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P&R has agreed to include funding for a Paris route to Guernsey in the Government Work Plan, according to Deputy Neil Inder, who has updated the Assembly on the work of his Committee.
Deputy Inder is the President of the Committee for Economic Development and he began his Committee update in the chamber on the difficulties people in Guernsey have been having in getting credit cards.
He was the second person to give an update during this month's States' debate, after Deputy Peter Ferbrache gave an extended brief on the work of Policy and Resources.
When discussing the issue some people have had when trying to get credit cards from UK banks, Deputy Inder said part of it has been the difficulty credit reference agencies have in being able to access Guernsey’s electoral roll data.
He said work has been done with the Committee for Home Affairs to rectify the situation.
"Working with Home Affairs, the intention is to mirror the situation in the UK, whereby the credit reference agencies can access domestic data within an agreed legislative framework.
“I'm extremely grateful... we are expecting the Committee of Home Affairs to bring forward a policy letter... in 2024.
“Having credit reference agencies unable to access electronic data is a material economic [risk]. And we consider this a risk to Guernsey’s real economy. It is our duty to address all of these issues by the end of this term."
In an update on the possible future of a direct route from Guernsey to Paris, Deputy Inder said conversations have been had with Policy and Resources.
“The Committee is actively engaged with key carriers currently discussing a route development opportunity for a new route to Paris.
“Funding to support this has been identified within the Government Work Plan. Policy and Resources has agreed to include that as part of the GWP."
Deputy Inder gave a brief comment on the long-running legal battle between the Office of the Public Trustee and the former trustees of a failed pension fund.
He said during his update: “Moving on to one of the thorns in the side of the Committee... the funding of the Office of Public Trustee. [I’m] extremely grateful for the work conducted by the... law officers on the single grey matter on its books, which will in due course be brought to a conclusion.
“This is all being funded by the taxpayer... and I consider that unacceptable.”
Deputy Marc Leadbeater took the opportunity to put a question to Deputy Inder and his Committee on tuna.
Noting an increased prevalence of tuna in Guernsey waters, he asked if the Committee would entertain a request from the local fishing industry to be able to land tuna, “bearing in mind that some French vessels that do fish in our waters can land tuna in France”.
“At the moment it is a protected species,” said Deputy Inder.
"It seems that the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tuna has just revised the tonnage [allowed]… from 36,000 tonnes to 40,000 tonnes. So quite clearly the fish isn't endangered as it once was.
“So, to answer this question directly, the short answer is yes.”
However, Deputy Inder said it would only happen if local fishers approached tuna fishing appropriately.
“Fish of that size are cooking as soon as they get on the deck. If you're actually [talking about catching] tuna [properly] you're looking at immediate freezing.
“What we can't have is prime fish... on the back of a local trawler, which has been ill prepared, just because they want to fish it.
“If they can do it properly and get it to market to get a value for it I'm more than happy to look at it, but we can't get to a position where we've got prime species go into a market at a substandard level.”
Debate has now begun on the much-delayed Electricity Strategy, despite Deputy David de Lisle trying to get his Requete on the Herm school closure shuffled up the list.
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