29/05/2014 BBC Channel Islands News

Guernsey's politicians have agreed to introduce free universal

pre`school education for Gudrnsey and Alderney. Deputies approved the

measures by 27 votes to 15. It means from September 2016 all children in

Guernsey and Alderney will be entitled to 15 hours' free

pre`school a week for 38 weeks a year. But, as Mike Wilkins

reports, there are concerns over how to pay for it.

Today the Education Departmdnt went fishing for funding. It wants to

bring Guernsey in line with England and closer to Jersey, where all

children receive some free nursery education.

There is so much evidence, H find it so frustrating. We know that means

Deputies are their children to be preschool educated. It is across the

The Education Department wants all children aged between three and four

to get 15 hours a week of free education for 38 weeks in the year

before they start primary school. But, at a cost of ?2 million a year,

some feel taxpayers should pay more for it.

For the owner of this pre`school, she says it's a disgrace th`t it has

taken Guernsey this long to provide for all its children.

island Guernsey is such a forward`thinking place and we have

not been I think it is Today was the day,

as the Education Minister ptt it, "Guernsey stopped limping bdhind the

rest of the world", as his proposal So, while it's good news for him

and thousands of parents, grandparents and children, ht's

another problem for the Tre`sury and Resources Minister, as he needs

to find the money to pay for it Mike Wilkins, BBC Channel Islands

News, Guernsey. Jersey's ports could soon go

the way of Jersey Telecom and the island's postal service, and become

a States`owned private comp`ny. The harbours and airport generate

?43 million a year, with profits of ?1 million `

but bosses say that's not enough to cover long`term maintenance costs.

Louise Walter has more. shameful there are plans to turn

Jersey's ports from a trading arm of the States to a why make thhs

change? It comes down ministers say that

costs are rising faster than revenues and there will be `

shortfall of more than ?300 million they company could close th`t gap by

property developer, making acquisitions and taking on debts.

Those involved in the plans insist very little will his Mrs who play

rents here will simply pay that money. Not everybody thinks this the

unions Unite and RMT oppose the change. Unite says there ard

concerns for the future of hts what safeguards I think there is an

important distinction we will continue to do the right thhng thing

that is important for us is that we are able to create a sustainable

future rather Bosses from Jersey and Guernsey s

electricity companies have been to visit their ?70 million invdstment `

in the middle of the sea. A new undersea electricity cable is

being laid in a bid to secure our power supplies. Sophie Sulehria

went on board. than this 700,000 tonne vessel in

the middle of the sea at 114 metres long it has one mission the a supply

of cable leading from Francd two metres what you can see behhnd me

electricity cable. What you can't see is the plough up

being polled Jersey this project will allow us to reduce that to less

are the `` cow `` power cuts a thing it will help us restore importation

capacity and reliability and it will if all goes well, Normandy three

should be in service Guernsey's Heather Watson is out

of the French Open, after losing her second`round match

in straight sets against thd fourth A controlled explosion was carried

out today on a World War Two bomb The 5cm`calibre explosive w`s

detonated today Mortars like this were used for

target practice against La Rocco Tower

during the German Occupation. Newnsight starts now over on

BBC Two. good evening. High pressure is

building. Today will be a mtch better a possible shower through the

day but much better conditions and we will see temperatures will stay

fairly mild 11 or 12. The showers will gradually be is through the

call `` through the night and the winds will be some, showers more

likely through the afternoon with temperatures reaching a high of 14

some places slightly below the seasonal average, the winds coming

in from the North East. Through the course of the week high pressure

starts to build and we to bd fairly settled over the weekend, the chance

of a shower tomorrow Good evening. Most of us look like

ending the week on a dry note. Some of us end it today on a particularly

wet note. Notably across parts of south-west England and up into the

Midland, a line of vicious storms and thunder in there too. They have

been spreading further west in parts of Wales and southern counties.

They'll tend to fade away the rest of the night, but one or two

lingering on. Most other places having a quiet night. Cloud and

mistiness out there. Across the glens of northern

Scotland, temperatures will get well down into single fir. But for most

of the rest of us, a relatively mild night