Our Island

Although the prime objective is to serve St John as an effective parish Deputy in the States, you are entitled to expect me to have views on a range of Island-wide matters. Here, in summary, is my position on a number of important issues.

The Economy. I believe that it is it is vital that we keep Jersey's economy strong for the benefit of all. The way to achieve this is by managing public finances better by doing more to eliminate duplication, waste and inefficiency in the public sector. By doing so we will ensure that health, education and pensions continue to be well funded.

Finance. The finance industry is the engine room of the economy and we must make sure the engine is kept in good running order. We should not be complacent and continued diversification of this sector should be encouraged through the creation of appropriate legislation that ensures that the finance industry remains competitive and a stable contributor to our economy.

Tourism. Tourism is still a major contributor: common sense says it is more cost effective to work at further developing tourism than to embark on high-risk new industries.

Agriculture. I admire the way our farmers have faced up to the challenges of the 21st century. They are not looking for government handouts, but sometimes they would benefit from a bit more understanding of their needs. Agriculture may no longer be the driver of our economy, but its contribution is also still important. Our farmers are responsible, through the Jersey cow and the Jersey Royal, of promoting our Island and earning valuable export income.

Diversification. In order to provide future stability to our economy it is important that low foot print high yield economic activities other than finance are explored; such as the management of Intellectual property I.T, the creative sector and various internet trading opportunities.

Education. We have excellent primary schools and the secondary schools are very good at preparing students for university; however, the system is far less effective when it comes to vocational education we must do more to prepare our school leavers for jobs in the local community. We have a unique funding model in Jersey for some of our secondary schools although all States budgets should be reviewed we must be careful not to destroy a system that has worked well for many families but at the same we should be providing excellent levels of education to all regardless of household income. In some cases this is not the case so I will be striving hard to find out why and seek long-term solutions to provide the best educational opportunities for all.

Housing. We cannot continue nibbling away at our countryside, but we must meet the needs of the community, particularly those starting out; I'm in favour of urban and 'brown field' development and remain convinced there's more to be done in exploiting the States' property portfolio. I would also like to investigate the possibility of introducing small first time buyer developments in which new families can thrive

Our senior citizens We must eliminate fear from growing old: I am strongly in favour of helping the elderly remain living in heir own homes for as long as they wish by providing community based support to meet their needs.

Reform of the States: The number of members should be reduced significantly, probably to 42 members, in order to improve the efficiency of operation of government in the Island. The States of Jersey should consider a package of reform without the need for another costly review along the lines of the Clothier Report. The reform package should be submitted to the people of Jersey in a referendum. The internal procedures of the States should be amended so as to procure a more efficient use of time while maintaining lively democratic debate in the Chamber. Mutual respect for different opinions should be displayed.