Inder, Dudley-Owen and Roffey to head committees

Monday 19 October 2020

Deputy Andrea Dudley-Owen will lead Education, Sport & Culture, Peter Roffey will head up Employment & Social Security, and Neil Inder has become the President of Economic Development, after he beat off competition from the incumbent by two votes.

In the first election this morning, the former SACC President, who led the implementation of island-wide voting after it was approved by referendum, succeeded against Deputy Charles Parkinson by 20 votes to 18.

Deputies Dudley-Owen and Peter Roffey were both elected unopposed. 

Deputy Inder has promised to develop Guernsey's tourism and transport sectors. Taking up the proposals of the 'red tape' review was also mentioned as a priority; Deputy Inder said that States' processes "always kill progress", and would like to see this changed. He said that there were many barriers to getting things done and vowed to "kick those doors down". 

"There is much to do to support the economy and I believe that we, as a committee, can do this. Guernsey is a great place to do business. We have a cracking product, and we're going to work hard to make it even better." 

Congratulations @PourchetRouge on being elected as President of the Committee for Education, Sport & Culture. I wish her well (and her new members, once elected on Weds).

— Matt Fallaize (@matt_fallaize) October 19, 2020

Pictured: Former ESC President Matt Fallaize passed on his congratulations to his successor.

Deputies Sasha Kazantseva-Miller, Steve Falla, Simon Vermeulen and Chris Blin have been earmarked as his committee members.

Deputy Dudley-Owen, who led the pause and review last term, received a glowing reference from newly-appointed Chief Minister Peter Ferbrache.

"She is a principled person who unites people and gets things down. She really is the right person for the right job at the right time."

Deputy Dudley-Owen, who finished third in the public polls, said she was proud to take up the position. 

"This is not a poisoned chalice and it never has been."

The new line up for Policy and Resources is Ferbrache, Helyar, Soulsby, Le Tocq and Mahoney and happy to have seconded all for of the President's nominations. Unity of government, that's what it looks like.

— tothevale (@tothevale) October 17, 2020

Pictured: Deputy Inder is keen to put together a similarly diverse committee on Wednesday.

Deputy Dudley-Owen is passionate about early years education and helping people to flourish "from cradle to grave". 

Secondary and post-16 education is naturally "the burning issue" and Deputy Dudley-Owen said she will look at the draft review presented by the outgoing committee last week and "pull together" towards a positive resolution. 

Her ESC Committee must also address a question that she feels has been neglected over successive terms. 

"Why do we educate our children? My answer is this: we educate our children to make them valuable contributors to our community. I believe it is from this defined purpose we have to work backwards to work out the 'how' and the 'what'. The how we make them valuable contributors and what we need to do to achieve that purpose."

Experienced politician Peter Roffey will lead ESS, which he was a committee member of last term, which has seen significant turnover as a result of former Vice-President Shane Langlois failure to get re-elected and President Michelle Le Clerc and Committee Member Emilie McSwiggan both standing down. 

So pleased that Deputy Roffey has been elected President of ESS, I know it is in safe hands, some choppy waters ahead and difficult decisions for those involved in Fiscal Review, for many the penny will now drop, no easy solutions. I am now going to take a break from Twitter

— Michelle Le Clerc (@mkleclerc) October 19, 2020

Pictured: Former ESS President Michelle Le Clerc said her ESS colleague was the right person to take on the job.

"This is not a job on which to cut your political teeth," said Deputy Roffey's proposer, Deputy Jonathan Le Tocq. "It is a job for someone proven to have both the intellectual and political skills and the experience to deliver."

Deputy Roffey said his main reason for standing for the "complex" position was his passion for social policy. 

"In the new and very challenging world caused by Covid-19, I am ever more committed to tackling some of Guernsey’s biggest social issues, finding cost-effective ways of tackling poverty, minimising unemployment and, perhaps most importantly of all, provide affordable housing."