Aidan Matthews

As of June 2026, Guernsey continued to operate a non-statutory Freedom of Information Code rather than an enforceable FOI Law, unchanged from the position when Deputy Matthews took office in July 2025. No proposition, policy letter, requête, or committee programme directed at introducing a FOI Law has been identified in parliament.gg records or Guernsey press sources attributable to Matthews or any committee since the new States was constituted. The States had already rejected a full FOI Law in June 2021 — a vote in which Matthews supported the failed motion — making institutional resistance a significant backdrop.

• Freedom of Information - States of Guernsey (gov.gg)
• Guernsey rejects plans for 'right to know' law | Bailiwick Express
• Freedom of information code agreed in States | Guernsey Press

A Public Accounts Sub-Committee (PASC) was formally established by the Scrutiny Management Committee in October 2025, replacing the former Financial Scrutiny Panel and taking on a dedicated financial oversight role — partially meeting Matthews' call for a returned Public Accounts Committee. However, the PASC exists only as a sub-committee of the SMC rather than as an independent committee or Audit Commission; the SMC's January 2026 statement to the States acknowledged that strengthening its constitutional position and the potential role of an Auditor General were 'under active consideration', and separately Deputy Sally Rochester planned a requête in February 2026 to establish an independent Auditor General role. Matthews was not identified as a direct driver of these initiatives, having taken up the role of Vice-President of the Committee for Health & Social Care.

• The Scrutiny Management Committee establishes its Public Accounts Sub-Committee
• Scrutiny Management Committee – General Update (Statement to States)

No evidence was found of Deputy Aidan Matthews having lodged a proposition, tabled a written question, or participated in any States debate specifically relating to a legally backed duty of candour for Guernsey public employees since taking office in July 2025. His parliament.gg profile lists activity on other matters (education funding amendments, a cannabis working group) but nothing related to this promise. No Guernsey government source (gov.gg, parliament.gg, Bailiwick Express, or Guernsey Press) records any policy letter, consultation, or committee work on a Guernsey-specific duty of candour law.

• Aidan Matthews manifesto blog – duty of candour pledge
• Aidan Matthews – Guernsey Parliament profile (activity listed)
• States of Guernsey new legislation page

The DPA's revised IDP proposals (February 2025, refined through May 2025) explicitly acknowledged over-concentration of housing near the Bridge/north and proposed a more even spread across five Local Centres island-wide, aligning broadly with Matthews' manifesto aim. A public planning inquiry hearing ran 13–23 January 2026, after which the independent inspector's report and a States debate are still pending as of June 2026, meaning the revised IDP — which embeds the redistribution principle — has not yet been formally adopted. No evidence was found of Deputy Matthews personally tabling a proposition or amendment specifically on this issue since taking office in July 2025; he sits on the Education Committee rather than the DPA or Housing Committee, limiting his direct institutional influence.

• DPA proposes revised changes to the IDP – more even distribution across Local Centres
• IDP Focused Review – public hearing January 2026, Inspector's report and States debate pending

As of December 2025, the Committee for Employment and Social Security (ESS) publicly named statutory redundancy pay as a future policy priority, with the ESS President stating the committee was 'keen to consider whether to introduce a right to statutory redundancy pay' (Bailiwick Express, 18 December 2025). Legal500's March 2026 country guide confirmed that no statutory redundancy regime yet exists in Guernsey and no entitlement to statutory redundancy pay has been enacted. The issue remains at the early 'future proposals for discussion' stage (Carey Olsen / Mondaq, December 2025), with no policy letter, consultation document, or States debate scheduled as of June 2026; no direct attribution to Deputy Matthews's advocacy was found in the evidence.

• Secondary pensions, shared parental leave, and statutory redundancy pay on the agenda – Bailiwick Express
• Key Employment Updates for Guernsey Employers – 2026 and Beyond – Carey Olsen / Mondaq

The States of Deliberation unanimously approved a Policy Letter on 11 April 2025 directing the Policy & Resources Committee to progress offshore wind through Phases 3 and 4, with a further Policy Letter on commercial leasing and a preferred bidder due by December 2026. As of May 2026, the Offshore Wind Delivery Board — chaired by Deputy Chris Blin and including the Presidents of P&R and E&I — was actively working on Phase 3, assessing potential export markets. Deputy Matthews was not appointed to the Offshore Wind Delivery Board or an energy-related committee; he serves as Vice-President of HSC and a member of Education, Sport & Culture, meaning his personal influence on the offshore wind programme is indirect.

• Offshore wind – States of Guernsey (official page)
• States Resolution VIII – 11 April 2025 (parliament.gg)

As of June 2026, Guernsey Ports continues to operate the harbour and airport as a single unified entity with combined finances. The previous Assembly voted in March 2025 to proceed in principle with incorporating Guernsey Ports as a single body (not separated), with the STSB directed to report back by end of 2026 on detailed proposals — meaning no formal harbour/airport split has been agreed or implemented. An April 2026 STSB statement to the States confirmed that key questions about Guernsey Ports incorporation remain unresolved, with no indication that separating harbour and airport management or finances is part of the planned approach. Deputy Matthews, now serving as Vice-President of the Committee for Health & Social Care, has no recorded activity advancing this specific promise in the new Assembly.

