I've been consistent in my opposition to TRP policy changes

If that was really true, then you would know that a significant number of islanders agree with me that lifting restrictions on housing under the new permit regime as a policy is deeply unpopular. In fact, the open letter from former deputies Guille and Dudley-Owen printed in your paper on this and related issues has, I believe, awakened public interest in the matter.

I am pleased that your newspaper has agreed to do an explanatory feature of these population proposals as that will be extremely helpful in getting people to understand what they will mean to them personally and how they will affect the island as a whole.

I would also point out that the so-called 'piecemeal' attack you refer to is nothing of a sort – I have been opposed to this particular recommendation from day one and backed an amendment in the States when the proposals were debated to get it changed. So, far from being piecemeal, I have always been consistent that removing TRP restrictions would be detrimental to those already resident here and who are looking for affordable homes.

Also, reinstating those restrictions will have absolutely no negative effect on the rest of the proposals at all, which I am happy to support.

Finally, it has always been the Policy Council majority view on this issue, as I made it clear from day one that I could not support a couple of the recommendations. The Policy Council is not a cabinet and I am not a clone of anyone else around that table.

As to whether the Housing board is united on the new proposals (which, incidentally, they are not) is irrelevant, as we are not talking about the Housing control laws, we are talking about a new permit system where housing does not feature as a policy.

DEPUTY DAVE JONES,

Housing Minister.