Select a region
Questions are being asked of the impartiality of the person who reviewed Home Affairs' governance.
Meanwhile, the States' senior committee continues to call for Home President Mary Lowe's resignation, as the under-fire committee "contradicts" itself over its action since the report was released.
The governance report featured an incredible diatribe against Home, with the committee accused by staff of bullying, intimidation over job security and a lack of any strategic achievement.
Deputy Lowe was criticised in the governance review.
Home has dismissed its findings and insisted there is no evidence of such behaviour, while P&R have called for Deputy Lowe's resignation, with Vice-President Lyndon Trott saying last week that "the view is clearer from the top of the trees than it is down in the weeds".
"They have previously dismissed the findings of the report, now apparently they have accepted the recommendations," said Deputy Trott after Friday's States meeting.
He said this was "contradictory", as to accept the recommendations, Home would first need "to recognise the validity of the evidence that governances falls well below acceptable standards". He said this brought into question whether Home would live up to its word and act on the recommendations and that a he would have more confidence in a new committee that was "willing and capable of carrying out the necessary reforms".
However, Deputy Carl Meerveld has challenged P&R over the "independence" of a governance expert, Professor Catherine Staite, who is married to Alderney's Chief Executive Officer.
"In his role as Chief Executive Officer for Alderney, her husband/partner has close and frequent interaction with Guernsey's Chief Executive and presumably the Chief Secretaries, heads of service and/or officers of all committees responsible for providing transferred services to Alderney, such as HSC for health services, ESC for education services and Home for law enforcement services, potentially liaising with the same heads of service and civil servants as Professor Staite interviewed for her report," said Deputy Meerveld in a formal letter to P&R.
"It is accepted good governance and common practice to declare any potential conflict of interest relating, however indirectly, to household members and especially a spouse or partner. Why is it that this governance expert did not see fit to make such a declaration?
"Unfortunately, this glaring breach of the principles of good governance brings into question the validity and integrity of all governance reports produced by Professor Staite on behalf of the States of Guernsey."
Deputy Meerveld is asking questions including when did P&R became aware of Prof. Staite's "potential conflict of interest", what were the States' procurement processes for the role and who made the appointment.
Comments
Comments on this story express the views of the commentator only, not Bailiwick Publishing. We are unable to guarantee the accuracy of any of those comments.