• Harbours should be separated from airport, say boat owners | Guernsey Press
• Three States trading bodies set for commercial freedom | Guernsey Press

Deputy Matthews was appointed Vice-President of the Committee for Health & Social Care in July 2025, with the HSC President specifically citing him as 'a passionate advocate for mental health.' Under his committee's oversight, the HSC launched a new co-funded partnership with Autism Guernsey in April 2026 (£24,000 matched funding for parenting programmes), and the Autism Steering Group published short-term priorities in March 2026 following a 2025 public consultation, including reviewing the Autism Framework and improving diagnostic access. However, ADHD and autism diagnostic pathways remain at capacity with growing waiting lists, and no standalone new mental health or neurodiversity expansion directly attributable to Matthews has been independently confirmed as delivered.

• Committee for Health & Social Care appoints Vice-President – States of Guernsey
• Autism Steering Group responds to consultation feedback – States of Guernsey

The housing standards element of this promise was substantially addressed by the Housing (Standards, Landlord Registration and HMO Licensing) (Guernsey) Ordinance, 2025, approved in March 2025 (before Matthews took office) with minimum standards in force from 1 July 2025, providing tenants with legally enforceable protections for the first time. A public consultation on landlord and tenant rights and obligations was completed by early 2025 and findings published, but as of June 2026 no rights-and-obligations legislation had been enacted and landlord registration remained pending. Rent stabilisation — the most economically pressing component of the promise — was described in official planning documents as a 2025 priority but no rent stabilisation or rent-control reform had been announced or enacted by the new Housing Committee as at the March 2026 Scrutiny hearing, while average private rents continued to rise to £2,112/month by Q3 2025.

• Housing Standards - States of Guernsey (gov.gg)
• Guernsey's new housing legislation - Carey Olsen

No evidence was found of any new policy, States proposition, or programme introduced by Deputy Matthews or the Committee for Health & Social Care after July 2025 that specifically supports locally qualified nurses and healthcare workers with housing or cost-of-living assistance. The pre-existing key worker housing scheme at Braye Lodge collapsed in October 2025 (Guernsey Press), and the HSC Committee's November 2025 general update to the States made no mention of new locally-focused nurse housing or cost-of-living measures. Matthews filed a general mortgage interest tax-relief amendment in October 2025, but this was not targeted at healthcare workers.

• Committee for Health & Social Care appoints Vice-President (Deputy Aidan Matthews)
• £1.8m sale of Braye Lodge for key housing collapses – Guernsey Press

The States mandated SACC to review the ideal number of deputies and report before the 2029 election, following a successful amendment by Deputy Roffey in December 2024; this institutional review is the live vehicle through which Matthews's conditional promise would be tested. However, Matthews himself had seconded a December 2024 amendment to increase rather than reduce deputy numbers, and no evidence emerged of him taking specific personal action in the new (post-July 2025) term to advance the checks-and-balances condition of his promise. The policy environment is active but Matthews's direct contribution to it is unverifiable.

• States member numbers to be reviewed – BBC Guernsey
• Larger States ruled out – Bailiwick Express
• Review of States member numbers moves closer – BBC Guernsey

By December 2025, Home Affairs President Marc Leadbeater announced an independent sentencing review specifically addressing the perceived disparity between sentences for drugs offences and sexual offences — matching Matthews's manifesto concern precisely — with external expert Gemma Buckland engaged and terms of reference being agreed as of February 2026. Separately, the population policy review was brought forward by one year, with business-group consultations begun by February 2026 and a wider public consultation planned, though no policy letter had yet been brought to the States as of June 2026. Neither review had produced enacted reforms or States-approved resolutions within the assessment window.

• Court sentencing to get an independent review – Guernsey Press
• 'Island should have tougher sentences for sex crimes' – Guernsey Press

Before Matthews took office, the States debated a housing commission vs. a committee model on 23 January 2025 and chose the committee model, constituting the Committee for Housing from 1 July 2025. The specific commission structure Matthews advocated was therefore not adopted. However, the underlying intent — drawing on local construction industry expertise — has been partially acted on: by April 2026 the Committee for Housing had partnered with the Guernsey Building Trades Employers Association's government liaison sub-committee to produce a Housing Site Availability Framework, representing the kind of industry-informed policy input Matthews sought. No evidence was found of Matthews himself proposing a standalone housing commission proposition in his first year in office.

• New Housing Committee Approved to Address Guernsey's Housing Crisis – Guernsey Chamber of Commerce
• Committee for Housing – Guernsey Parliament

Deputy Matthews had already secured a States amendment in November 2024 (before his re-election in June 2025) opening the proposed temporary housing/construction worker village to all residents, which his own campaign website cited as evidence of progress on modular emergency accommodation. Following the formation of the new Housing Committee in July 2025, 'Opportunities for Modern Methods of Construction in Guernsey' was formally listed as a named priority workstream (per the States of Deliberation voting records for the Housing Committee establishment resolution), with a policy letter to follow. However, as of June 2026, no published outcome report or formal States policy letter on MMC has been identified, and modular housing remained a topic of active public discussion at the Island Development Plan review hearings in February 2026 without a concluded committee position.

