Assistant Minister reinstated after suspension over emails

Tuesday 21 May 2019

An Assistant Minister who was suspended after calling for the Hospital's leading pain specialist to be sacked over his views on medicinal cannabis in an email, has been reinstated.

The Chief Minister, Senator John Le Fondré, announced in the States Assembly this morning that the matter was now "resolved" and that he was looking forward to Deputy Montfort Tadier resuming his position as Assistant Minister for Economic Development, Tourism, Sport and Culture after nearly two months away.

He had originally been suspended on 29 March after lobbying a handful of politicians to remove an employee from the government, suggesting that they back a proposition to this effect, and copying in the individual concerned.

Pictured: The original email sent by Deputy Tadier to fellow States Members.

The identity of the individual was not officially confirmed, but news of this email came after comments made by Deputy Tadier in the States Assembly "regarding the continued employment of a Pain Consultant" in connection with "comments made to the media regarding the use of medicinal cannabis."

This referred to an article in Express about how the "watershed" move to allow Jersey doctors to prescribe the drug may contravene practitioners' guidelines.

The Chief Minister deemed the move as “wholly inappropriate” and “clearly harmful” to the individual concerned. The email was also deemed to be in breach of the Ministerial Code of Conduct, which states that Ministers and Assistant Ministers “have a duty” to respect government officers, “uphold the political impartiality of officers and not ask them to act in a way which would conflict with their responsibilities and obligations and should act with courtesy and respect at all times towards officers.”

Pictured: The Chief Minister's response to Deputy Tadier's email.

Shortly after his suspension was announced, Deputy Tadier's party Reform Jersey issued a statement saying that he had acknowledged it was inappropriate for him to suggest a civil servant to be removed from office in an email he was copied in to, and that he had "apologised unreservedly" to the employee in question.

Reform Jersey also confirmed that Deputy Tadier had referred himself to the Commissioner for Standards to establish whether any breach of the States Members code of conduct has occurred.

During this morning's States Assembly meeting, Deputy Kirsten Morel asked the Chief Minister why he had expressed concern about Deputy Tadier's email being “subject to an FOI [Freedom of Information] request” and then suggested that Deputy Tadier “do a new e-mail” but “do not include this, or any other part of that chain, in this e-mail." 

Pictured: The Chief Minister said he was looking forward to Deputy Tadier resuming his position as Assistant Minister.

Senator Le Fondré replied he was simply concerned about the the potential harm to Deputy Tadier and the employee mentioned, and that he aimed to remind the Assistant Minister that it is "better to reflect on the contents of an email before hitting send."

He then went on to say that he considered the matter to now be resolved and that he was looking forward to Deputy Tadier resuming his position.

He denied having suggested writing "a clean email without including the chain" to avoid transparency.