Proposed Government Plan 2022-2025 (P.90/2021): thirteenth amendment. Women’s Safety

STATES OF JERSEY

PROPOSED GOVERNMENT PLAN 2022– 2025 (P.90/2021): THIRTEENTH AMENDMENT

ACTIONS TO IMPROVE WOMEN'S SAFETY

Lodged au Greffe on 30th November 2021 by the Connétable of St. Martin

STATES GREFFE

2021  P.90 Amd. (13)

PROPOSED GOVERNMENT PLAN 2022–2025 (P.90/2021): THIRTEENTH AMENDMENT

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1  PAGE 2, PARAGRAPH (f) –

After the words "Appendix 2 – Summary Tables 5(i) and (ii) of the Report" insert the words ––

", except that, in Summary Table 5(i) £200,000 should be transferred from the General Reserve Head of Expenditure to the Head of Expenditure for Justice  and  Home  Affairs,  to  facilitate and  support  the creation  of  a Citizen's  Panel  in  relation  to  improving  women's  safety,  and  gender equality, such body to collect views from Islanders and to develop and propose changes in policy, strategy and culture in this area"

CONNÉTABLE OF ST. MARTIN

Note:  After this amendment, the proposition would read as follows –

THE STATES are asked to decide whether they are of opinion

to receive the Government Plan 2022 – 2025 specified in Article 9(1) of the Public Finances (Jersey) Law 2019 ("the Law") and specifically –

1. to approve the estimate of total States income to be paid into the Consolidated Fund in 2022 as set out in Appendix 2 – Summary Table 1 to the Report, which is inclusive of the proposed taxation and impôts duties changes outlined in the Government Plan, in line with Article 9(2)(a) of the Law;
2. to approve the Changes to Approval for financing/borrowing for 2022, as shown in Appendix 2 – Summary Table 3 to the Report, which may be obtained by the Minister for Treasury and Resources, as and when required, in line with Article 9 (2)(c) of the Law, of up to those revised approvals;
3. to approve the transfers from one States fund to another for 2022 of up to and including the amounts set in Appendix 2 – Summary table 2 to the Report, noting that the transfer from the Consolidated Fund to the Technology Fund is subject to the Assembly's approval of a proposition to create such a Fund in 2022, in line with Article 9(2)(b) of the Law;
4. to approve each major project that is to be started or continued in 2022 and the total cost of each such project and any amendments to the proposed total cost of a major project under a previously approved Government Plan, in line with Article 9(2)(d), (e) and (f) of the Law and as set out in Appendix 2 - Summary Table 4 to the Report;

5. to endorse the efficiencies and other re-balancing measures for 2022 contained in the Government Plan as set out in Appendix 2 Summary Table  6  and  reflected  within  each  gross  head  of  expenditure  in Appendix 2 – Summary Table 5(i);
6. to  approve  the  proposed  amount  to  be  appropriated  from  the Consolidated Fund for 2022, for each head of expenditure, being gross expenditure less estimated income (if any), in line with Articles 9(2)(g), 10(1) and 10(2) of the Law and set out in Appendix 2 – Summary, except that, in Summary Table 5(i) £200,000 should be transferred fromthe General Reserve Head of Expenditure to the Head of Expenditure for Justice and Home Affairs, to facilitate and support the creation of aCitizen's Panel in relation to improving women's safety, and genderequality, such body to collect views from Islanders and to develop and propose changes in policy, strategy and culture in this area;
7. to approve up to £480 million to be appropriated from the Consolidated Fund for the Past Service Pension Liabilities Refinancing head of expenditure, subject to the availability of funding, which may include, in full or in part, use of the borrowing/financing referred in paragraph (b);
8. to approve the estimated income, being estimated gross income less expenditure, that each States trading operation will pay into its trading fund in 2022 in line with Article 9(2)(h) of the Law and set out in Appendix 2 – Summary Table 7 to the Report;
9. to approve the proposed amount to be appropriated from each States trading operation's trading fund for 2022 for each head of expenditure in line with Article 9(2)(i) of the Law and set out in Appendix 2 – Summary Table 8 to the Report;
10. to approve the estimated income and expenditure proposals for the Climate Emergency Fund for 2022 as set out in Appendix 2 – Summary Table 9 to the Report;
11. to approve an amendment to the policy of the Strategic Reserve Fund to enable that Fund to be used as a holding Fund for any or all monies related to the repayment of debt raised through external financing, with the monies used to offset the repayment of debt, as and when required; and
12. to approve, in accordance with Article 9(1) of the Law, the Government Plan 2022-2025, as set out at Appendix 3 to the Report.

