Online vote official withdraws from ferry decision

Richard Corrigan has led the Department for the Economy since January 2022

A senior Jersey civil servant has withdrawn from involvement in the decision over which company will run ferry operations in the Channel Islands after "inadvertently" backing one of the bidders in an informal online poll.

Members of the Condor Ferries Users' Group on Facebook were asked: "Who do I want to be awarded the ferry contract?"

Richard Corrigan - chief officer of the Department for the Economy and a senior reporting officer (SRO) in the ferry tendering process - voted for Danish firm DFDS, which is competing with Irish Ferries and Condor.

The government's Economy Department said it was "an inadvertent mistake" that was "corrected... as soon as he was made aware of it".

'Process unaffected'

Condor Ferries' current operating agreements with Jersey and Guernsey end on 27 March 2025, with the successful bidder expected to run the services for 15 years.

Mr Corrigan has led the Department for the Economy since it became a distinct government department in January 2022.

Authorities had previously said the company chosen to operate passenger and freight services in the Channel Islands would be announced this month.

Officials said Richard Corrigan corrected his mistake "as soon as he was made aware of it"

In response to questions about Mr Corrigan's vote, a statement from the Government of Jersey's Economy Department said: "The senior reporting officer made an inadvertent mistake, and corrected it as soon as he was made aware of it.

"To protect the integrity of the procurement process, the SRO has recused himself from any further involvement to ensure good governance and to maintain confidence in the procurement process.

"The schedule and timetable for the process remain unaffected by the change in SRO."