Where’s Charlie?

Wednesday 18 July 2018

A Jersey scrutiny panel has criticised the island’s top civil servant for not making himself available for public questioning.

The Corporate Services Panel had asked Charlie Parker to turn up alongside the Chief Minister, Senator John Le Fondré, to its regular quarterly meeting, but was told he wouldn’t be able to make it because he was busy.

Mr Parker was said to be interviewing candidates for new posts he’s created as part of his restructuring of the States. Attempts to fix another date also proved impossible because of claimed difficulties in “aligning” the two men’s diaries.

@John_Le_Fondre and @TAVallois appearing at their first @jerseyscrutiny hearing. The Chief Minister outlining that the strategic plan is the first top priority. The Council of Ministers have already begun to form the document. pic.twitter.com/FlyYFFB8MD

— Deputy Jeremy Maçon (@DeputyMacon) July 17, 2018

Instead Mr Parker offered to answer the panel’s questions later in the week, but at the hearing panel chairman, Senator Kristina Moore, said that wasn’t really good enough because it would be behind closed doors and that scrutiny should be open with members of the public being able to come along and watch.

Members of the public who did attend the hearing later commented it appeared the panel had been snubbed and wasn’t being taken seriously. The hearing only lasted an hour and a half, and since it had been planned well in advance, they wondered if Mr Parker couldn’t have rejigged his diary. The panel was also concerned since many of the questions it had lined up could only be answered by Mr Parker.

The Treasurer of the States, Richard Bell, had been nominated to stand in for Mr Parker at the hearing, but he cancelled at the last minute. The panel wouldn’t publically say why, but were clearly unhappy with his excuse.

Pictured: Senator Kristina Moore, Chairman of the Panel, had hoped to question Mr Parker.

The Office of the Chief Executive has since responded to the criticism of his absence. A clarifying statement provided to Express read: "The Chief Executive had previously informed Scrutiny that he was unable to attend their meeting, as he was on a panel interviewing Director General candidates. The interviews were arranged before the Scrutiny hearing was scheduled, and could not be changed since they involved candidates and the Chair of the Jersey Appointments Commission and other panel members travelling from overseas. The Chief Executive has offered an alternative date at the earliest opportunity to allow members of the Scrutiny panel to ask him about the restructuring of the public sector and his first six months in post.

"The Treasurer was already scheduled to brief the Fiscal Policy Panel at the time of the Scrutiny hearing."