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