Your Excellency, Mr Bailiff, Ladies and Gentlemen. Thank you for your kind words of welcome.
It gives me great pleasure to be making my first (official) visit to Jersey during an historic year when you are celebrating 800 years of uninterrupted allegiance to the British Crown. We share a common history, and that is reflected in many aspects of our cultural history.
Today I have heard something about forthcoming events, which have all the makings of marking this historic occasion in grand style. So what more appropriate time could there be to be visiting your beautiful island?
It was some 400 years ago that Sir Walter Raleigh was Governor of Jersey, and his contribution to the Island is still evident today. I can see you have, amongst your many fine paintings in this hall, 'The boyhood of Raleigh'. When you think we have to go back twice as far as Raleigh's day to trace the beginnings of the special relationship, it really puts its longevity into perspective. It is a joint heritage of which we should both be proud.
That special relationship between Jersey and the UK is one of the things I want to talk to you about today.
And I also want to speak about the good work that has been done recently in strengthening co-operation between Jersey and the UK. And between Jersey and other strategic partners, both at the European and global level.
And finally I wanted to touch on your current programme of economic and political reforms.
So first, the relationship between our two countries. The constitutional relationship between Jersey and the United Kingdom might, anywhere else in the world, be considered to be an unusual one. There is no formal constitutional document, enshrining the relationship, setting its bounds and limits. Rather, the relationship has developed by convention over many years - the 800 years you are soon to celebrate.
The relationship is something in which I have a fundamental interest, in my role as SoSCA. As you may know, one of the central themes underlying the work that my Department is doing is improving the credibility and effectiveness of the UK's constitutional arrangements. Constitutional issues are therefore very much on my agenda and are matters close to my heart.
I have said how seriously I take my role in relation to Jersey and indeed Guernsey and the Isle of Man, and I would like to digress for a moment to mention the work I am doing at the moment to abolish myself as it were. Please be assured that this change, when it happens, will in no way change the substance of my role in relation to Jersey or the other Crown Dependencies. I will simply fulfil that role as Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs rather than Lord Chancellor.
The strength of the relationship between my Department and Jersey was something I discussed with Frank Walker when I met him at the beginning of March with Laurie Morgan - now Chief Minister of Guernsey - and Richard Corkill, the Isle of Man Chief Minister. At the meeting Frank set out clearly and persuasively the issues that concern Jersey in the near and long term and he stressed the importance of close, strong and transparent relations with the UK. At that meeting, we agreed that we should meet regularly to review how things are going and discuss key subjects of mutual interest. So I look forward to meeting formally again sometime in the future.
I was pleased to be able to outline a little of what my team is doing to work more closely with you and take a more pro-active role within Whitehall to represent your interests where we can and alert you to new developments in the UK and beyond. My officials and yours are working closely on developing this relationship to ensure it is harmonious, dynamic and pre-emptive.
A key issue to be addressed is to get the balance right between my Department facilitating, supporting and encouraging bilateral links between Jersey and Whitehall Departments whilst ensuring we, that is DCA, are properly involved and participating in those matters where we can add value. The role for me and my team is to promote and support the interests of Jersey whilst not compromising the position of the UK Government. This is an important role and one which I take very seriously indeed.
There will undoubtedly be times when Jersey's interests do not fit neatly with UK policy. On these occasions, we must ensure that we have reliable and speedy channels of communication in place - and mechanisms to manage those situations in a mature, constructive and sensible way.
I was pleased that Frank was able to speak highly of the relationship between Jersey officials and my own, but I am not complacent. We all need to keep up the momentum. The success of the relationship lies in the willingness on all sides to change and grow - not only to adapt to changing circumstances but to anticipate, plan and prepare for the challenges ahead.
I want to turn now to the recent progress Jersey has made in international issues. At a European level, Jersey has shown itself to be a very responsible and co-operative player with EU Member States, addressing the challenge posed by new European legislation in a constructive way. I am confident that this positive trend will continue.
