news release commonwealth speakers to meet in

NEWS RELEASE
COMMONWEALTH SPEAKERS TO MEET IN JERSEY
10 Speakers from across the Commonwealth will be meeting in Jersey on Friday 16th
and Saturday 17th January at the invitation of the Bailiff of Jersey, Sir Michael Birt.
The Standing Committee of the Conference of Speakers and Presiding Officers of the
Commonwealth (CSPOC) will be holding its 2015 meeting in St. Helier. CSPOC brings
together Speakers and Presiding Officers of Commonwealth parliaments for a plenary
conference every 2 years. The organization is managed by a Standing Committee made
up of a small number of Speakers who meet in the ‘odd’ year between conferences to
plan the following plenary conference and to discuss more generally the running of
CSPOC.
The Bailiff has attended a number of CSPOC plenary conferences during his term of
office and, at the 2012 conference in New Delhi, he invited the organization to hold its
2015 Standing Committee meeting in Jersey. Speakers from a number of large
Commonwealth countries including Australia, Canada, India, Malaysia and the United
Kingdom, together with representatives of smaller countries such as Trinidad and
Tobago and Singapore, will be in Jersey for the meeting which is being held in the Old
Library, Royal Court House/States Building, on Friday 16th January.
During their stay the Speakers and their accompanying officials will also attend a
reception at Government House hosted by the Lieutenant Governor and a dinner hosted
by the Bailiff. On Saturday 17th they will learn more about Jersey’s history and culture
by visiting the Celtic coin hoard, the Occupation Tapestry and St. Brelade’s Church
before enjoying afternoon tea at St Peter’s parish hall at the invitation of Connétable
John Refault.
The Greffier of the States, Michael de la Haye OBE, said “It is a great honour for the
Bailiff and States Assembly to host so many distinguished Speakers from across the
Commonwealth for the CSPOC meeting and we hope that, as well as having a successful
and productive meeting, they will also have time to learn something about Jersey and
leave with a better understanding of our island’s history and constitutional position. It is
particularly fitting that Sir Michael Birt will be hosting this meeting in the week before
he retires from office after some 5½ years as President of the States Assembly”.
ENDS
Notes for Editors
The Speakers attending the Standing Committee are –
Senator the Hon. Stephen Parry
President of the Senate
Australia
Hon. Gladys K.T. Kokorwe MP
Speaker of National Assembly
Botswana
The Hon. Andrew Scheer, MP
Speaker of the House of Commons
Canada
Smt. Sumitra Mahajan
Hon'ble Speaker, Lok Sabha (Lower House)
India
Hon Justin B.N. Muturi
Speaker of National Assembly
Kenya
H.E. Tan Sri Datuk Seri Panglima Speaker of the House of Representatives
Pandikar Amin Haji Mulia
Malaysia
Hon. Asser Kuveri Kapere
Chairperson of the National Council
Namibia
Mr. Charles Chong
Deputy Speaker
Singapore
Hon. Wade Mark M.P.
Speaker of the House of Representatives
Trinidad and Tobago
Rt. Hon. John Bercow MP
Speaker of the House of Commons
United Kingdom