P&R 'lacks confidence' in Home Affairs to implement recommendations of critical reports

P&R president Gavin St Pier put the request in a letter to Home president Mary Lowe.

The letter, which is endorsed by all members of P&R, says that Deputy Lowe’s refusal to resign following criticism in the HMIC review, and the subsequent Governance Review by Professor Catherine Staite, has undermined the senior committee’s confidence that Home has a ‘genuine desire to accept and implement all of the outstanding recommendations’.

P&R wrote to Deputy Lowe in June saying it was in the best interests of both the States and her if she stepped down. ‘We believe it would show humility, integrity and statesmanship to do so.’

Deputy Lowe replied that she had no intention of resigning.

P&R has asked for a clear timetable to be released as soon as possible ‘setting out when each of the relevant steps are to be considered’. It says that this will inform its ongoing review of the relationship between deputies and the civil service.

Home Affairs was criticised in the Staite report after staff told the professor that there was a hostile atmosphere which had disempowered them and undermined trust. Deputy Lowe came in for personal criticism for harassing and bullying staff.

Home last week announced that it had agreed a protocol of roles and responsibilities with the Head of Law Enforcement, one of the key recommendations of the HMIC report. P&R says that the protocol was drafted by Professor Staite but Home’s attacks on the review and its author had led it to question how genuine the commitment was.

P&R has offered resources to help with the timetable and says the matter will be discussed by the two bodies at the next oversight board meeting.

It has also offered a list of names on non-States members to join Home, another of the recommendations.

Two Home deputies, Richard Graham and Rob Prow, will give personal statements in the States today on their resignations from the committee. Both refute criticisms in the Staite report.