The States Assembly of Guernsey has hosted the meeting of the Standing Committee of the Conference of Speakers and Presiding Officers of the Commonwealth (CSPOC) from 10 to 11 January 2025.
The Bailiff of Guernsey and President of the States of Guernsey, Sir Richard McMahon hosted the visiting delegates in St Peter Port, the capital of the Bailiwick.
The Speaker of the 18th Lok Sabha at the Parliament of India, Hon. Shri Om Birla chaired the meeting of the CSPOC Standing Committee in his role as the host of the 28th CSPOC which is due to be held in India in January 2026. The meeting sets the agenda and topics for discussion at the biennial conference.
The Standing Committee oversees CSPOC activities and is composed of 15 Members (with 5 Members constituting a quorum). The Committee is chaired by the Speaker of the lower House of the jurisdiction hosting the next conference and the term of office extends from the end of one conference to the end of the next conference.
Delegates attending the CSPOC Standing Committee in Guernsey (both in-person and virtually) included:
- Hon. Milton Dick, Speaker of the House of Representatives (Parliament of Australia);
- Hon. Greg Fergus, Speaker of the House of Commons (Parliament of Canada);
- Hon. Papali’iLi’o Oloipola Taeu Masipau, Speaker of the Legislative Assembly (Parliament of Samoa);
- Hon. Bridgid Annisette-George, Speaker of the House of Representatives (Parliament of Trinidad and Tobago);
- Rt Hon. Dr Moses Wetang’ula, Speaker of the National Assembly (Parliament of Kenya);
- Lord Fakafanua, Speaker of the Legislative Assembly (Parliament of Tonga); and
- Rt Hon. Sir Lindsay Hoyle, MP, Speaker of the House of Commons (Parliament of the United Kingdom).
