Minister resigns over email data breach
Wednesday 2nd February 2011, 3:00PM GMT.
Deputy Power who has resigned as Housing Minister
HOUSING Minister Sean Power has resigned after being found to have broken the Data Protection Law by sending a confidential and personal email to a States colleague on to a third party.
Deputy Power – who has held the post of Housing Minister for just over six months – was told to quit or be sacked by the Council of Ministers yesterday lunchtime after being ruled to have broken the law by the Data Protection Commission.
This morning, Deputy Power said: ‘I have put my hand up and made a mistake and been slapped down by the Council of Ministers.’
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Will he be held acountable like Syvret??? for the breach of data protection act??!!
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I thought a ten man raid of your house was the norm for these Data Protection infractions?
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Can someone explain the difference as to this data infraction to the one that Stuart Syvret has allegedy broken & been taken to court for ?
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Another injustice for a great minister. He should never have been forced to resign over such a petty minded incident.
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No Deputy, you didn’t “make a mistake”.
You wilfully scanned an email from a States colleague then forwarded it on to someone else.
In the real world it’s called “Gross Misconduct”.
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The COM never liked Sean Power ever since he won his battle against a tax on drink and cigarettes for the sake of Middle Jersey so this doesn’t surprise me.
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Unfortunate, as he was doing a great job of reforming the Housing department, considerably better than his predecessor who was simply sitting on his laurels awaiting retirement.
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I presume that if he has broken the law then he will be prosecuted.
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The decent thing to have done would have been to drop it in the shredder.
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Deputy Power’s position was untenable after leaking that material. Really, he should be standing down from the House altogether, not just the Ministry.
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I am afraid that this is another appaling example of someone in Public office getting away with something for which the ordinary man in the street would be prosecuted.
If never fails to amaze me of the blatant disregard to the laws of this island by elected representatives and public sector workers. (Mostly motoring related – not wearing seatbelts / use of phone / speeding / illegal parking )
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I think there is a massive difference between this minor incident and what Stuart Syvret did and continues to do now come on people pay attention!
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David Rotherham, I feel the same about all the members of the JDA.
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Cutting away to the bone…..
So Stuart Syvret was sending threatening e-mails…..
Now where have I heard that one before….?
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He should be prosecuted-whats good for the goose is good for the gander.
Who would ever trust him again?
The feeble excuse he came out with just doest wash,makes one wonder what the real reason for doing this was.
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The Night of the Long Knives – the difference between Mr. Power and Mr. Syvret is the former put his hands up to his misdemeanor, whereas the other apparently prevaricated and released data to the public at large with mischievous intent.
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A printed email is found. logically you would contact the person who owned it and not send it to data protection and this unnamed (who must be named) 3rd party.
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I find it inconceivable the ignorance of some of you. How could you compare this man to Syvret. Syvret has destroyed lives with his blog of data protected material and let us get something straight here had Syvret not been writing threatening emails this whole incident wouldn’t have occurred.
It is a shame the content hasn’t been released to the public domain.
A great loss Sean going
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Did he have his house searched and was he held in a cell?
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The gap between the ordinary man and the rich boys clique will always throw up this sort of issue which you can be sure that had it been one of the chosen few it would have never seen the light of day and been swallowed…hope the J.E.P. follow up there is more to this…..
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And after all this Terry Le Sueur the chief Minister himself counseled him to lie about why he was going, quote from tonights J.E.P.”He told me I could resign for…’personal’ reasons which he would have preferred… why would he have preferred you may ask…so endemic is the culture of secrecy that the boss encourages those beneath him to lie about the facts what is the Chief afraid of ..?is it any wonder that public don’t have a grain of faith in the COM..always lash ups and cover ups …so hideously allergic to the truth…it really is contemptable.
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Power is an absolute disgrace petty minded reading a private document which was nothing to do with him, then copying it to others. It then appears on a violently anti Syvret Blog shame on you deputy resigns now from the States I also understand tonight that Power will not be PROSECQTED disgraceful one law for Syvret one for Power the attorney General is a disgrace The Law officers are a sham in Jersey!!
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I am shocked that there are some people on here who still think turning a persons life upside down by publishing police reports on a blog is acceptable.
Personally I thinks its evil.
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Surely if an honest person found a personal e-mail lying on a photocopier he would return it to the sender.To photocopy it and send it to other people is just plain untrustworthy and devious.And why has he only resigned from Housing.Whats that got to do with anything.He broke the code of conduct of politicians and should resign from the States altogether.How can we ever trust this man again.And amazingly he feels like he needn’t to apologise to those the e-mail concerned.If for example Pitman did the same to a private e-mail from Ozouf he would out like a shot,and amazingly data protection aren’t pressing charges!
