We come now to the appointment of Ministers, Committees and Panels and I am told that the Chief Minister would like to take the opportunity of announcing the appointment of Assistant Ministers. Chief Minister.

1. Appointment of Assistant Ministers

Senator T.A. Le Sueur (The Chief Minister):

I think it would be helpful to Members to let them know who is available. I am permitted under Standing Orders to have a maximum of 23 Ministers and Assistant Ministers and my objective has been where possible to try to get Assistant Ministers to cover more than one ministerial duty. So, the 13 Assistant Ministers who I am nominating for the Chief Minister’s Department: Senator Routier and Deputy Le Fondré; for Treasury and Resources: Deputy Le Fondré and Deputy Noel; for Economic Development: the Constable of St. Clement and Senator Routier; for Planning and Environment: the Deputy of Trinity; for Health and Social Services: Deputy Martin and the Constable of St. Lawrence; Home Affairs: Deputy Hilton; Education, Sport and Culture: Deputy Green and Deputy Dupré; Social Security: Deputy Jeune; Transport and Technical Services: Deputy Lewis and Housing: Deputy Power.

2. Appointment of President of the Chairmen’s Committee

The Bailiff:

Thank you, Chief Minister. Now we come to the appointment of the President of the Chairmen’s Committee and I invite nominations from among the 6 Chairmen: Senator Shenton, Senator Ferguson, Senator Breckon, Deputy Le Hérissier, the Deputy of St. John and Deputy Higgins.

Senator S.C. Ferguson (Chairman of the Corporate Services Scrutiny Panel):

I would like to propose Senator Ben Shenton.

The Bailiff:

Is that nomination seconded? [Seconded] Are there any other nominations for President of the Chairmen’s Committee? Very well, I declare that Senator Shenton has been duly elected as President of the Chairmen’s Committee. [Approbation]

3. Appointment of Members of the Privileges and Procedures Committee

The Bailiff:

We now come to the members of the Privileges and Procedures Committee. Madam Chairman.

Connétable J. Gallichan of St. Mary (Chairman of Privileges and Procedures Committee):

The members of the Privileges and Procedures Committee, the membership is set out in Standing Order 122 and as Members will be aware there is a mix of makeup. In giving my 3 nominations for the election of Members who are neither Assistant Ministers nor Ministers, I would like to assure the House that I have given total reflection to achieving a mix of both viewpoint and experience. The Members that I would like to propose, non-executive Members, are: Deputy Fox, Deputy Tadier and the Deputy of St. Peter. Thank you.

The Bailiff:

Are there any other nominations of persons who are not Ministers or Assistant Ministers?

Deputy D.J. De Sousa of St. Helier:

I would like to propose Deputy Trevor Pitman.

The Bailiff:

Deputy Trevor Pitman and is that nomination seconded? [Seconded] Are there any further nominations for membership of the Privileges and Procedures Committee? Very well, we proceed to a ballot and each Member has up to 3 votes. I remind Members again that the 4 nominees are: Deputy Fox, Deputy Tadier, the Deputy of St. Peter and Deputy Trevor Pitman.

Senator A. Breckon (Chairman of the Health, Social Security and Housing Scrutiny Panel):

Sorry, could I seek clarification from the Chair: you said you can vote for up to 3 people, so if somebody votes for one or 2 people it would not be a void paper, is that correct?

The Bailiff:

I think it was the position that Members were encouraged to vote for 3 but Standing Orders now expressly provide that you can vote for any number that you wish up to 3.

Senator P.F. Routier:

Can we be reminded of the candidates again?

The Bailiff:

Yes, the candidates are: Deputy Fox, Deputy Tadier, the Deputy of St. Peter and Deputy Trevor Pitman. Can I ask the Attorney General and Deputy Viscount to act as srutineers? We can now proceed to the election of 2 Members who are Ministers or Assistant Ministers and I invite nominations.

