Senator Frank Walker insisted that he was convinced it was possible to balance the goals of economic growth and safeguarding Jersey’s natural beauty and quality of life.
He outlined his position in a statement to the migration sub-panel of the Corporate Services Scrutiny Panel, who yesterday questioned him about ‘serious concerns’ they had with the integrity of the Imagine Jersey 2035 consultation exercise.
Deputy Patrick Ryan, the chairman of the panel, summarised the thrust of those concerns.
He said that many people suspected that the real aim of the consultation exercise was not to find answers to the problem of an ageing society.
Instead, he suggested, they feared that the Council of Ministers were actually using the smokescreen of the ageing population debate to convince Islanders of the need for increased immigration to support economic growth.