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Stuart Syvret has published some pretty unpleasant things on his blog but most of that was about people who can look after themselves and to be honest often gave as good or as bad as they got, Jim Perchard springs to mind but there are plenty more.
So Kate’s ridiculous charge of Stuart Syvret destroying lives hardly stands up, whose life was destroyed?
One thing that is certain though, the child abuse exposed by Stuart Syvret certainly caused a great deal of harm to a large group of people.
Best to get that one under the carpet as quick as possible though!
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This announcement has obviously been timed to detract from the more important news today that there will be no HDLG committee of enquiry
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Power knowingly broke the law. I don’t believe his slimey excuses. He should be charged…or are friends of the COM above the law.
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“Fire up the Quattro!”
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How come its always e-mails with Stuart Syvret involved? I only wish this person was out of the headlines for once, he means nothing now.
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Blue Knight. Mr Power only put his hands up to the misdemeanour AFTER he had been caught out and AFTER the misdemeanour had been in the public domain for over a month.
Please don’t hold him up to be some paragon of virtue who decided, only because his conscience demanded it, to admit to a mistake. He was busted a long time ago and he knew it.
You might have a dislike for various blogs in Jersey, I simply don’t know, but anyone who actually bothers to read them will have been aware of this misdemeanour for quite some time. The mainstream media would also have been aware of the story (they read the blogs too) and must have sat on it. I have no idea why. A minister breaking the law is surely big news? Well it is anywhere else in the civilised world.
As I say, it was common knowledge and the only mystery was why he took so long to put his hands up to the rest of the island and stand down. Why did he not admit to it when the story broke on a local blog? It was obviously true. Was he hoping that it would be ignored and go away?
This was not “I am sorry I did it”. More “I am sorry I got caught”.
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I think that it is in the public interest that the email be published in the public domain
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#23 JPMG: Did you read the police report that Syvret published? With the evidence in that report alone, any reasonable person would agree that an investigation should be made – if only to prove the individual’s innocence.
It was very much of public interest, and the fact that it was brushed over and ‘forgotten’ speaks volumes of the Jersey administration and the way things work around here.
And please, can we move on from the ‘unpleasantness’ of these situations? It’s about right and wrong, getting those culpable in court. Yes it’s an ugly situation, but it needs to be dealt with. It’s like how Syvret was kicked out for ‘undermining staff morale’ when he highlighted the Jersey Child abuse disaster. Seriously. Undermining morale?! Come on now.
It will be interesting if Power has his home raided (without a warrant) and is dragged through court with all his evidence deemed ‘inadmissible’.
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If sending confidential information to an unauthorised third party, who then spreads it all over the internet,is not a Data Offence what is?
Something smells in Denmark.
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Tony (3) Can someone explain the difference as to this data infraction to the one that Stuart Syvret has allegedy broken & been taken to court for ?
Due process, Tony, due process. This has nothing to do with Stuart Syvret, who did what he did, was indict and was found guilty. If you have a problem with what Deputy Power did, the due process is as follows: you make a complaint, the police investigate the allegations, there is an indictment, and a court case.
I, like many, like many await developments with interest. Come on JEP, time to get of the fence?
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They really never liked him..you’ll see they have been grooming the aggressive Perchard in the wings for this moment………..
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A large number of you commenting here really need to get a grip. Forget Syvret, forget the content of the email.
Ask yourself two simple questions.
1) If tomorrow you found an email lying on a printer in your place of work addressed to a work colleague, would your immediate reaction be to scan that email, email the scan to yourself, then email a copy to a friend?
3) If not, why not?
It’s a very simple question of moral judgement and standards.
If however you’d rather overlook that and use Power’s actions as an excuse to attack Syvret, you may want to pause to consider the level of your own moral standards.
It’s time for some of you to grow up.
And it’s time for Sean Power to resign from local politics.
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I doubt anyone is grooming Jim Perchard for anything.
The political survival of the members of the CoM is tied to them starting to act as a cabinet and implement policy together.
Why would they want an individualist who is incapable of being a team player aboard?
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Pip @25 you could not be more wrong. Syvret DID NOT expose Child abuse. During the nine years he was Health Minister he never visited the department once. He became aware that the police had an ongoing inquiry into historic abuse so he minipulated questions in the States Chamber in order to detract from the fact that he did’nt have a clue regarding current day Social Services.
Why did Carolyn Labey and Judy Martin use States (tax payers)Computers and Printers for personal emails. This is what should be investigated.
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If it turns out that Hacking was done from the chief ministers office both he and the staff will have to go…….especially as TLS tried to put him up to resign for “Personal” reasons…what a carry on…
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#26 Pip.
