Member removed from Treasury Department

The Council of Ministers has accepted a recommendation from Treasury Minister Eddie Teare MHK that Bill Henderson MHK be removed as a Member of his Department.

Mr Teare explained:

'Treasury is a Department with a special role and special responsibilities. For us to function effectively on behalf of the public there has to be mutual confidence within the Treasury team, and there can be no breach of trust between a Minister and his political Members. ‘I am sorry to say that as Minister I no longer have confidence and trust in Mr Henderson as a Member of Treasury and I cannot continue to work with him. For the sake of the coherence of the Department I have had no alternative but to recommend that his Membership be terminated.'

The Minister added:

'I believe this is the responsible thing to do, but I am personally saddened by this situation. I valued Mr Henderson’s contribution to Treasury in the past and enjoyed working with him.'

Chief Minister Allan Bell MHK commented:

'Treasury is arguably the most important Department in Government and its Members receive extra remuneration in recognition of its special status. Its work to secure the Island’s financial future is certainly too important to be undermined by a breakdown in trust within the team, and the Council of Ministers has recognised this point.'