THE chairman of the Scrutiny Committee believes it can help to give islanders what they really want from government. Jean Pritchard became chairman after narrowly failing to be elected as the Social Security Minister.

But she said her new role was exciting and would help to deliver better government.

‘Big issues in the election were accountability and transparency, which is what Scrutiny is going to be all about, I hope,’ she said.

‘I think through openness and accountability, being constructive, open-minded and taking the balanced view, we’re on the way to making things better.’

She intends that all the committee’s reports, whether they are debated by the States or not, will be published and hearings will also be held in public.

‘To gain the trust of the community as part of government, we have to be as open as everyone else.’

But the process will take time. Deputy Pritchard said that most of the next few months would involve training for her nine-man committee and new chief officer, soon to be appointed.

‘This committee has got to start from scratch – no other committee has ever had this opportunity,’ she said.

‘I feel we have a blank piece of paper and this is an enormous challenge – but I like to rise to a challenge.’

Deputy Pritchard said that the committee would play an important role in developing States policy, not just fine-tuning it.

She wants to encourage the new departments to use her committee and the expertise on which it can draw to get things right before they come to the States for approval.

She said that at times, the public felt that issues before the House were already cut and dried and they had little opportunity to influence those decisions.

The committee would not simply be investigating issues and problems that had emerged in the operations of the States.

‘This is not a carping committee. We want to develop things for the betterment of the community. We’re looking for answers, not problems. This committee is not for looking back.’