IN spite of having polled the second-highest vote in last year’s Senatorial election, Senator Alan Breckon has failed to win a place on the Council of Ministers.

Many will see that not only as a potential waste of talent, but also as a slap in the face for the electorate and a repudiation of the much-publicised idea that the new States executive would be a broader, more inclusive church than its predecessor.

There is, of course, nothing in the rules about rewarding those who do well in the polls with ministerial responsibility, but Senator Breckon might well feel that his skills and experience have been overlooked. Fortunately, there are other areas of public service where they can be employed.

Since 1995 the Senator has chaired the Jersey Consumer Council, and it is now proposed that he should continue in this position for the next three years. States Members will be asked to ratify the nomination and, given the Senator’s track record and commitment to the consumer cause, they would clearly do well to offer their endorsement without reservation.

Although it might seem that chairmanship of the Consumer Council offers fewer opportunities to make an impact on Island life than ministerial office, this will not necessarily be the case. The Breckon consumer issues agenda includes a range of proposals which, subject to their transformation into policy, would significantly extend Islanders’ rights.

For example, the Senator is determined that the States should cease dragging their feet on consumer legislation which, he says, is essential if the authorities are to deal effectively with consumer complaints and the activities of ‘dodgy traders’.

It is true that the Consumer Council has already played an important role in highlighting poor trading practices, pricing irregularities and crooked activity. However, under the continuing chairmanship of Senator Breckon and with the full support of the new Economic Development Minister, Alan Mclean, there is every prospect of the body extending its influence and playing a major part in bolstering consumer protection through the introduction of fully fledged consumer law covering all areas from retail to financial services.