Doesn’t Kate seem to have a penchant for supporting shamed housing ministers?
Landlord worship, perhaps.
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I agree with 36, what a pathetic excuses he made saying it was lying about for days and saying there was builders in the area, he should be ashamed to think that workmen should even be implicated,just because they are working class why should he think they would be dishonest,And what we all would like to know who was the third party he sent the e mail to. Well maybe its another states member, who ever it was they have not done any wrong (unless they have passed it on again) and if he or she has it could be another resignation on the cards.
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happy bunny(30) sadly one of those blogs is now missing.
as for tarnishing building type workers as being dodgey, how disgracefull.
most of us workmen afford our clients , total confidentiality.
(39)zorro.
no info for us plebs , not in the public interest.
or another in camra meeting.
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Well said Maggie 38 fully agree with everything you said
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“Why did Carolyn Labey and Judy Martin use States (tax payers)Computers and Printers for personal emails. This is what should be investigated.”
Might as well investigate every employee in the island then.
I have access to the email server and phone logs at my office.
Staff have to be allowed to make an occasional personal call or send a mail; having to inform family that they will be late, arranging to collect a sick child from school or setting up an medical appointment, etc.
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If the information was so sensitive, then surely the owner of the information should have taken more care and not left it lying around.
Sure, Mr Power shouldn’t have scanned it and sent it on, but it’s hardly the crime of the century. Is there not more important matters that people could be focusing their energy on? Like getting this island out of the mess that it is in for starters.
No wait, Resolving the issues surrounding the recession, the decline in tourism, farming and retail, the problems surrounding the ever increasing drug and alcohol misuse, child abuse, domestic violence, cuts in health and education, the thousands of people wrongly claining benefits.
That will all have to take a back seat because someone scanned and forwarded a private email. All political point scoring as far as I am concerned.
Anyway, whilst on the subject of wasting time on trivial matters why has no-one picked up on the point that someone was using a States of Jersey email account for non business related emails in the first place.
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Oops. I stand corrected, Maggie at 38 had beat me to it re the personal email use.
And just to add to Maggies post, I absolutley agree with her first paragraph. Well written.
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disgraceful behaviour,even more so in trying to defend the idefensssible.
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Tony #3
Power has put his hands up and said
It’s a fair cop!
Syvret , accusing everyone and their dogs of conspiracy, ran away and hid from a fair trial in London while still fleecing the Jersey tax payers for his wages.
One is a coward beyond contempt, the other is a politician who made a mistake and is not afraid to pay for it.
I doubt very much if Sean has told the police “you will never take me alive”? S they will probably telephone him for an appointment rather than turn up mob handed for “his” safety.
And Lenny Henry, oops Harper.
Well, the less said about that joke the better.
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“Big Bean Posted February 3,
Sure, Mr Power shouldn’t have scanned it and sent it on, but it’s hardly the crime of the century. Is there not more important matters that people could be focusing their energy on? Like getting this island out of the mess that it is in for starters.
No wait, Resolving the issues surrounding the recession, the decline in tourism, farming and retail, the problems surrounding the ever increasing drug and alcohol misuse, child abuse, domestic violence, cuts in health and education, the thousands of people wrongly claining benefits”.
Can you please explain where we draw the line with your philosophy of ignoring dodgy political doings?
How many do we ignore before we have ignored so many the system will not function properly because of the amount of bad apples that have been allowed to remain in the barrel?
For the sake of democratic fairness let’s go the whole hog and apply your naive logic to the public also.
Why bother arresting people for urinating in the street, vandalism or common assault when there are rapes, murders and genocides happening all over the world?
You really need to wise up. Really.
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Truthseeker “they never really liked him…”
What are you on? Who is ‘they’ – again ‘they’ are out there ooooohhhhh!!!! look out for ‘them’….
Clearly this island has a drink problem, because ‘THEY’ are after us!!!
The States have always supported him because up until this behaviour, he had potential. If the States didn’t support him, they woudln’t have elected him to the role idiot!
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I can’t believe people on here are actually defending Mr. Power.
The word that comes to mind is “sleazy”
And shame on those of you who think this is a minor misdemeanour! To read something addressed to someone else isn’t the crime of the century, but to scan it, forward it and be basically sly and slimy – glad he’s gone from the Council of Ministers and I think he should have resigned entirely. This goes to show moral character, and Sean Power is shown severely lacking!
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This man has behaved without honesty, it is right and proper that he left office.
I would like to see him prosecuted as would happen if it was you or I.
I look forward to seeing the Police pile into Cyril Le Marquand House and question those in charge of running States IT. If someone has been reading emails then they ‘should’ know about it as they are responsible for anything and everything IT related.
