Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, I think the Honourable Gavin Short has achieved a personal best at this meeting in terms of length and content of his speech.
Following the question on localisation also asked by the Honourable Gavin Short, I would like to inform Members that we have a number of teachers at various stages of training or gaining experience prior to hoping to return for posts in the Islands. And I want to raise an issue which I have raised before and continue to raise until I feel its been fully addressed and that is as we have more locally based staff in whatever profession. We need to allow them to regularly update their skills. In some of the medical professions this is obviously mandatory but I would argue it is equally important for others. Knowledge and methods advance whether it be in teaching, nursing or many other areas and we owe it to our employees to ensure that they can keep up. I know that some efforts are already being made so that this can happen but I also know that when we divide up the money each year for training, sometimes mandatory training is the only that gets funding in terms of peoples professional development.
A couple of people have mentioned our trip to London and, of course we were glad to do whatever we could. I wont go over it again because its been well covered. But its worth mentioning that tiresome as these trips are they do enable us to reach differing and wider audiences. But I am worrying now that they need to do so much out of the Islands it endangers in distracting us from very important work at home, the volume of which we all know is increasing on an almost daily basis. We do our best to ensure that its not but it is something we need to address in the future like the other issues being examined by the remuneration review group.
Id like to add my appreciation to that thats been expressed by others for the work that went into last weeks CPA Regional (Meeting). Praise has rightly been heaped on the Clerk of Councils and her assistant for the extraordinary work that they did. Over many, many months we were climbing over things in the office. For weeks before the conference itself as they prepared every little detail to ensure that things run smoothly.
On the conference itself, it was extremely interesting with self-determination examined from almost every angle.
The referendum will be our expression at this stage in our development of our right to self-determination. I know we have a great many conspiracy theorists but I must confess I was astonished when we heard at a recent public meeting that someone thought the referendum was a kind of plot by Members. I hope they listened to the recent coverage of the CPA regional conference and heard independent speakers discuss self-determination through many stages and concepts. Fortunately many people I speak to welcome the opportunity and are eager to give a public demonstration of our wishes. Indeed, as well as a couple of members suggesting a referendum early in the life of this Assembly, I seem to remember one or more members of the Public making the same suggestion.
I would urge people to take this great opportunity to make our views known to the world and not be swayed by people who would like to dilute the message it sends out by creating confusion about the meaning of a YES vote.
Finally, its good to see the Chief of Staff here. I know there was some doubt yesterday as to whether he would be able to make it. And I, too, would like to place on record our thanks to the Commander because he, of course, will leave before our next Assembly meeting, for all the work hes done in the islands. He and Jill have made many friends and will leave with all our good wishes.
Thank you.
