Sir Arnold: It calls for a particular combination of talents, lots of activity but no actual achievement
Sir Mark: I see, then Hacker is the man.
Hearing the recent press release by Frank Walker, it seems that what he is asking for is:
a) a public inquiry, possibly chaired by an eminent QC, with "full legal powers" - whatever that means is not spelt out, but I imagine it means that in accordance with a public inquiry of this nature, legal immunity will be granted to those taking part. It does not mean, even if the hint of a suggestion is there, that the inquiry will be involved in the judicial process.
b) the inquiry to start only after all criminal and civil cases relating to the abuse have been heard
Why is this?
Any person summoned before a Committee of Enquiry, or who gives evidence to such a committee – immediately gains immunity from criminal prosecution for any matter being considered by the Committee.
So in conclusion, this means the inquiry, as noted on Channel Television last night, is unlikely to take place before 2010, possibly later. It would therefore seem premature to announce that one will be set up - note the paragraph
Until police investigations are completed, it remains unclear exactly what questions will remain unanswered at the end of the process and any proposition lodged now may need to be amended.
Why then have an inquiry proposed at this juncture, when it really is just an appearance of activity, or, as Sir Arnold says " a particular combination of talents, lots of activity but no actual achievement"?
The Chief Minister's full statement reads: "The Chief Minister, Senator Frank Walker, is asking the Council of Ministers to consider proposing a public inquiry into all the issues surrounding allegations of historic abuse at the island's children's homes.
The Chief Minister and the Council of Ministers have made it clear since the announcement of the historic child abuse police enquiry that all required resources will be made available to enable the investigation and any subsequent criminal proceedings to be completed effectively. At this time this must be the top priority for the Island.
After criminal proceedings have been completed, there may still be unanswered questions about the way in which children have been cared for in Jersey in previous decades. The Chief Minister believes that the only way to ensure that there is total transparency in relation to this issue is for a full public inquiry to be held in due course and he hopes the Council of Ministers and all members of the States will share this view.
Until police investigations are completed, it remains unclear exactly what questions will remain unanswered at the end of the process and any proposition lodged now may need to be amended.
If the Council of Ministers agree to the proposal, they will ask the States to agree that, once the present police investigation into historic child abuse in Jersey and any associated criminal proceedings are concluded, a Committee of Inquiry should be established in accordance with Standing Order 146 in order to investigate any issues which remain unresolved in relation to the operation and management of Jersey's Children's services, and in particular Haut de la Garenne and all other care homes for children in Jersey from 1945 until 2000, with the membership and terms of reference of the Committee of Inquiry to be agreed by the States at that time."
"There have been suggestions of cover-ups, there have been suggestions of a lack of robust investigations, all of these will be I think comprehensively answered by the fact that we want to have a fully independent committee of inquiry with full legal powers, chaired I hope by an eminent QC from the UK. And we will then demonstrate that we are doing everything we possibly can and doing it in a thoroughly open way which I'm sure everybody in Jersey demands and would expect from us." - Senator Frank Walker
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2 comments:
I'm sure Senator Frank Walker will tell us how many of the Committee are masons then.?????
If you want to find out, you'd need to get a copy of a Jersey Masonic Yearbook, which do surface on ebay from time to time. I am not a mason, as anyone who read Ronald Hutton "Triumph of the Moon" will see, the evidence is that modern masonry was formed in the 16th/17th century in Scotland, and came South, together with an accumulation of concocted "ancient history", and pseudo-Hermetic rites. Can't see how any intelligent people could believe such historical nonsense, myself.
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