Select group of politicians invited to 'breakfast meeting' with Catholic leaders

Saturday 30 October 2021

Deputy Peter Ferbrache has hosted a meeting between Catholic leaders and some Deputies who share the concerns of the Church about anti-discrimination proposals affecting Catholic schools, which the States are due to debate next week.

The clerics, head teachers of Catholic schools and those Deputies who were invited gathered at the Old Government House Hotel this morning.

Express understands that most members – possibly all members – of the Committee for Employment & Social Security, which is responsible for the anti-discrimination proposals, were not invited to the meeting.  

The Bishop of Portsmouth travelled over to Guernsey for the meeting, which was attended by Deputies Ferbrache, Carl Meerveld, Liam McKenna, Bob Murray, Nick Moakes, Sue Aldwell, Dave Mahoney, Chris Blin, Rob Prow, John Dyke and Jonathan Le Tocq. 

Well it’s news to me too.

— Deputy Heidi Soulsby MBE (@HeidiSoulsby) October 30, 2021

Pictured: Guernsey's Deputy Chief Minister Deputy Heidi Soulsby was one of those unaware that the meeting was taking place.

Those invited discussed the campaign, which is gaining significant political momentum, for the anti-discrimination law currently being developed to include a permanent exemption to allow applicants of Catholic faith to be prioritised when applying for senior roles at the States’ and grant-aided Catholic schools. 

The Committee for Employment & Social Security is proposing the same exemption but for a period of only five years from the commencement of the law (provisionally, the years 2022-27).  

The Diocese of Portsmouth oversees the Catholic Church in Guernsey. The Diocese formalised its concerns in a letter to Deputy Ferbrache, President of the Policy & Resources Committee, the States’ senior-most committee, claiming that the Committee for Employment & Social Security was “overtly hostile” and “dismissive” at a meeting with Catholic representatives to discuss the anti-discrimination proposals. 

“We had hoped for a constructive meeting where we, as a recognised partner with the States of Guernsey, could share our concerns that the policy as it stands discriminates against the faith communities and, in our particular case, calls into question the sustainability of our Catholic schools, and look to a constructive solution,” said Heather Hauschild, Chief Operating Officer of the Diocese of Portsmouth.  

Bishop Philip didn’t hold back on his views against our 2018 proposals to improve individuals’ end of life options either, which is why I assumed I’d not be invited to break bread at today’s lobbying concave; but clearly that’s not the reason given the exclusion of so many others https://t.co/dSwSHazbrw pic.twitter.com/07kNlMnwRm

— Gavin St Pier ???????? (@gavinstpier) October 30, 2021

Pictured: Bishop Philip has previously lobbied Guernsey deputies on policy decisions such as the unsuccessful attempt in 2018 to legalise assisted dying. 

“However, we were all deeply disappointed at the tone of the meeting [which] seemed to us overtly hostile at the outset. The meeting itself was no more than 45 minutes and that included an adjournment where we were sent out of the room while the Committee spoke amongst themselves.  

“At the outset Deputy Roffey invited us to make our points and said that once we had done this they would respond. The Episcopal Vicar started to set out the points and was interrupted a couple of times in an offhand and dismissive tone.  

“There was no attempt to engage in a constructive discussion to look to solutions despite our best attempts to see if we could find common ground.” 

Deputy Peter Roffey, President of the Committee for Employment & Social Security, said previously that at the meeting his Committee was “polite and welcoming” to the Catholic delegation. 

Deputy Bob Murray, Vice-President of the Committee for Education, Sport & Culture and a member of the Guernsey Party, will lay an amendment to turn the proposed five-year exemption for Catholic schools into a permanent exemption when the States debate the proposals next week. His amendment will be seconded by Deputy Sam Haskins, also a member of the Committee for Education, Sport & Culture.    

On the Guernsey Party’s website, Deputy Murray, answering a question about whether people had faith in the Committee for Employment & Social Security, said that Catholics “could be forgiven for answering a resounding no to that question”. 

The island has three Catholic schools: two primary schools run by the States – Notre Dame du Rosaire and St. Mary and St.Michael – where staff are employed by the States; and Blanchelande College, which has places for children aged between two and 18 and receives a grant from the States for its secondary phase and which employs its own staff.