12 December 2018
Chief Minister, Senator John Le Fondré, has today announced that the Education Minister, Senator Tracey Vallois, is stepping down as Deputy Chief Minister and resigning as Chair of the States Employment Board, in order to focus full-time on her Education portfolio.
Senator Le Fondré said: “Senator Vallois has made me aware for some time of the onerous demands of three senior government roles during a significant period of change for the public sector. I have always known that her first priority is to her Education portfolio, and I have valued the contribution she has brought to her other government roles during the busy first six months of the new Council of Ministers.
“We have discussed this on a number of occasions in recent months, and I recognised that I was unlikely to be able to keep Senator Vallois in these cross-government roles over the longer term. It is therefore with reluctance that I accept that the time has come to accept her stepping down as Deputy Chief Minister and her resignation from the States Employment Board.
“I am grateful to her for the rigour she has brought over the past six months to the pay and modernisation agenda through the States Employment Board. I also value and thank her for her support to me as Chief Minister and look forward to continuing to draw on her energy and expertise in the Council of Ministers as Jersey’s Minister for Education.”
Senator Vallois said: “The first six months of the new government has been challenging and I am pleased to have supported the Chief Minister during this time with the wide remit of three roles. Now that the Common Strategic Policy has been agreed, with Education a common theme throughout, it is right that I now devote all of my efforts in this area. I stood for Senator with the aim to become Minister for Education, and delivering the ambitious objectives of the Department will be a full-time commitment for me and all of its dedicated staff.
“Throughout my time in politics I have provided consistent and appropriate challenge, in order to ensure rigour and quality assurance of the government and its policies, and this will continue.
“I will also continue to support the Chief Minister, and work alongside all Ministers across areas of governance and reform, to ensure that we govern in the interests of all islanders.”
The Chief Minister has appointed Senator Lyndon Farnham as Deputy Chief Minister, in addition to his role as Minister for Economic Development, Tourism, Sport and Culture.
Senator Farnham said: “I am honoured to be asked to become Deputy Chief Minister and to add this cross-government responsibility to my current portfolio. I would like to pay tribute to Senator Vallois, who has played an important role in helping to establish our new government, and who will now be able to focus all of her energy into the education of our children and young people.”
A further announcement about the replacement in the States Employment Board of Senator Vallois will be made in due course. Connétable Buchanan will remain as Vice Chair of SEB.
gov.je