CHIEF MINISTER Mike Torode caused a stir in the House yesterday when he criticised the Human Rights Act. Deputy Torode said ‘Oh, what a mistake we made when we signed up to that.’
He was making reference to the act when he attempted to explain to Housing minister Dave Jones why police officers had to spend time in the office completing paperwork.
Deputy Jones had earlier said he wanted to see more police in the community rather than pushing paper.
But, in replying, Deputy Torode appeared to step over the mark in the opinion of a number of deputies when he made the statement that it was a ‘mistake’ that the island had signed up to it.
Health and Social Services minister Peter Roffey asked what it was in the Human Rights Act that made police officers complete reports.
Deputy Barry Brehaut then attempted to stand to speak as well, but was quickly stopped by Bailiff Geoffrey Rowland who said the island had been bound by the act since the 1950s. And, in an apparent lifeline to the chief minister, Mr Rowland attempted to explain what Deputy Torode had meant to say.
However, Deputy Brehaut waited to the end of the debate on priority seven of the Government Business Plan to question the chief minister.
‘I want him to clarify if he thinks it was a mistake signing up?’
But the Bailiff stepped in again and said what Deputy Torode had said had already been dealt with.
He said he did not think the chief minister was talking about the law but the way in which people construed it.
Deputy Brehaut responded by saying that the chief minister was on record saying it was a mistake to be signed up to the Human Rights Act and that he wanted clarification.
The Bailiff gave Deputy Torode a chance to clarify exactly what he meant, but that offer was declined.
Article posted on 28th July, 2007 - 12.00am
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