STATES Members will have the opportunity tonight to ask the board of Jersey Opera House Limited questions about recent events at the theatre.

The closed briefing at the Gloucester Street venue will allow the board to state their position on the alleged financial irregularities at the theatre for which theatre director Ian Stephens has been sacked.

Meanwhile, the board has received the backing of the department for Education, Sport and Culture over its handling of the situation.

A number of questions on the issue were posed in the last States to which Assistant Minister Carolyn Labey, who has responsibility for culture, replied.

St Helier Constable Simon Crowcroft asked whether the minister had confidence in the board and whether it was discharging its responsibilities in a proper manner.

Deputy Labey said the department had been monitoring the situation and Education were satisfied the board had legitimate reasons to be concerned.

She added that for legal reasons she could not discuss the details in public, but said the chairman of Jersey Arts Trust – the theatre’s sole shareholder – had assured Education he had total confidence in the board.