Wednesday 29 November 2017
General update from the Committee for Environment & Infrastructure
Sir, I welcome this opportunity to present my second Statement on the work of the Committee for the Environment & Infrastructure to the Assembly.
Members on the 15th of this month, along with my Vice President and Chief Secretary, I attended a Scrutiny Management Hearing at St Martin's Parish Hall. The Hearing touched on a number of areas within our mandate. There will be a Hansard record of that Hearing.
So in no particular order then, Hydrocarbons, or rather the manner in which we import them on to our island is finally taking shape. You may be aware the recommendation is to investigate further the multi-buoy mooring option for clean fuels rather than rely on fuel tankers that have built in obsolescence. We are seeking to become less tide dependant, less wind dependant, less weather dependant and in doing so become more independent, less reliant on elements and factors outside of our control.
Is that process expensive? Yes! Have we been well served by the existing system over the years? Yes! But we, I, need to be clear on the rationale and the need to change our existing import method. I also need to stress, despite comments to the contrary, we did not embark on the hydrocarbons project because of pressure from either the EU or the UK , we are not being directed to do anything by any international body, nor did we engage consultants, as has been alleged to tell us something others already knew.
The energy market is changing. We need to be proactive not reactive. Hydrocarbon demand is falling, we know that as vehicles become more energy efficient. We can no longer do what we have always done. A number of risks have been identified within the current system, all based on research and discussion and consultation with key operators and others within the supply chain. Threats to the safety and security of supply are real, we have to act to secure our fuel supplies in the long term. We anticipate having a Policy Letter presented to this Assembly in Q1 2018.
It would be remiss of me not to address Energy Policy in the context of fuel supply. The Committee has placed the Energy Policy as its number one priority, we are committed to joining up the dots between the existing policy, and the hydrocarbons and renewables programmes, in recognition of the fact that a large part of Guernsey's Energy sector are waiting for a firm direction from the States that will allow them to make significant - and more importantly, progressive - investment decisions for the future.
Turning now to progress with delivering the States' Integrated Transport Strategy. What I intend not to do is to read a long list of projects that help us deliver the strategy. I want to take this opportunity to remind you all of the ethos of the strategy, it's reason for being. The strategy is not about moving cars around the island, it's about moving people, actually goods and people. Making travel safe, making it more convenient, making it easier for people, whether that's investing in our bus service or doing something simple like allowing the growing number of cyclists through road closures, or having charging points in our car parks, or working more closely with other committees in assisting them with their travel plans. The ITS is not all about blister paving, toucan and tiger crossings, not forgetting our much loved zebras, or scoring it's sucesss or otherwise by the number of people on a cycle path in the bleak mid winter, on the east coast in a gale.
It's about more than that, it's about health, it's about wellbeing, it's about air quality, it's about safety, it's about families, it's about communities.
I am delighted to see our bus passenger numbers continue to exceed all expectations with the third quarter of 2017 returning a growth of 7.8% as compared to the same period in 2016, up 17.5% over two years, yes 17.5% over two years. On 24th October we carried our 1.5 millionth passenger for the year to date an achievement that we only reached during the last two days of the year in 2015. We are now on course for another record breaking year with approximately 1.75m passengers expected to have used the scheduled bus network by the end of the year.
Just touching briefly on an area, one of many perhaps, that gets a great deal of public interest - our roads programme.
In 2017, Traffic and Highway Services started recovering a contribution for excavations that reduce the life of roads, and therefore add extra costs to the public purse by accelerating the need for resurfacing.
It was intended that this scheme would encourage utilities and construction companies to change the way that they plan future projects to avoid digging in roads that have only recently been resurfaced wherever possible. The system included a period immediately prior to resurfacing when any excavations in a road will be exempt from charges, to encourage companies to programme works during this time. We are pleased to say that this incentive has meant that there has been a notable increase in utilities undertaking works before, crucially, before, resurfacing takes place.
Whilst this will not mean fewer roadworks or better roads immediately, it is another action we are taking to ensure that, over time, it will improve the condition and life of the road network. A fit for purpose road network is crucial to everyday life in Guernsey in many respects - social, economic and environmental. Reducing the premature deterioration of Guernsey's roads, which requires significant levels of expenditure in repairs will have a positive knock-on effect in terms of keeping island roads in peak condition for as long as possible.
In recent months the Committee has had the opportunity to gain a closer understanding of the work of our Island's dairy farmers, the work of the Guernsey Dairy, and the way these businesses are collaborating to ensure a year round supply of milk to satisfy all on Island needs. The work to define a vision for the industry was agreed by the last Assembly and my Committee was pleased to meet farmers and to be invited to visit farms at the beginning of October to hear from them of the challenges they face, their concerns for the future, and to explore the way the States and farmers can work together to produce the right outcomes for the Island and its countryside. I would like to thank the GFA and its President for arranging this opportunity for us.
The remit of the Committee is wide from the strategic and existential to things much closer to home. One example of the latter has been the work of our land management team to try and halt the establishment in the Island of the non-native, Asian Hornet which is a voracious feeder and a threat to honey bees and pollinating insects. Collaborating closely with local beekeepers, the public, and with the States Analysts Lab many sightings have been checked. Those that have been confirmed have been digitally mapped to provide evidence of the areas of the Island where nests are likely to be located. Two nests have been found and safely destroyed. It remains to be seen if we are able to resist this invasive species coming here from the European mainland.
I am also pleased to report that positive progress has been made in the development of a strongly community based action plan to assist the delivery of key elements of the States biodiversity strategy. The approach adopted has been to address the basic elements of information and public awareness, with priority being given to the acquisition of reliable data from an Island habitat survey; independent reviews of Biodiversity Action Plans on dairy farms; improvements and support for Guernsey's Biological Records Centre, and support for the employment by Environment Guernsey of a Biodiversity Education Officer who will be able to take the biodiversity and conservation message across all parts of local society and drive forward projects in the coming years.
The Committee has recently submitted two Policy Letters one on Waste charging the other on Inert Waste Management.
These are examples of joined up government as envisaged by the States Review Committee. On behalf of my Committee I would like to thank the members and staff of the STSB for such a productive and constructive working relationship.
Following the States Resolutions from the L'Ancresse Policy Letter which was debated in this Chamber at the start of the autumn, we are now progressing with the implementation and planning for this project to enable it to proceed. We are aware of the sensitivities of this project and we will be communicating regularly with key stakeholders and other partners such as the STSB to make sure that these Resolutions are successfully implemented to the benefit of our island community.
Looking to the future the Committee will be coming to this Assembly early in 2018 with its conclusions and next steps with a Policy Letter including KPMG's Guernsey Housing market review which has six areas of focus, namely credit provision and a highly concentrated mortgage market, affordability for First Time Buyers, provision of elderly tenures, provision of key worker housing, government support to the housing market and ongoing monitoring of housing targets and KPIs. Again we are working very closely with the Committee for Employment & Social Security but we are also seeking the views of Policy & Resources, Economic Development and the Guernsey Housing Association on how KPMG's recommendations can be implemented.
