The audience at the IoD event.

THE Chief Ministers of Jersey and Guernsey last night pledged to work together to cut red tape by producing joint forms that can be used by businesses working in both islands.

Senator Terry Le Sueur and Deputy Lyndon Trott agreed to examine urgently instances where businesses are asked to supply the same information separately by the authorities in each jurisdiction.

They gave the undertaking while responding to a question posed during the Jersey branch of the Institute of Directors’ annual debate at the Hotel de France by the hotel’s owner, Robert Parker.

He asked why there could not be more co-operation at the lowest level of government by the production of the same forms that could be used by businesses with presences in both islands.

He said that there were lots of forms that had to be filled in where the information required to comply with the law in each island was almost identical.

• See Friday’s JEP for full story and more business news.