I have to say now that I’m even more dismayed than I was before, that the paper that was given to standing committee at the end of the 16th Assembly can be considered a discussion
paper. This is absolutely incorrect, in my mind. That was a report of what people had said across the territory; it was not a paper which is able to go out and be discussed by Members and by the general public. I’m also totally dismayed that we are going to have a draft strategy produced by a working group of bureaucrats. I have no fault with the skills of our bureaucrats, but it’s been well documented that any draft strategy has to involve other people.
It has to involve those in the public, it has to involve those in poverty, it has to involve NGOs, it has to involve business. I’d like to ask the Minister is there any opportunity in the development of this draft strategy by our bureaucrats, is there an opportunity for all those people that I’ve mentioned, to also have input into this strategy.