Deputy who broke code of conduct avoids suspension
BBCThe vice-president of Guernsey's top political committee has avoided a 25-day suspension from the States.
The parliamentary watchdog found Gavin St Pier, the former chief minister and current Policy and Resources vice-president, broke the States code of conduct in a phone call he had with a journalist where he discussed safeguarding concerns and Dr Sandie Bohin.
Following almost a full day of debate, deputies voted to reject the proposed punishment of a suspension without pay.
Twenty-two politicians voted against the motion to suspend, while 11 supported the proposed punishment, with five abstaining.
St Pier called for an independent review of the complaints system at Health and Social Care and the Medical Specialist Group, at the end of his speech arguing against his suspension.
Employment and Social Security President Tina Bury indicated she would vote against the proposal to suspend him.
She criticised the current complaints system at Health and Social Care, where she served as vice-president last term, as "not fit for purpose".
"They are not independent of the departments that they relate to. They are not open and transparent."
Which way did deputies vote?
Deputies David Dorrity, Mark Helyar, Neil Inder, Munazza Malik, Liam McKenna, Andrew Niles, George Oswald, Charles Parkinson, Andy Sloan, Jennifer Strachan and Simon Vermeulen voted to suspend Deputy St Pier.
Twenty-two deputies voted to throw out the suspension; Deputies Chris Blin, Yvonne Burford, Tina Bury, Haley Camp, Garry Collins, Rob Curgenven, Lindsay de Sausmarez, Steve Falla, Adrian Gabriel, John Gollop, Sarah Hansmann-Rouxell, Rhona Humphreys, Sasha Kazantseza-Miller, Marc Lainé, Marc Leadbeater, Aidan Matthews, Jayne Ozanne, Sally Rochester, Tom Rylatt, Gavin St Pier, Lee Van Katwyk and Steve Williams.
Five members abstained; Deputies Andy Cameron, Bruno Kay-Mouat, Paul Montague, Alderney States members Alex Snowdon and Edward Hill.
Scrutiny President Andy Sloan, who opened the day's debate, argued the independent Commissioner for Standard's proposals to suspend Deputy St Pier should be approved.
"Due process is not an inconvenience. It is the protection that ensures fairness, impartiality, credibility," he said.
President of the Committee for the Environment and Infrastructure, Adrian Gabriel, argued the current code of conduct system for States members' behaviour was not fit for purpose.
His Vice-President Sally Rochester agreed that the proposal should be thrown out: "I do agree with the findings in the report that Deputy St Pier should have made clear to the journalists that complaints were unsubstantiated, but do not consider that wrongdoing to justify the sanction.
"I cannot agree that disclosing complaints to journalists was incompatible with the duty to act impartially or in the public interest."
Policy and Resources member Yvonne Burford "The only comparable modern precedent involved sustained, deliberate, deceitful and harmful conduct. By contrast, this case stems from what could be characterised as a single lapse of judgement."
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