Will this happen? No, and why? because this is the tip of the iceberg !!
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The appointments are so Jersey and Guernsey have greater and more high profile representation in the EU when they make their decisions. Or if you’re a cynic, to give the islands a fighting chance when we are bullied from afar or laws are changed affecting the islands without even being notified. Just because these people represent the public it doesn’t mean their salaries need to be branded all over the JEP for people to green with envy or red with rage in the same way you don’t ask how much a doctor gets paid when he or she fixes you up. Increases in GST have nothing to do with the £400k cost because Guernsey haven’t got GST (yet) but these posts may prevent sooner and greater rises in GST if they are effective. Time will tell, but if we start hearing of rows between the EU and these representatives we know they must be doing something right.
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Joker – are you posting on the correct thread?
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Mister X. Thank you for pointing out my naivety and I guess everyone who has a different opinion to yours needs to wise up too. My apologies, I thought these forums were for expressing different views and sharing opinions in the way of healthy debate. Obviously not.
Anyway, I am not saying that this should be ignored; no part of my post suggested that, but I am suggesting that the penalty be fitting to the misdemeanor. Perhaps I should have been clearer.
The way some people are talking you would have thought he was Myra Hindley or Fred West.
Yes, he did wrong, Yes he needs to be pulled up about it, but let’s not get carried away.
And I stand by my original statement, IN MY OPINION, there are more important things to worry about.
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This third party. I hope Deputy Labey makes Power divulge who it is. If he declines he is holding back details of criminal behaviour, namely passing on misappropriated personal information.
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I am more concerned as to whether the administrator of the Internet site, (who is a Jersey resident) who also broke data protection law, has also been prosecuted for making the email public. Everyone is looking to crucify Dep Power and yes he deserves punishment; but if the email had not been put on the internet I don’t thing it would have been as big an issue. As with Syvret who distrubuted the Nurse’s name on the internet and was therefore prosecute the owner of the website that distributed the email should equally be punished.
I am a big fan of the internet and freedom of speech but where data protection is broken the person responsible for the site needs to be dealt with. This forum has all content moderated before any comments are posted as the JEP ultimately are responsible for the content of their website. This is the same for anyone who runs a website.
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This e-mail has been spread around the Island like wild fire so how do you stop it now? The sole responsibility lies with the person that originally released it in the first place.
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Funny how some people on here think its okay to threaten an ex partner in such a way though.
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SHOOT ! I didn’t get a copy, maybe Wiekileaks can show me one !!!!
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This e-mail must of done some rounds for the BBC to receive 7 copies. I think whoever left it on the photocopier should be dealt with. I bet it was copied and left there by more than one party.
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#61 ‘This e-mail must of done some rounds for the BBC to receive 7 copies. I think whoever left it on the photocopier should be dealt with. I bet it was copied and left there by more than one party’
You could be right there, Pat.
Back in the days of fax machines if I wanted a fax to achieve maximum impact I’d send it in the small hours so that the office cleaner and the early arriving underdogs could all read it before the onanistic executive or boss it was addressed to arrived at 9.35 or coffee time respectively.
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Have a look at the print spool log from the day Power said he found it and then you will find out who printed it.
I don’t know why nobody has bothered to do that yet.
Power should not have forwarded it on BUT the person who printed it and left it for all to see has committed an offence under the States of Jersey IT policy so WHY is nothing being done?
Yet again civil servants are immune from the law. It stinks !!!
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62 You are right ,and if the Hacking of e mails originated in the office of TLS or Ozouf,,then the staff and their bosses have to go without question…however an interesting twist ,it is a police matter and an acid test for the new Police chief..let’s see if he is independent or knuckles under to the undoubted pressure that will be bought to bear..the last two did not weather the storms…this new man comes with a good pedigree and already has got the cops out of the station and on to the streets beat walking which is proper community policing and he deserves brownie points there…a show of strength is happening right now is my bet..watch this space
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big bean @55
misdemeanor is this more spin to cushion the proper name it should have it is a crime .
a rose by any other name ,
the same difference between child abuse and historic child abuse !
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@noah 65
Misdemeanor – a non-indictable offence, regarded as less serious than a felony. In English law felony originally comprised those offences such as murder, wounding, arson, rape, and robbery
(ref. Oxford online dictionary)
Noah, are you seriously suggesting that scanning an email is a serious crime, on par with murder, rape and arson?
Once again for the benefit of those who cannot read, I am not saying that Mr Power did not do wrong, I am saying that it is not as serious as people are trying to make it out to be.
Once again, I am not saying that Mr Power should not be held accounatble for his actions, I am saying that we need to keep things in perpective.
Not sure what it’s got to do with roses though. Over my head that comment!
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