Guernsey Disability Alliance members remain hopeful that the States will find a way to fund a dedicated officer. (Picture by Tom Tardif, 0864527)

Deputy Matt Fallaize’s amendment to the States Strategic Plan proposed using £250,000 set aside for the airport firefighter dispute inquiry for these two areas instead.

But Deputy Sam Maindonald – who had earlier failed with a bid to fund the inquiry from the contingency reserve – called for a vote that it not be debated because the amendment went further than the original proposal.

Needing only one-third support of the Assembly, the motion scraped through, which means the airport inquiry will now go ahead.

Representatives from the Guernsey Disability Alliance, which includes Mencap, Headway and the MS Society, were in the public gallery to show their support for a disability officer.

Guernsey Disability Alliance chairwoman Shelaine Green said: ‘We are waiting for the States to find a creative way of funding the provision of a disability officer. Deputy Fallaize’s amendment was rejected on a technicality, therefore we will continue to sit in the public gallery and wait until the States resolves this issue by finding an alternative way of funding.’

‘There’s a raft of amendments and we don’t feel it’s over yet. I know that many of the deputies have felt for some time that disabled people are a neglected group of islanders and are looking for a way of funding it.’