FUNDING politicians to attend conferences in other nations is “vital” for the Island, the chair of Jersey’s Commonwealth Parliamentary Association branch has said in its latest yearly round-up.
Around £35,000 of taxpayer money was used in 2023 to send Jersey’s elected members to CPA events in far-flung locations ranging from Alberta, Canada, to Accra, Ghana.
Roughly £8,000 went toward trips for members of the Assemblée parlementaire de la Francophonie – an international organisation that brings together parliamentarians from countries where French is spoken – to attend meetings in Paris, the Georgian capital Tbilisi and Athens.
Deputy Rob Ward, chair of the CPA Jersey Branch’s executive committee, said: “As a small Island it is vital that we look outwards and take advantage of the many opportunities created by our involvement in the CPA.
“It enables us to make valuable connections, builds communities and puts Jersey at the front and centre of this worldwide network.”
Deputy Ward added that it was “important to value this wider role and the positive impact this has for the Island, placing us on the world stage”.
He said the CPA provides “training opportunities” for Members, the ability to “discuss common issues” with other jurisdictions and “gain inspiration from the direct experiences of our colleagues across the Commonwealth”, feeding that knowledge back into local initiatives and improving the Island’s legislation.
Some of the events that politicians attended included the 66th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference in October in Accra, where three Deputies and an officer travelled at a cost of around £3,000 per person; a CPA programme for newly-elected Members in Westminster in May, which saw 11 travel at a cost of around £750 per person; and the “Strengthening Parliamentary Action to Address Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking in Supply Chains” workshop in Nairobi in November, which saw two Deputies travel for around £3,500 each.
Deputy Montfort Tadier, president of the local Assemblée Parlementaire de la Francophonie branch, also attested to the value of his and other Members’ attendance at conferences in June, July and November.
“The conferences that our Members attend alongside parliamentarians from elsewhere bring us into contact with many countries/regions and their legislatures and assemblies that we would not otherwise engage with, if we were a solely English-speaking Assembly,” he said.
“In this post-Brexit time, this includes members of the European Union. Alongside the increased understanding of parliamentary work these conferences provide, they also therefore allow opportunities to build networks, to share how we approach matters in Jersey and to improve others’ understanding of the Island.”
