Scrutiny rejects Press calls to release letters
SCRUTINY has rejected calls to release letters that would shine a light on whether Education, Sport & Culture president Paul Le Pelley had refused originally to attend a public hearing into his committee's work.
The hearing happened on Monday last week, but only after Scrutiny went public claiming that Deputy Le Pelley, pictured, had refused twice to attend.
Subsequently, he insisted he had never said he would not be there, just that he would prefer the hearing to be postponed.
Scrutiny Management Committee president Chris Green said his board discussed the request for the letters to be released, submitted by the Guernsey Press, but rejected it under the existing code of access to information.
The code has an overall commitment to transparency and openness.
Exceptions can be applied to protect Guernsey's legal, commercial and competitive interests, but these can be waived in the name of public interest.
'The committee discussed this matter at its meeting on the 18 October and decided that they were not able to release the requested letter under the existing code of access to information,' Deputy Green said.
