BRITISH ISLANDS & MEDITERRANEAN REGION REGIONAL SECRETARIAT Telephone: +44 20 7219 5373 WESTMINSTER HALL Facsimile: +44 20 7233 1202 HOUSES OF PARLIAMENT E-mail: [email protected] LONDON SW1A 0AA 0610AGEN/BIMR10 MINUTES OF THE ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING OF THE BRITISH ISLES & MEDITERRANEAN REGION HELD AT 0900 ON 13 MAY 2010 AT THE VILLA MARINA ISLE OF MAN Present: Janet Ryder AM (Chairperson and Regional Representative Wales) Lord Harrison of Chester (Regional Representative UK) Edwin Reyes MP (Regional Representative Gibraltar) Delegates In Attendance: Mr Andrew Tuggey (Regional Secretary) ITEM 1. APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE. 1.01. The Secretary reported that the delegation from Malta and the CPA Secretariat had sent their apologies. ITEM 2. CHAIRMAN’S WELCOME AND OPENING REMARKS. 2.01. The Chairperson welcomed everyone to the AGM. She asked delegates to express their appreciation to the Isle of Man branch for their guidance and exceptional hospitality and for arranging an interesting and challenging conference programme with high quality speakers. ITEM 3. MINUTES OF THE REGIONAL AGM IN GUERNSEY 15 & 17 JUNE 2009. 3.01. The minutes of the Regional AGM held at the States of Guernsey on 15 and 17 June 2009 were approved. ITEM 4. MATTERS ARISING. 4.01. There were no matters arising ITEM 5. REPORTS. 5.01. Report from ExCo Meetings at 55th CPC in Arusha. Lord Harrison reported that the region's representatives had met before the CPA AGM in Arusha. Nigel Evans MP had spoken very vigorously at the AGM on the need to enhance governance, but most of the issues raised there had since been overtaken by events. 5.02. CWP Representative. The Regional CWP Representative, Hon. Justine Caruana MP (Malta) had sent her apologies. The women delegates present at the conference had met informally on 12 May; Anne Craine MHK gave their report. a. A meeting of women Parliamentarians had been held the previous day. The meeting agreed that CWP meetings should be included in the timetable for regional conferences. b. The CWP had previously discussed human trafficking, which had links to prostitution, slavery, poverty and sexual abuse. However, it was not clear what actions had been taken by the CWP to address the issue, and Branch secretariats were asked to look into this issue and feedback through Branches to the Regional CWP representative, who would then provide feedback to the plenary conference. An online forum to enable further discussion between CWP representatives in the region had been proposed, and the regional secretariat were asked to look into how this might be provided, and at what other, more formal, feedback mechanisms might be provided. 5.03. The Regional Secretary reported on issues arising from the mid-year meeting of the CPA ExCo in Swaziland. Much time had been spent discussing administrative issues rather than the big programme issues. The meeting had become quite adversarial when discussing matters such as the terms and conditions of members of the secretariat: a vote was held, which descended into bloc voting. This was unfortunate because such actions split the executive and could impact on the general assemblies. He hoped that all these issues would be agreed by the Nairobi meeting in September because too much time was being spent on administrative matters. a. CPA Subscriptions. The CPA Secretariat had produced a complicated paper offering three options for the revision of CPA membership fees. Only 24 responses had been received, which was probably not sufficient to gauge the feeling of the membership. It had been decided to include the matter in the terms of reference for the CPA Working Group due to be announced on 30 June 2010. b. CPA Regional Secretaries’ Meeting 5 March 2010. The Regional Secretaries had strongly suggested to the Secretariat-General that Regional Secretaries be allowed to attend the formal meetings of the CPA Executive Committee. The matter had been on the agenda in Swaziland and had been due for consideration yesterday. The matter would now be put to a vote, but it was possible there would be no change. ITEM 6. ENHANCING GOVERNANCE PAPER. 6.01. Lord Harrison took the Chair 6.02. Janet Ryder AM introduced the paper which had been produced by a working group including representatives from the Falkland Islands, Gibraltar, the Isle of Man and Wales. The Isle of Man Branch had submitted a substantial response and proposed amendments which had the support of the working group. If approved by the AGM the paper would be submitted to the CPA Secretariat for inclusion on the CPA ExCo agenda when it met at the CPC in Nairobi, where it was hoped it would prompt discussion. 