The Connétable of St. Mary:

As required by Standing Orders I have consulted with the Chief Minister and on his recommendation I nominate Deputy Martin and Senator Le Marquand. Thank you.

The Bailiff:

Are there any other nominations from the ranks of Ministers or Assistant Ministers? Very well, I declare that Deputy Martin and Senator Le Marquand have been elected to the Privileges and Procedures Committee. We come to one Member who is one of the 6 members of the Chairmen’s Committee and I again invite nominations.

The Connétable of St. Mary:

I was fortuitously able to foresee the mood of the House and I did consult with the President of the Chairmen’s Committee and I would like to nominate Deputy Higgins.

The Bailiff:

Very well, Deputy Higgins is proposed and nominated. Are there any other nominations for membership from the Chairmen’s Committee? Very well, I declare that Deputy Higgins has been elected to membership of the P.P.C. (Privileges and Procedures Committee). May I inquire whether any of the candidates for membership of the P.P.C. are also candidates for membership of the P.A.C. (Public Accounts Committee)? Deputy Pitman? No. The Deputy of St. Peter? No. Deputy Tadier and Deputy Fox? No.

4. Appointment of Elected Members of the Public Accounts Committee

The Bailiff:

Well, then we may proceed, I think, to elect the members of the Public Accounts Committee. The Chairman must indicate how many elected Members not less than 2 he wishes to have on the committee. Senator Shenton.

Senator B.E. Shenton (Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee):

I am going to invoke… you kindly said that we could have a little bit of discretion over time with regard to appointing additional Members. The actual number of elected Members within P.A.C., I think the ideal number would be 3, making a committee of 6 plus the Chairman. At this present time I just wish to propose 2 Members, taking one from the Deputies’ benches and one from the Constables’ benches. It gives me pleasure to propose Deputy Vallois …

The Bailiff:

May I just say that I think if you want to preserve your position as you are entitled to do I think you should indicate that you wish to appoint at this stage, 2 elected Members.

Senator B.E. Shenton:

I do wish to appoint 2 elected Members at this stage: Deputy Vallois and the Constable of St. Peter.

Senator B.I. Le Marquand:

On a point of order do the Standing Orders not indicate that there has to be not less than 4 under Standing Order 131(1)(b)?

Senator B.E. Shenton:

That is 2 elected Members and 2 non-elected Members is the minimum.

The Bailiff:

Senator, I was initially a little bit puzzled by the interrelationship between Standing Order 131 and Standing Order 124 but it is, I think, clear that Standing Order 131(b) simply requires an even number of Members to be elected at any given time and the Chairman has indicated that he is going to ask for 2 elected Members to be elected at this stage, and at a later stage 2 non-elected Members will be elected. So, the Chairman of the committee has proposed Deputy Vallois and the Connétable of St. Peter. Are there any alternative nominations of Members who are not Ministers or Assistant Ministers? Very well, I declare that Deputy Vallois and the Connétable of St. Peter have been duly elected as members of the Public Accounts Committee.

5. Appointment of Members of the Corporate Services Scrutiny Panel

The Bailiff:

So we come next to the election of members of the scrutiny panels and the Chairman of the Corporate Services Scrutiny Panel must indicate the number of Members she wishes to nominate and make the nominations. Senator Ferguson.

Senator S.C. Ferguson:

Like the Connétable of St. Mary I have thought long and hard about this and I have consulted with the Members of the Committee. I would like to propose 3 Members today, reserving the right obviously to expand the committee as and when. I would propose the Deputy of St. Peter as Vice Chairman, the Connétable of Grouville and Deputy Vallois.

The Bailiff:

Very well, the Deputy of St. Peter, the Connétable of Grouville and Deputy Vallois are proposed and nominated. Are there any other nominations for membership of the Corporate Services Scrutiny Panel? Very well, I declare that the Deputy of St. Peter, the Connétable of Grouville and Deputy Vallois have been elected as members of the Corporate Services Scrutiny Panel.