REPORT

This amendment has been lodged as a proposed means to allow the Island to challenge itself and identify new and innovative ways to go further on delivering support and safety for women. In addition, to develop meaningful dialogue on gender inequality in Jersey.

Public Consultation

Between March 2020 and March 2021, the UK Government undertook extensive public consultation including  several  calls  for  evidence,  and  receiving  over  180,000 submissions, to shape its Tackling Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy 2021- 2024. Given the lack of an equivalent strategy in Jersey, such a consultation would help inform the Government of Jersey and this Assembly of its prospective need and how it may improve Islanders lives.

It is my belief that a similar period of consultation should be undertaken in Jersey to gather information on experiences of violence against women and girls in Jersey, including crimes such as drink spiking. The final design of this consultation should be left to Justice & Home Affairs, Strategic Policy, Planning and Performance and the States of Jersey Police.

Such a consultation would be invaluable in understanding the experiences of Islanders, and help to indicate where Islanders may otherwise feel uncomfortable or unable to open up and talk about their experiences, potentially identifying crimes and problems that many feel unable to report on, allowing us to offer safer, more inclusive ways of reporting that can then lead to a direct and productive response.

Citizens' Assembly

The main aim of my amendment is the establishment of a Citizens' Assembly on Women's safety and Gender Equality. Following the success of the Jersey Climate Conversation's Citizens' Assembly, I believe that, for such a small, densely populated island, this may provide an opportune model for pursuing greater involvement from Islanders  outside  of  election  periods  and  surveys,  and  allow  us  to  build  on  the momentum  from  the  period  of  consultation  outlined  above  to  develop  new  and potentially radical new ways to combat gender inequality in this Island.

Such a method has already proven itself to be extremely successful in Ireland, whose Citizens' Assembly on Gender Equality was established in July 2019 to consider gender equality and make recommendations to the Oireachtas (the Irish legislature) to advance gender equality by bringing forward proposals to:

challenge the remaining barriers and social norms and attitudes that facilitate gender discrimination towards girls and boys, women, and men;

identify  and  dismantle  economic  and  salary  norms  that  result  in  gender inequalities, and reassess the economic value placed on work traditionally held

by women;

in particular, seek to ensure women's full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership at all levels of decision-making in the workplace,

politics, and public life;

recognise the importance of early years parental care and seek to facilitate greater work-life balance;

examine  the  social  responsibility  of  care  and  women  and  men's  co- responsibility for care, especially within the family; and –

scrutinise  the  structural  pay  inequalities  that  result  in  women  being disproportionately represented in low pay sectors.

Such an Assembly would give Islanders the opportunity to more closely examine the divisions within their everyday lives, and challenge and hopefully begin to dismantle structural barriers that continue to persist to this day. The final agenda of this Assembly would be at the discretion of the Assembly and its convenors, but I believe that full consideration of the consultation I have already outlined will inevitably be an essential component of its work. A deliberative democratic method will help to complement this Assembly, and hopefully spur change in a way that is often not available to us through more traditional means.

Some members may see the establishment of such an extensive piece of consultation and engagement as a waste of money and resources. My challenge to them is to ask for a better way to drive forward public engagement on gender inequality and women's safety, and ensure that real change can be delivered in the years to come.

Financial and manpower implications

The  funding  requested  within  this  amendment  should  be  sufficient  to  fund  the manpower requirements needed to support the creation of a citizen's panel, to assist in determination of terms of reference and to support them in their discussions.