• Open temporary housing villages to locals as well – Guernsey Press
• Establishment of the Committee for Housing – States of Deliberation Voting Records

As of June 2026, the Population Management Law (2016) has not been overhauled in the direction Matthews proposed, and migration licensing remains the responsibility of the Committee for Home Affairs, not the new Committee for Housing. The Housing Committee was constituted from 1 July 2025 — pre-dating Matthews' election — but its published mandate covers housing delivery, not population management. Home Affairs president Marc Leadbeater announced in February 2026 (Guernsey Press) that his committee was conducting a population-policy review, including re-examining TRP restrictions, but no mechanism linking licence numbers to the rate of new builds has been proposed or progressed; no policy letter, requête, or proposition from Deputy Matthews on this specific reform has been identified in any source.

• Committee for Housing – States of Guernsey (gov.gg)
• TRP restrictions could return for families moving to island – Guernsey Press

Prior to the June 2025 election, Matthews successfully moved Amendment 23 at the November 2024 Budget, opening a £5m temporary housing village scheme to local residents as well as overseas workers (passed 33–2); by February 2025 the States had issued a tender for contractors. After the election, Housing President Steve Williams publicly stated in August 2025 that the existing overseas-only subsidy was 'unfair' and announced plans to replace it with low-rent accommodation for all public sector workers regardless of origin, directly mirroring Matthews' manifesto promise. However, as of June 2026 no formal States resolution or policy letter reforming the overseas-recruit subsidy itself has been identified; the Housing Committee told a Scrutiny hearing in March 2026 it was still 'working things up' with no targets yet set.

• 'Open temporary housing villages to locals as well' – Guernsey Press

Prior to his June 2025 re-election, Deputy Matthews co-seconded a Dyke amendment in March 2025 proposing a means-tested 'open access' bursary scheme to fund college places for families unable to afford fees, but that amendment was not adopted — the States instead passed a different amendment (St Pier's) capping the general grant at its 2025/26 level. Since taking office in July 2025, no evidence has emerged of Matthews or the new ESC (led by President Paul Montague) progressing a formal bursary/parental-choice scheme of the kind promised; the new committee's published work focused on sixth-form infrastructure and a general ESC update in March 2026, with no policy letter or consultation on means-tested college places found.

• Means-tested bursaries for colleges proposed — Guernsey Press
• States back move to maintain taxpayer funding for colleges — Guernsey Press

Civil servants moved into the former Sixth Form Centre (renamed Footes Lane House) before Matthews took office in July 2025, and by April 2026 over 180 staff were working there — directly contrary to the first part of his promise. However, Matthews joined the ESC committee in July 2025 and, as an insider, has helped ensure options for returning the building to educational use remain open: ESC president Paul Montague confirmed in April 2026 that 'its current use does not compromise the attractiveness or feasibility of future options' and that the building is one of 'only a few credible options' for a permanent sixth form home. ESC also scrapped the Les Ozouets foundations in February 2026, keeping the long-term location genuinely undecided — though ESC president Montague explicitly ruled out revisiting the 11-18 school model in February 2026, frustrating the fullest reading of Matthews' promise.

• Sixth Form could return despite 180 staff moving in
• Education scraps sixth form foundations at Les Ozouets

Deputy Aidan Matthews was elected Vice-President of the Committee for Health & Social Care in July 2025, placing him directly in a position to act on his manifesto promise. By April 2026, official Guernsey figures showed the orthopaedic waiting list had fallen modestly from 845 to 814 patients (February 2025 to February 2026), with the Medical Director describing orthopaedics as 'making steady progress' with a 3.6% reduction in the total list. However, the hospital's Phase 2 modernisation — which the medical director stated is needed for meaningful capacity growth — has stalled due to soaring costs, with HSC president George Oswald announcing in May 2026 that previous plans 'simply can no longer be afforded', leaving long-term structural improvements to orthopaedic capacity in serious doubt.

• Committee for Health & Social Care appoints Vice-President (gov.gg)
• Waiting lists for hospital operations starting to fall (Guernsey Press)
• Reduction in waiting lists for hospital operations (AOL/Guernsey Press)

Deputy Matthews was elected Vice-President of the Health & Social Care Committee (HSC) in July 2025, placing him at the centre of PEH modernisation decisions. However, rather than progressing the next phase, the project deteriorated sharply: by May 2026, HSC president George Oswald publicly confirmed that Phase 2A had become unaffordable and must be scrapped, with the committee directed to halt the whole programme and 'go back to the start' to determine what could be delivered for £130m — well short of the increasingly costly plans. Phase 1 itself remained unopened due to fire-safety defects, with opening now pushed to late 2026 or 2027 at the earliest.

• HSC accepts soaring costs make PEH plan unaffordable
• More delays at PEH and costs rise again