28 November 2006
Senator Terry Le Sueur, Minister for Treasury and Resources has published a
summary of
the responses received regarding the proposed sale of Jersey Telecom. The Discussion Paper was issued in July 2006. A copy of this document can be found by clicking here.
The Minister has put in place a transparent and rigorous process to enable all aspects of the proposed sale of Jersey Telecom to be considered and the public consultation period, which ran from 13 July 2006 to 8 September 2006, was part of this open debate; it has enabled the people of Jersey - as well as directly interested parties in the proposed sale - to make their views heard.
A total of just 35 written responses were received by the Treasury during the public consultation period. The majority of these were from directly interested parties such as Jersey Telecom employees and the Board of Jersey Telecom, the JCRA and Amicus, bodies many of whose views on the proposed sale have already been well-
publicised
. Beyond the directly interested parties, it is clear that very few others felt a need to respond to the document; responses were received from a small number of professional and other representative bodies, private businesses and individuals.
The Minister will ensure that the views expressed during the consultation period will be fed into the decision-making process and thanks respondents for taking the time to communicate their views.
In summary, the feedback received has reaffirmed the Minister’s belief that the proposition to be lodged with the States for decision must be constructed in accordance with four key principles:
·
It must provide the basis for an outcome that will contribute to the maintenance and enhancement of the competitive environment and quality of telecommunications services to the benefit of both today’s and tomorrow’s islanders;
·
It must ensure that the rights of Jersey Telecom’s employees are adequately safeguarded;
·
It must provide for the achievement of the best possible basis for the long term growth and development of Jersey Telecom;
·
It must provide for the attainment of the highest possible sale proceeds for the benefit of the people of
Jersey
.
The final form of the proposal regarding the sale of Jersey Telecom that the Minister will put to the States Assembly next year, and on which States members will then vote, has yet to be decided upon.
- Ends -
For more information contact Senator
Terry Le Sueur
, Minister for Treasury and Resources, telephone 863994, or
Ian Black
, States Treasurer, telephone 440215.
gov.je