6. Appointment of Members of the Economic Affairs Scrutiny Panel

The Bailiff:

We come next to the Economic Affairs Scrutiny Panel and again the Chairman must indicate the number of Members whom he wishes to have appointed at this stage and make the nominations. Deputy Higgins.

Deputy M.R. Higgins of St. Helier (Chairman of the Economic Affairs Scrutiny Panel):

I am proposing to make 4 nominations to the Committee today. They are all people who have volunteered to join, and I believe in volunteers rather than pressed people and therefore I would like to put forward the Deputy of Grouville, the Deputy of St. Mary, Deputy Shona Pitman and Deputy Jeremy Maçon.

The Bailiff:

Thank you, Deputy. Are there any further nominations for membership of the Economic Affairs Scrutiny Panel? Very well, I declare that the Deputy of Grouville, the Deputy of St. Mary, Deputy Shona Pitman and Deputy Maçon have been elected as members of the Economic Scrutiny Panel. I can now announce the result of the voting for the Privileges and Procedures Committee: 33 votes were cast for Deputy Fox, 41 votes for Deputy Tadier, 36 votes for the Deputy of St. Peter, 17 votes for Deputy Trevor Pitman and I declare that Deputy Fox, Deputy Tadier and the Deputy of St. Peter have been duly elected.

7. Appointment of Members of the Education and Home Affairs Scrutiny Panel

The Bailiff:

Now we come to the Education and Home Affairs Scrutiny Panel. Deputy Le Hérissier.

Deputy R.G. Le Hérissier of St. Saviour (Chairman of the Education and Home Affairs Scrutiny Panel):

Like other people the quality and competition has been such that we are all searching after the same group of excellently skilled and competent people but at the finish I would like to propose the following people.

The Bailiff:

How many do you wish to propose?

Deputy R.G. Le Hérissier:

Three, at the moment, with the reservation as expressed by former chair people. Deputy Trevor Pitman, Deputy Tadier and the Constable of St. John. Thank you.

The Bailiff:

Very well, Deputy Trevor Pitman, Deputy Tadier and the Constable of St. John are nominated for membership of the panel. Are there any further nominations? Very well, I declare those Members to have been duly elected.

8. Appointment of Members of the Environment Scrutiny Panel

The Bailiff:

We come next to the Environment Scrutiny Panel. Deputy of St. John.

Deputy P.J. Rondel of St. John (Chairman of the Environment Scrutiny Panel):

Yes, I would like to propose 2 Members at the moment so we will hopefully have a committee of 5, and the 2 I have at the moment are the Constable of St. Peter and the Deputy of St. Mary. The third Member I did have in mind has in fact just pulled out because he had been elected on the previous committee, so that is with the Chamber.

The Bailiff:

Very well, are there any other nominations for membership of the Environment Scrutiny Panel? Very well, I declare that the Constable of St. Peter and the Deputy of St. Mary have been duly elected to the Environment Scrutiny Panel.

9. Appointment of Members of the Health, Social Security and Housing Scrutiny Panel

The Bailiff:

We come finally to the Health, Social Security and Housing Scrutiny Panel and I invite nominations. Senator.

Senator A. Breckon:

I would like to nominate 3 Members: the Connétable of St. Martin who has a link with the committee and worked on subcommittees in the past, Deputy De Sousa of St. Helier and Deputy Southern. A number of people have also expressed an interest of doing some work with the panel if there are subpanels, so the proposal is for 3 Members at the moment, and I make those nominations.

The Bailiff:

Very well, the Constable of St. Martin, Deputy De Sousa and Deputy Southern are nominated. Are there any other nominations for membership of the scrutiny panel? I therefore declare that those Members have been duly elected as members of the Health, Social Security and Housing Scrutiny Panel.

10. Appointment of Members of the Jersey Overseas Aid Commission

The Bailiff:

We come next to the appointment of members of the Jersey Overseas Aid Commission and I ask the Chairman to make his nominations.