6.03. Statement by CPA Scotland. Karen Gillon MSP said that the Scotland Branch supported the paper, but had concerns regarding the growing divisions that were apparent in the CPA. It would be important to seek consensus when the paper was taken forward. The message had to be that the paper aimed to enhance the transparency and accountability the CPA and parliamentarians. BIMR politicians were aware that financial issues could be misconstrued or reported to harm a legislature’s reputation, and that those reputations would also be damaged by any allegations of financial waste by the CPA. It would important to marshal these arguments before the conference and ensure the Commonwealth moved forward together. 6.04. Statement by CPA Jersey. Deputy Ben Fox welcomed the document and its appropriate timing. It was usually a danger sign when organisations started looking inwards more than outwards. He hoped all delegates would support the paper. 6.05. Statement by CPA Guernsey. Deputy Jenny Tasker said that CPA Guernsey supported the paper. Accountability had been on the agenda for some time and many countries had emphasised its importance: this was the message that should be adopted to persuade other regions to accept the proposals. 6.06. Summary of Discussion and Approval of Paper. Janet Ryder AM agreed that consensus would be needed when the paper was taken forward. The presentations received at this conference had shown how boundaries between countries were being eroded, making the CPA more relevant than ever and an institution which needed to be defended and promoted. Public disquiet about Westminster expenses had arisen because the system had not been reformed to meet modern day standards. This demonstrated how all long-established organisations needed to look at themselves to ensure that they operated in line with public expectation. The Regional Secretary’s report had intimated the feelings emerging within the Association, but the region needed to work with other regions to encourage them to take this issue forward too. 6.07. The amendments from CPA Isle of Man were approved. The paper, as amended, was unanimously approved by the AGM. 6.08. Statement by CPA Gibraltar. Hon Steven Linares asked whether the Regional Secretariat would be able to prepare a strategy regarding how best to take forward the paper. Janet Ryder AM said she had already discussed the paper with the CPA Secretary-General, and asked the Regional Secretary to take the paper forward. 6.09. Janet Ryder AM resumed the chair. ITEM 7. REGIONAL SPECIALIST CONFERENCES/SEMINARS/WORKSHOPS PLANNED FY 2010/2011. 7.01. CPA UK’s 3rd International Parliamentary Conference on Climate Change would to be held at Westminster from 12 to 16 July, and invitations had been sent out. The conference was an opportunity for delegates to attempt to influence the new UK Government on climate change issues. It was not necessary for delegates from the BIMR to attend the whole conference. CPA Northern Ireland also might hold a Peacebuilding Conference in late January / early February 2011. ITEM 8. COMMONWEALTH PARLIAMENTARY CONFERENCES (CPC) 2010, 2011 and 2012. 8.01. Delegates noted the outline programme for the 2010 Conference. Invitations had been sent and the Kenyan Parliament had asked for prompt responses. Due to the timing of the two cultural days some concerns that had been raised about the conference timetable, which meant that some representatives might go would go to the last two day of the Conference. The Small Branches Conference was always extremely productive and there was a need to have a strong BIMR representation at the CWP Conference which would include the election of a new CWP Chairperson. 8.02. CPA Scotland noted that it was very difficult to justify the cost of sending participants for two days and the decision to hold cultural days in the middle of the programme would make it increasingly difficult for smaller branches to justify their attendance. It was confirmed that this issue had been raised with the Kenyan organisers but that it was likely that it was now too late for arrangements to be changed. The Speaker of the Kenyan Parliament would be visiting Gibraltar and the Isle of Man later in the month and the issues could be discussed with him then. 8.03. Deputy Ben Fox said that arrangements should be made in advance to enable delegates from smaller countries to attend. Hon Stedson Francis said that St. Helena had concerns about security and a decision regarding attendance was yet to be made; the Regional Secretary responded that presently it would be safe to visit Nairobi. ITEM 9. CPC2011 – DRAFT PROPOSALS PUT TO MID-YEAR CPA EXCO MEETING. 9.01. It was hoped that delegates would support CPA UK’s proposals for the CPC programme next year. The House of Commons Commission and the House of Lords House Committee had been asked to authorise funding for CPC2011. The initial proposal was for a nine day conference with one cultural day. Strict instructions had now been given that, to increase transparency, scrutiny and accountability, there would be no cultural day and a reduction in the length of the conference.