A PRIVATE ministerial briefing descended into a ‘shouting match’, witnesses left briefings in tears and panel members failing to show tolerance led to a complete breakdown of a Scrutiny Panel, its chair has said.
Deputy Geoff Southern is facing the prospect of being removed as chair of the Health and Social Security panel amid a dispute over the conduct of his Scrutiny colleagues Deputies Barbara Ward and Andy Howell.
The veteran Scrutineer said that he had asked the two Deputies – first elected to the States Assembly last year – to resign from the panel owing to their conduct during hearings and following an official complaint about them made by Health Minister Karen Wilson. Deputy Southern said that the relationship between the minister, her officers and the panel had ‘completely broken down’ and that ‘it is very difficult to build trust when that happens’.
He added that during a training session last August, a complaint was made from a training company about Deputy Ward’s ‘disruptive’ and ‘combative’ behaviour which had left the trainer in tears and that he had seen ‘two witnesses in tears’ after a private briefing ended with ‘those two Deputies engaged in a shouting match with the minister’.
However, Deputy Philip Bailhache, also a member of the panel, has defended Deputies Howell and Ward and brought the no-confidence motion ‘in view of the stance adopted’ by the panel chair. In the motion, Deputy Bailhache said that the Health Minister had made three complaints against Deputy Ward relating to the revelation of information from a private meeting during a public Scrutiny hearing, allegedly relaying information to the panel that was received through her membership of the States Employment Board and persistently raising employment matters in relation to recruitment difficulties. The allegation against Deputy Howell related to allegedly failing to act in a professional manner during a private meeting between the panel and senior Health Department figures.
The vote of no confidence added that Deputy Bailhache had asked Deputy Southern to resign from his position as chair but that the Reform Jersey Deputy had declined to do so.
Deputy Southern said: ‘What I am talking about here is the threat to the efficient working of Scrutiny. If that is put in danger, then that has got consequences for the government because we must, as an Assembly, have good relations between Scrutiny and ministers in order to have any clarity whatsoever.
‘If I was to accept the behaviours displayed in a panel of mine, I think I would be moving towards the end of the panel.
‘I can’t see a way of mending that trust without removing the two Deputies concerned from the frontline. Philip takes the view that just an apology is sufficient but, in my mind, an apology won’t change any-thing.’
He alleged that Deputies Ward and Howell had entered meetings with pre-conceived ideas which led to a failure to ask appropriate questions or listen to responses.
‘We had someone in tears because people were not asking questions and not being tolerant,’ the St Helier Deputy said. ‘I have been at a loss to work out what I can do so people get the idea that they have to put their politics down when they enter Scrutiny and not make political statements.
‘I don’t think it is nastiness. I think it is a feeling that we already know the answers and that means when we walk into a Scrutiny panel [hearing] you are not listening. That kills the whole thing.’
The membership of Scrutiny Panels are decided upon by a vote of the whole States Assembly. However, Deputy Southern said that ‘consideration’ needed to be given as to whether panels should be chosen by the elected chair.
Deputy Southern said that, having asked Deputies Ward and Howell to resign, he would not be averse to them returning to the panel at some stage but that this had not been accepted by either Member or by Deputy Bailhache, who instead requested that Deputy Southern should resign as chair.
Deputy Bailhache said: ‘I think it is rather sad that the Scrutiny Panel, which has been reasonably successful, has fallen apart in the way that it has. I think Deputy Southern and I have diametrically opposed views as to what has happened over the last few months.
‘I think they [Deputies Ward and Howell] are excellent members of the panel. That is why I was not prepared to accept their being pushed off by Deputy Southern.’
He added that the panel as it currently stood was ‘dysfunctional’ and added that if his no-confidence motion was successful he would put himself forward as chair – ‘I think anybody who proposed a motion of no confidence is morally obliged to put himself forward’.
He added that should Deputy Southern survive that the ‘likely outcome’ would be that he and Deputies Ward and Howell would all resign from the panel.
The no-confidence motion was counter-signed by Deputies Ward and Howell, as well as Deputy Tom Binet. It is due to be debated during next week’s States sitting.
