DEPUTY Lyndon Trott has formally asked the Bailiff that the States debates his resignation. But it is not clear if anyone else, apart from Health minister Peter Roffey, will want the House to – which may mean that members may not accept his offer to quit.

Chief Minister Laurie Morgan said that he had not made up his mind whether he would ask for his departure to be debated and others said the same. Their letters are now expected at the Bailiff’s Office in the next few days.

Deputy Trott read out his resignation letter at a hastily-called press briefing.

‘It is with the deepest regret and sadness that I write to formally tender my resignation as minister of the Treasury and Resources Department,’ he said.

Deputy Trott made two requests – that the resignation be debated, and that it be done so after the States debate on the Public Accounts Committee and Welsh Audit Office reports on the Fallagate affair.

‘I should also like to say that the majority of my colleagues have always behaved with impeccable integrity and our Chief Minister, Deputy Laurie Morgan, is a statesman of the highest order and for whom I have the utmost respect.’

Deputy Trott thanked his senior executive team at Treasury and Resources for helping him to deliver three unamended budgets and fiscal and economic reform and praised his family for unconditional support in his time as a minister.

He also paid tribute to Deputy Stuart Falla’s ‘tireless work’ for the island, but criticised his ‘serious breach of confidence’ over the clinical block tender information he received in error before the August meetings and passed to R. G. Falla management.

‘Whether this was material to the eventual outcome is for others to conclude. It does, however, go to the core of States members’ interests’ issues.

‘I wish to place on record that I consider this to be a prime example of the concerns expressed within our community regarding issues of probity which are so often damaging to governments.’

Deputy Morgan said that Deputy Falla’s undoubted talents would be sorely missed within the council and at his department.

‘I believe he was an excellent minister. I put him up for the job, nearly three years ago, and we were all aware he might have conflicts of interest. It is sad that this is the outcome of that early belief.’