An excellent example of how we work together to achieve common goals was the recent exercise to redraft Protocol 3. This, you will all know, is the Protocol which defines Jersey's special relationship with the EU. Jersey law officers and officials worked closely with UK Government officials in London and Brussels to produce a draft which met the common goal of changing and modernising the language of the Protocol whilst, most importantly, maintaining Jersey's relationship with the EU.
Everyone worked long and hard to ensure Jersey's position was maintained without compromising the UK's position in Europe. This positive approach to tackling such an important exercise and bringing it to a successful conclusion could only have been achieved on the basis of trust and co-operation.
I would also like to pay tribute to the part Jersey played in drafting the agreement for the implementation of the EU Savings Directive. This is an important step for all of us. Working closely with the UK and other Member States, Jersey, along with Guernsey and the Isle of Man, successfully developed a model which has been accepted and agreed by all Member States and is on schedule. The signing of these agreements will be an historic event for Jersey, enabling you to deal bilaterally with other EU member states within a framework that generates confidence on both sides.
Indeed the role you have played in Europe and beyond on financial matters shows just how successful Jersey has been in earning a positive, and well-deserved, reputation for financial regulation. And this morning I saw first hand evidence of how you have achieved that. I had the pleasure of visiting your Financial Services Commission, which is rated by the UK Treasury and international regulatory bodies, as one of the best-regulated financial centres in the world. Here I heard how the industry and regulators work hand in glove to produce a system of financial regulation which has earned you the reputation of being one of the best regulated financial centres in the world.
And then there are your efforts to counter money laundering. The pace of globalisation has increased over recent years, and this has meant international co-operation is more important than ever.
You embraced calls for international co-operation on measures to counter the threat posed by money laundering, and other financial crimes. Against the backdrop of an international terror threat that has demonstrated that no administration can afford to adopt an isolationist approach, your openness is worthy of praise, as is your willingness to work, within an international framework, toward common goals in global security.
And in the same vein, I also know what efforts you have made to meet new international standards on maritime security which are so important to ensure the fight against global terrorism is also extended to the seas.
There will doubtless be other areas, where we will need to consider how best to work together in the future. For example, the UK government is currently piloting biometric passport and ID card scheme. I know you are already discussing in detail both with the Home Office and my department, what this might mean for Jersey.
These are just a few examples of where UK and Jersey paths have either crossed recently or been inextricably linked. I hope and trust we will be able to continue working together in this way: drawing on the harmonious, dynamic and pre-emptive relationship I have already mentioned.
Which brings me back to Jersey. This morning, I was given an excellent presentation, setting out your impressive agenda for future political and economic reforms. I have heard that you have taken fundamental decisions to moving towards a ministerial system of government in December of next year. It was explained to me how this change will enable speedy and joined up decision making.
I have no doubt that this transition will help my Department in all aspects of our dealings with Jersey. And am sure it will also have the added benefit you want of increasing transparency and accountability. This in turn will, I am sure, increase the confidence your citizens have in the State, and boost your credibility on the international stage. Increasing trust and confidence in public institutions too, is an important part of my own agenda for the UK.
I was also interested to hear about your plans for economic reforms. I was not only interested in the proposals themselves, but also in how you have gone about developing them. The process of consultation and involving the people of Jersey, shows an admirable willingness to listen to the people those reforms will affect most directly.
As you may know, we in the UK have our own programme of constitutional reform intended to preserve and enhance our constitutional arrangements. Such reform has its challenges, but if the reforms in the UK and Jersey succeed in better serving the citizens of those countries, they will be worth the effort.
I'd like to close with a reflection of the overriding impression I have gained during this visit - that is that the courage and tenacity of the Jersey people is as much in evidence today as it was during the occupation, the end of which you have so recently celebrated, and the 60th anniversary of Liberation Day, which you will be celebrating next year.
So I say to you, in the spirit of this historic anniversary year:
May the special link between Jersey and the English Crown last another 800 years and more.