Members of the Policy & Resources Committee will be in St. Helier on Monday “to discuss a range of issues – including sea transport links” with Jersey’s senior politicians.
Ahead of the talks, the Committee said that it continues to negotiate on its objective of investing in a new ferry to serve the Bailiwick – at an estimated cost to the public purse of £15-20million.
But the Committee would not be drawn on whether it is getting any closer to completing a deal.
On 12 January, the Committee told a public hearing of the Scrutiny Management Committee that it intended to buy a ferry and lease it to Condor.
On 13 January, the President of the Committee, Deputy Peter Ferbrache, said: “The idea is that a conventional ferry would add support to Condor’s current cluster of ships, which would give more security and an enhanced service to the island.”
Now, three-and-a-half weeks later, negotiations appear to have progressed less quickly than the Committee would have liked. But the Committee seems to remain firmly committed to the policy of investing in a ferry.
Pictured: The Policy & Resources Committee remains positive about a deal to invest an estimated £15-20million in a new ferry.
On Friday evening, the Policy & Resources Committee told Express: “The Committee isn’t yet able to comment further. As per the previous statement it provided, the negotiations are ongoing and being conducted in commercial confidence and so it’s not possible to disclose more detail, but more information will be provided when an agreement is reached.”
A few hours earlier, the States of Jersey announced that “senior politicians from Jersey and Guernsey are meeting in Jersey on Monday 7 February to discuss a range of issues, including sea transport links”.
The Policy & Resources Committee’s announcement that it intended to invest in a ferry came as a surprise not only to other deputies in Guernsey but also to senior politicians in Jersey. At the time, the Economic Development Minister in Jersey, Senator Lyndon Farnham, said it was “unexpected”.
Pictured: Senator Lyndon Farnham (left) is believed to be among the senior politicians from Jersey scheduled to meet members of Guernsey's Policy & Resources Committee in Jersey on Monday to discuss sea links and other issues of common interest.
The Committee has said that it does not require States’ approval to invest in a ferry because the vessel would provide a financial return and therefore could be purchased through a States’ investment fund rather than by using the capital reserve which pays for most capital projects.
Some deputies are known to want a States’ debate on the Committee’s plans to invest in a new ferry and on long-term sea links policy generally. They have been in talks about whether to submit a Requête to force those issues onto the floor of the States’ Assembly.
However, the normal deadlines have now passed for proposals to be submitted for debate at either of the next two States’ meetings – on 16 February and 30 March. This means that securing a debate this month or next month is now not fully in the hands of the would-be requérants (Requête signatories).
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