Deputy I.J. Gorst of St. Clement (Chairman of the Jersey Overseas Aid Commission):

I would just like to say a few words, if I may. I have been overwhelmed by the number of Members who have shown an interest in joining the commission and I find that particularly gratifying to think that the commitment of this Assembly to overseas aid and to giving to those most vulnerable within the world stands firm, and I thank Members, those who have spoken to me in person to show an interest, those who have emailed me overnight, and those who have sent a declaration of interest via the Greffier’s Office and I would like to thank every Member that has done that. It has, unfortunately, however, for me made it a very difficult decision and I think one thing that I have learnt looking at all the applications is that it is important that one of the tasks that the commission fulfils in early course is to review how Members are nominated to the commission and the terms of office that it might be acceptable for Members to serve. Having said all that, I have chosen one experienced Commissioner who has served just one term of office and I will be proposing that he serves a second term of office; I would expect that that would be in line with best practice, his final term of office, and I will be proposing one new Commissioner. The first one is Senator Routier; the second is the Deputy of Grouville. I should say that I will be inviting one or 2 of those Members who have shown an interest that I have not been able to propose today to join the subcommittee and in future we might see that as acting as an apprenticeship to join the commission in due course. Finally, if I could give a plug for the trips in the coming summer, any Members who have not been successful who might like to join an Overseas Aid working party this summer, we are going to Uganda, Kenya and Mongolia, and if Members are interested they could see me afterwards and I can give them an application form. I propose therefore Senator Routier and the Deputy of Grouville. Thank you.

The Bailiff:

Now the law provides that only the Chairman may nominate to membership of the commission and the options available to Members therefore are either to accept or to reject the nominations of the Chairman. So I put the proposition of Deputy Gorst that those Members in favour of adopting it kindly show. Those against? Well, I declare that Senator Routier and the Deputy of Grouville have been duly elected as Overseas Aid Commissioners.

ARRANGEMENT OF PUBLIC BUSINESS FOR FUTURE MEETINGS

The Bailiff:

We now come to the Arrangement of Public Business. Madam Chairman.

The Connétable of St. Mary (Chairman of Privileges and Procedures Committee):

I would propose the business tabled under M on the Consolidated Pink Sheets on the desks as the order of business for future meetings.

The Bailiff:

Any observations on the Arrangement of Public Business? Senator Breckon.

Senator A. Breckon:

I wonder if I may ask a question of the Chief Minister. One of the items on there is the appointment of a Director of the W.E.B. (Waterfront Enterprise Board) and the Comptroller and Auditor General has just brought out a report that says States Members should not be members of that particular board. I wonder whether he would like to comment on that and whether it is worth debating.

Senator T.A. Le Sueur:

Yes, the same thought had crossed my mind and when the Council of Ministers meet we will discuss the situation. It may be that I will seek to defer or withdraw that proposition from 20th January 2009 but at this stage I will leave it on the Order Paper for the time being. I will give Members as much notice as I possibly can should I decide not to have it debated on that day.

The Bailiff:

Thank you very much, Chief Minister. Constable of St. Helier.

Connétable A.S. Crowcroft of St. Helier:

I just wanted to alert the States to the fact that I have put forward a proposition for your consideration relating to the suspension of the Chief Officer of the States of Jersey Police and if it is deemed in order by you, I will hope to have it debated at the first meeting i.e. on 20th January 2009. Thank you.

The Bailiff:

Well, that completes the matters on the Order Paper.

