The senior committee started discussing nominees for those roles yesterday morning, minutes after its president, Lindsay de Sausmarez, won the Assembly’s backing for the four members she proposed to complete her new-look committee.
Jonathan Le Tocq received 35 votes, Charles Parkinson and Gavin St Pier 31 each and Steve Falla 30 in an uncontested election for seats on P&R.
Two members returned blank voting papers.
‘We are talking with people who are interested in seeking such a nomination this afternoon and tomorrow morning, and then hopefully we’ll have our final proposals agreed by the end of Thursday,’ said Deputy de Sausmarez.
‘I don’t think there is any justification for making this an autocratic thing. We have a committee system of government and it makes sense for this to be a committee discussion. For any candidates I propose, I am anticipating that they will be P&R nominations.’
Hear from Deputy de Sausmarez on our latest Politics Podcast
Deputy St Pier is widely expected to become the treasury lead and Deputy Le Tocq looks set to continue as external relations lead.
Deputy Parkinson hopes to lead an extensive review of the island’s company tax regime and Deputy Falla is likely to be asked to use his professional communications background to help improve relations with other committees.
Members of P&R are precluded from sitting on most other committees, but Deputy de Sausmarez had no concerns about filling the senior committee with some of the most experienced States members in a generally inexperienced Assembly.
‘We do not intend to take an oversight role. We intend to take a supporting role. So I hope that problem will not surface,’ she said.
‘I’m hoping to work in a different way, which means we can use those people’s experience in committee areas anyway.’
Watch Matt Fallaize’s interview with new P&R member Steve Falla
Her candidates to sit on P&R were all seconded by Mark Helyar, who had finished second in the contest to head P&R 24 hours earlier, ahead of Deputy Le Tocq, who also stood for that role.
Tomorrow Deputy Helyar is expected to stand for the presidency of the States’ Trading Supervisory Board, which runs or oversees the utilities, Aurigny and the other public sector companies.
Neil Inder had also expressed an interest in the role but it is now understood he may not challenge.
It is possible that there will be no contest for the presidencies of Employment & Social Security and Environment & Infrastructure, with Tina Bury and Adrian Gabriel, respectively, expected to run unopposed.
Economic Development could be keenly-contested, with Marc Laine, Sasha Kazantseva-Miller and Chris Blin all interested, though some members want Deputy Kazantseva-Miller to run for the presidency of the new Housing Committee she proposed, where newcomer Steve Williams is ready to stand.
As previously reported, George Oswald and Marc Leadbeater should compete for Health & Social Care, and Sarah Hansmann Rouxel, Aidan Matthews and Paul Montague have been considering bids to lead Education, Sport & Culture.
Jayne Ozanne is expected to run for the presidency of Home Affairs against Simon Vermeulen.
Yvonne Burford, who placed second in the general election, is understood to be weighing up a bid for roles on one or more of the Development & Planning Authority, States Assembly & Constitution Committee and STSB.
Andy Sloan and John Gollop are believed to be in the frame to succeed her at Scrutiny.
The meeting to elect committee presidents starts at 9.30am. If those elections are concluded tomorrow, the Assembly will start electing committee members from 9.30am on Monday.
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