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Deputy Tina Bury has given further insight into her decision to resign from the Committee from Health and Social Care, following Health’s announcement that some civil servants withheld information from the Committee.
“As was shared in the States today [20 March], information was withheld from the Committee regarding the hospital modernisation project and while that is not the sole reason I have resigned it is representative of the openness and transparency concerns that have led me to this decision,” said Deputy Bury.
During a special update the President of HSC, Deputy Al Brouard, told the Assembly on 20 March that an uplift in costs - of close to £30million - in the second phase of the Hospital Modernisation Project were known by a small number of civil servants as early as February 2023.
This information was not shared with the Committee of Health and Social Care, or senior civil servants.
Deputy Brouard told States members that those who were aware of the figures and didn't disclose them are no longer employed by the States of Guernsey.
Pictured: Deputy Brouard.
The shock announcement came hot on the heels of Deputy Bury’s resignation as Vice President of HSC, and while the specific reasons for her decision remain unknown, she has now given a little more context for her decision to step away.
“I am genuinely disappointed to be resigning from HSC, I’ve put a lot into the Committee and am proud of the policy work that has been achieved this term, but at an operational level I’ve had concerns for some time around openness and transparency, particularly when things don’t go as well as they should – things won’t always be perfect, that’s inevitable – but I think there is a real need for change in how the department responds in those situations.
“It’s not something I’ve been afraid to challenge and speak up about, that’s a matter of public record, but I’ve seen very little appetite for change and that really clashes with my personal values; I wasn’t willing to compromise on that any longer so now feels the right time for me to move on and focus on my other Committee work at ESS and wider States business.”
Two deputies have so far expressed their interest in the VP position; Deputies Gavin St Pier and Mark Helyar.
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