CHRISTMAS GREETINGS

Senator S. Syvret:

Sir, your Excellency, fellow Members, as we approach Christmas we become more conscious that we should strive to feel goodwill to all people. But is it sufficient to cloak ourselves in such notions just for these few weeks as we contemplate the birth of Christ? Those who pay heed to the teachings of Christ should surely make such thoughts a year-long endeavour. So in addition to contemplating our own small world within the affairs of this Chamber, we should also think of the people who we represent in whose interests we are here, and pay particular regard to those less fortunate members of our society. For all that Jersey is a rich community, many people in our Island do not share in our successes. There is hardship, a struggle to make ends meet, poverty and societal dysfunction, a range of challenges to us which are only likely to become worse in the immediate future. It is easy for many of the people we represent to become isolated. For example, I have come to know a substantial number of survivors of abuse during the last 2 years, people whose age range runs from 13 years-old to 76. I will confine my observations to them simply to wishing them well, thanking them for their friendship and support, and hoping that I could convey to them the goodwill of this Assembly. [Approbation] Many Members of this Assembly have departed; I am sure we wish them well, and I am sure history will grant those Members its due judgment. We also welcome a number of new Members and I am sure the older Members of this Assembly will join me in wishing them the wisdom needed to successfully discharge our duties. I also think it would be an opportune moment for us to direct our thoughts to the people of Sark who are facing challenges which, if there were an equivalent in our society, would be representing a disastrous and appalling economic breakdown and the dawning of a grim new era of serious hardship. Let us send our regards and our best wishes to our fellow Channel Islanders. [Approbation] It is no secret that recent years have been difficult for this Assembly, perhaps more difficult for some of us than others, but we also must look to the future. We contemplate the beginning of a new Assembly with a whole new range of issues to challenge us in addition to those we routinely struggle with in any event. Let us hope that we can exhibit some tolerance, some wisdom and acceptance of differing points of view as we all strive to do our best for the community and the people of Jersey. Thank you. [Approbation]

The Bailiff:

The Senior Deputy. Deputy Duhamel.

Deputy R.C. Duhamel of St. Saviour:

I thought it was tradition for the Constables to go next but I am happy to do the honours. In thinking last night of what to say, I was scratching my brain and I thought: “Well, where should I come from?” and one of my favourite stories at Christmas is by Dickens and that is A Christmas Carol. I think within the story there are some particular things which are relevant at Christmas and I would just like to mention a few. One of the really good points are the spectres or the ghosts of Christmas past, present and the future and perhaps I could use those as an example. We have a new State Assembly and it is radically changed. There are huge differences on the Deputies benches and indeed the Senatorial and the Constables’ benches and it will take some time to “bed in”, so to speak. So I think we must remember the spirits of past Members of the House: Celia Scott Warren, Deputy Troy, Deputy Ryan Guy De Faye, Jackie Huet, Gerard Baudains, to name but a few. The States has changed and what surprises me, I am the senior Member as people realise on the Deputies’ benches and I cannot help thinking each year how quickly time flies. Three years sounds an awful long time when you are first elected to the States but it really does go very, very quickly. I would like to pay tribute to all those past Members of the House, in particular those who have lost their lives and died, and we did say goodbye during the year to some very, very eminent past Members of the House and I think they should be in our thoughts. Turning to the spirits of Christmas present, as I said, we do have a wide range of new Members and we have a new youngest Member of the House; I am not going to mention him by name but we all know who I am talking about because mum is the word. [Laughter] But I do welcome him as my fellow States Member in the parish of St. Saviour, district No. 1, and note his success in being elected to some of the committees, something which I have not been able to do. [Approbation] Turning to the future, we have the spectre of an empty Chair. I am not suggesting that you may not be with us in the physical form in the future; I would certainly hope not, but you have told us that you will be retiring in 6 months’ time and we do have the spectre of a new Bailiff, or perhaps a change in the Constitution. The winds of change are whistling through the corridors of power and I am wondering what they might bring. In choosing my new seat I had hoped that I would raise my status, and I think I have done by a couple of inches, so I can see our eyes are probably level for the first time in 15 years but I did not appreciate that by moving to the Back Benches and becoming a Back-Bencher that perhaps no jobs would be attached. [Laughter] I am, of course, contemplating with all those other Members who have not secured positions in the new Government what to do with my time. I have had a word with Constable Norman about the golfing memberships, but I do not particularly like golf, so I do not think I will be doing that. One thing that did occur to me was that there does seem to be a uniform threat, perhaps if one can read between the lines (and perhaps the success or the failure depending on how much you put on it) of those members of the former Environment Scrutiny Panel in securing jobs might be a reason for our demise. I am therefore going to propose the creation of a new committee called F.E.S. (Former Environment Scrutiny) panel members [Laughter] and I am hoping that this Christmas time will become a new F.E.S.tive season. [Laughter] I have probably strayed a little bit too far but it is Christmas and the best is yet to come. On a housekeeping note I would like to say that I would hope that the spirit of Scrooge from A Christmas Carol is not repeated in terms of the amount of money we raise for the Jersey Hospice Campaign. We do have an excellent cake and 4 other exciting gifts that have been donated by yours truly, and I do hope that we could break our record this year and achieve maybe perhaps a contribution of £10 per Member to reach the £500 or so mark. We are not there yet and we do have a considerable time to go but with the draw going to be taken at the Christmas lunch, there is time to find the £10 from your wallets and to place it in the envelope for a number of tickets. With that in mind, I would like to wish from the Deputies’ benches the best seasonal compliments to yourself, Sir, and Lady Bailhache and to the Deputy Bailiff and Mrs. Birt, to his Excellency the Governor and Lady Ridgway, to all the Law Officers and their families, to the Dean, to the members of the Greffe, to the Court Ushers and the tea lady and also to the Constables and the Senators. A Merry Christmas, everyone. Thank you. [Approbation]

