Attendance at the 2018 Labour Party conference (FOI)

​Request

Further to news that Senator Sam Mezec has attended the Labour Party Annual Conference 2018 under the heading of 'States Business', I would like to know the following:-

A

What is regarded as States Business in this regard when the Labour Party has a history of attacking Jersey's Finance Industry by labelling us as a secretive Tax Haven on numerous occasions over the years?

B

What will be achieved by sending the Minister of Children / Housing to such a conference when it should really have been be a Minister more familiar with Jersey's Finance Industry?

C

What was the cost of this exercise and did anybody else attend the Conference on behalf of the States of Jersey to either clarify our position as an Offshore Finance Centre or discuss Brexit?

Response

A and B

These parts of the question do not fall under the remit of the Freedom of Information (Jersey) Law 2011. The requester is asking general questions seeking an explanation, and does not clearly seek information held by Government.

Nevertheless, Ministers have traditionally attended party conferences in the best interests of the Island.

In the case of Senator Mézec, he attended in a business capacity, as a Member of the Council of Ministers elected by the States Assembly.

C

Senator Mézec met his own costs for travel and attendance at the Labour Party Conference, having made arrangements prior to becoming a Minister, benefiting from the rates applicable to himself as a Labour Party member.

The Minister for External Relations, Senator Ian Gorst, also attended the Labour Party Conference on behalf of the Government of Jersey. The costs for his travel and attendance were:

• Travel and Accommodation: £528.05

• Conference Pass: £600