear that, at the moment, it is virtually impossible for the Assembly to hold Ministers to account.'
Yesterday Evening, the following Statement was issued by Senator Sarah Ferguson on behalf of herself and the 3 other States Members who were bringing the Censure Motion, p61, against the Treasury Minister, Senator Philip Ozouf:
'With great reluctance, it has been decided to withdraw the
Proposition, P.61/2012, seeking a Vote of Censure against the Treasury
Minister.
Given the dispute that has broken out as to the
interpretation and use of evidence, and notwithstanding questions about the
timing of these interventions by the former Interim Treasurer and Senator
Bailhache, we think it would be wrong to pursue this Proposition while these
issues remain active.
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| Public Accounts Committee Chairman, Deputy Tracey Vallois |
Instead, we are asking the Chairman of the Public Accounts
Committee (“PAC”) and the Chief Minister to investigate these allegations.
Since the proposition was submitted, matters have moved on
and become even more serious.
We consider the resignation of the Comptroller and Auditor
General (“CAG”) to be a grievous blow to the reputation of the Island, and
strongly reiterate our support for him and the report itself. It would also
appear that the former CAG has had little or no support from the Council of
Ministers since the publication of the report. We also deplore what have in effect been inferred attacks
upon the integrity of the CAG.
We would remind Members of the note of resignation from the
former CAG from which we conclude that he became very concerned that the debate
was shifting away from the issues identified in the report and was becoming
more politically focussed. We also remind members of the letter dated 18th May
2012, in which the former CAG repeated (to the PAC) a warning that “to avoid
the consequences of a critical report, it was likely that an attempt would be made
to discredit the report by discrediting its author”. In our opinion this would
appear to be what is happening.
The original issues remain the same as they were when the
Scrutiny Panel undertook its original review into the Lime Grove
transaction.
The matter was initially referred to the CAG as the panel
considered that the issues identified during its review were serious, and were
beyond its remit. This was entirely appropriate given that some of the issues
impacted on the integrity of the States.
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| Recently resigned, C&AG, Chris Swinson |
We remind members of the credentials of Mr Swinson O.B.E. -
past president of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales ,
past Chairman of the Audit Committee of HM Treasury ; member of the Financial
Reporting Council ; Senior Independent Director at The Pensions Regulator and
Non Executive Director at the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory. He was
also re-appointed this year by the UK Prime Minister as a Trustee of the
National Museum of Science and Industry. He has developed his own practice as
an expert witness and mediator and is a consultant in corporate accountability
and governance.
His resignation over the attempts to question his integrity
is not something that members should be taking lightly.
The issues surrounding Lime Grove are not just about the
failure to buy a building. The Scrutiny and CAG reports have both identified
serious concerns about various processes and decision making at the highest
levels in the States system.
An office which is intended to be one of the major checks
and balances in our Government has been unremittingly attacked such that doubts
have to be raised as to whether a new Comptroller and Auditor General can be
recruited to this political environment.
There are questions regarding the haste with which the
Council of Ministers sought to close matters down, leading to the remarkable
and quite frankly, risible assertion that the Treasury Minister ‘s actions were
acceptable because of stress and a lack of training.
This whole episode reflects very badly on our Government.
The Inquiry we are calling for should include a consideration as to how to
ensure that a repetition of the events which have occurred can be avoided in
the future. It is quite clear
that, at the moment, it is virtually impossible for the Assembly to hold
Ministers to account.
There is immense public disquiet across the political
spectrum which will not be resolved by burying the issues and attacking the
former Comptroller and Auditor General.
In withdrawing the Proposition we ask all members to support the
Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee and the Chief Minister to ensure that
their ability to carry out their responsibilities with regards to the Lime
Grove House Report is effective and the issues are not merely brushed under the
carpet.'
Senator Sarah Ferguson
Deputy Roy Le Herissier
Connétable of Grouville
Deputy John Le Fondre