The Bailiff:

The Senior Deputy spoke of the spectre of an empty Chair but I am glad that it is now full. [Laughter]

Connétable K.P. Vibert of St. Ouen:

May I apologise to the House, I was called to the Royal Court for a hearing which involved the parish of St. Ouen and therefore I had to leave this Chamber for that reason. But nevertheless I am happy that you have held back in time that I can make this Christmas speech. Christmas being a time for goodwill to all men, on behalf of the Connétables I take this opportunity to do just that and offer the very best of heartfelt greetings to all Members of this House and all who assist with the good government of the Island. 2008 has seen the most major change to the Connétables of the Island in their 600-year history. Having successfully promoted a single-day election for Connétables, this year saw the first of such elections, albeit 3 Connétables, for one reason or another, did not come forward and so we had, in football terms, to play with only 9 men. We may have started the game with only 9 men, but we certainly finished it with a more balanced side, having gained one new player and 3 good, inexpensive transfers [Laughter] 2 from the Deputy benches and one from the Senators’. The new Connétable of St. Clement has joined in our ranks as one of the longest-serving and most experienced Members of this Assembly, now having served on all 3 benches. He may have, of course, be regarded as somewhat of a poacher/turned gamekeeper but I am certain the combined influence and weight of the 11 colleagues will soon put him straight on some of the misconceptions he may have had about Connétables in the past. [Laughter] Two lady Deputies have stepped up to take the reins of St. Lawrence and St. Mary and I can reassure my fellow male colleagues that I have had the experience of serving with 2 lady Connétables in the past, and they have nothing to fear. [Laughter] The 2 ladies will greatly enhance the standing of the Connétables. [Approbation] Should the Connétables come under fire in the future, and I am sure we will, our fourth new Member, the Connétable of St. Peter, is very well qualified to deal with any such fires. I must at this point wish a happy Christmas and healthy New Year to the 4 Connétables who have left our ranks this year, moving on to hopefully long and well-earned retirements. To the new Deputy Members, as well as the newly-elected Senators, I would like to extend a warm welcome to this House, especially with the goodwill greetings for the holiday period from the Connétables. To all those in our community who continue to give so freely of their spare time to serve their fellows in an honorary capacity, on behalf of the Connétables I express our sincere thanks for all their efforts [Approbation] especially to those who serve in the ranks of the Honorary Police. Their dedicated service continues to be an inspiration not only to Islanders but to so many who visit us and experience for themselves the effectiveness of the system, a system with so much tradition. Their contribution to Island life cannot be overstated and I wish them all a relatively peaceful, trouble-free holiday period. Sir, finally, on behalf of the Connétables, it gives me great pleasure to give you and Lady Bailhache, his Excellency and Mrs. Ridgway, the Dean and Mrs. Key, the Deputy Bailiff and Mrs. Birt, the Attorney General and Mrs. Bailhache, the Solicitor General and Mrs. Le Cocq, the Greffier, the Deputy Greffier and all their staff, the Ushers, and Norma, together with all their families, the Connétables best wishes for a very joyful and peaceful Christmas and a happy and healthy New Year. [Approbation]

