Sacc quiet about deputy’s appeal against code of conduct decision

The original complaint arose after a speech the deputy gave in the States during which he criticised safeguarding services and named a paediatrician.

An allegation that he had abused parliamentary privilege was rejected by a group of senior deputies.

However, a complaint by a group of doctors to the code of conduct panel was successful and it ruled that the deputy had breached the code.

Deputy St Pier lodged an appeal and that led to the States Assembly and Constitution Committee going to the States and getting approval for permission to have it heard by a deputy commissioner for standards.

It appears that the appointment was made by Sacc soon after that and Martin Jelley, House of Lords commissioner for standards, was given the role of Guernsey States’ appeals commissioner in March, under contract.

How far his consideration of the appeal has progressed is unknown, however,

and Sacc, following the lead of pan-island commissioner for standards Dr Mellissa McCullough, is not saying anything further.

‘In keeping with the principles of confidentiality applied by the commissioner for standards to the investigation of complaints, Sacc does not intend to comment on appeals or other matters related to complaints, outside of the information which is ultimately published by the States Greffier for the States Assembly,’ said the committee in a statement issued after its recent meeting.

Deputy St Pier was appointed as a new member of Sacc in December last year and is now its vice-president.

He has recused himself from discussions about the appeal.

He declined to comment on the matter at this stage.