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The importance of Guernsey’s membership to the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) has been stressed after it was revealed that it cost the States of Guernsey £10,919 to send three deputies to Ghana.
The 66th CPA conference was held in Accra on 30 September and Deputies Gavin St Pier, Andrea Dudley-Owen and Sasha Kazantseva-Miller attended.
The Crown Dependencies have been part of the CPA for more than fifty years and the States of Guernsey supply the CPA Guernsey branch with a grant every year to cover its membership to the Association.
In 2022 that grant was £69,000 and last year it was £67,000. In Policy and Resources’ budget for 2024 the proposed grant is £64,000.
£31,000 of this grant is ring-fenced for the membership fee for the CPA, the remainder is then used for additional costs such as travel and accommodation.
The CPA is an association for Guernsey parliamentarians and is completely separate from the States of Guernsey itself.
This year it cost the CPA £10,919.52 via the States grant to send the three delegates to Ghana. It actually cost more but the larger Association pay for a portion of travel expenses.
The theme of this year’s conference was “The Commonwealth Charter 10 years on: Values and Principles for Parliament to Uphold” and the event was attended by Jersey, the Isle of Man, Scotland, Wales and delegates from dozens of other branches of the CPA.
“The CPA is an important part of developing Guernsey’s international profile and strengthening parliamentary relations,” a representative said.
Six deputies also attended the Crown Dependency’s Network this year for a total cost of £6,051.
“These conferences allow Deputies to network with their counterparts in the respective jurisdictions, building stronger relations between our Islands.”
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