Mr. W.J. Bailhache QC., H.M. Attorney General

I wonder if I might break with tradition this morning, given that the order of play has already changed in a small respect, and speak briefly perhaps to open a new tradition, because neither the Senior Senator, the Senior Connétable or the Deputy can speak for the Law Officers or, indeed, for the Dean. The choice of road to follow is a political choice and it is right that there should be argument, and sometimes passionate argument, about what that road should be. The road can be rocky in a political sense and sometimes there are roundabouts where the Law Officers’ work meets that of politicians. I would like to assure Members that at such times the lawyers are not acting as politicians but are acting as lawyers, even though to the politicians directly affected it may not seem that way. What is much to be desired is that the debates will be on the merits of the issues and not of the people debating those issues. Because this Assembly can be a tense place, it is particularly appropriate to emphasise at Christmas that we all have, as Senator Syvret has said so eloquently already this morning, a common goal of serving the people of Jersey. I would like to thank Members: the Senior Senator, the Senior Deputy and the Senior Connétable for the good wishes which they have expressed, and to say on behalf of the Dean to whom I have just spoken, and the Law Officers and to the extent I can on behalf of the civil service, that we wish you, Sir, and Lady Bailhache, his Excellency and Mrs. Ridgway and the Deputy Bailiff and Mrs. Birt and all Members and their families a very peaceful Christmas break. [Approbation]

Connétable A.S Crowcroft:

Sorry to break further with tradition, but I do not believe anybody has passed on our wishes to the media, and I think it would be a shame if that was not done. [Laughter and approbation]

The Bailiff:

Senior Senator, Senior Connétable, Senior Deputy, Attorney General, it is said that the old order changeth, yielding place to new and certainly traditions have been remoulded this morning. Whether this amounts to a howling wind of change or to a gentle breeze, I cannot say, but I am very grateful for all the good wishes expressed from all corners of the Assembly. It has, in some ways, been a difficult year for the Island but I will not say more than that except to express the hope that 2009 will bring a resolution of all those problems. It is the case, as the Attorney General has said, that the Senior Senator, the Senior Deputy and, indeed, the Senior Connétable have really said everything I think that I would have wanted to say on this occasion. It must be perhaps a rare event when I can say that the Senior Senator has made a speech not a word of which do I disagree, and I certainly express the hope that that will continue in 2009. [Laughter] I particularly agree that it should be much more the case that people in the Channel Islands stand together and I am sure that everyone will have agreed with the Senior Senator when he expressed his sympathy for the people of Sark in the context of the appalling blow which the Island has suffered during the last week or so. This is the last occasion upon which I shall have the privilege of responding to these expressions of Christmas good wishes. I do wish to thank all Members on behalf of the Greffier, the Viscount, the Chief Usher and all their staff, and all those who work in and around the Chamber for the good wishes extended to us. I too, like the Connétable of St. Helier would like to wish those who report upon our affairs, sometimes with very great accuracy [Laughter] a very happy and enjoyable New Year. I thank all Members for their good wishes and I look forward to reconvening the Assembly in 2009. [Approbation] The meeting is closed and the States stand adjourned.