No time to be on holiday

Of course, politicians and members of the teaching profession are also entitled to their fair share of leisure time and the opportunity to take holidays at home or abroad.

That said, teachers understand full well that they can never extend their holidays so that they miss the first day back at school or choose to swan off in the middle of term. Anyone who chose to behave so extraordinarily would probably be committing a sacking offence.

It is, however, clear that different standards apply to States Members – which is presumably why Housing Minister Terry Le Main decided to time a Tenerife holiday in such a way that he missed the first States sitting of this year. He was declared en défaut at that sitting – hardly the most terrible sanction – but appeared unapologetic when contacted to explain why the long Christmas recess had offered insufficient opportunity for foreign travel.

Indeed, the Senator suggested that his absence was no one’s business but his own. This peculiar attitude rather glossed over two important issues – that Islanders pay his and other politicians’ wages. The public are therefore entitled to expect those representing them to keep their part of the bargain by being in the right place at the right time.

Meanwhile, if at least some of the electorate is currently wondering if Senator Le Main is offering full value for money, many will also be perplexed by his department’s decision to send a glossy calendar to each of its 4,600 tenants. The cost of this operation – which, to be fair was about communication as well as public relations – was £8,000, a far from insignificant sum in this era of stretched budgets and promised savings.

Deputies Shona Pitman and Phil Rondel each expressed concern about the cost of the calendar. They were right to do so, but we are still waiting for comments from any political quarter on the practice of Members playing fast and loose with holiday entitlements and, by extension, the rules that regulate the conduct of the House.