States Assembly Annual Report 2021

STATES ASSEMBLY ANNUAL REPORT 2021

PRIVILEGES AND PROCEDURES COMMITTEE 14 April 2022

R.50/2022

Forward by the Timothy John Le Cocq , Bailiff of Jersey

President of the States

I am delighted to contribute again to the annual report of the States Assembly, for the third time since I became President of the Assembly.

Members have again risen to the challenge of conducting the complex business of the Assembly and its various scrutiny panels and committees during the stress and uncertainty of the global pandemic. Although we were able to use the States Chamber throughout the year, with some Members usually in attendance, most of our activity continued to be carried out online. Our hybrid proceedings functioned extremely well, but Members have undoubtedly missed being able to see the reaction to questions and speeches in the Chamber as well as the informal discussions which go on in the margins of formal meetings and are such an important part of the way the Assembly functions. I hope that when the new States meets in July 2022 it will be possible for all Members to attend in person.

Whereas 2020 was dominated by special legislation relating to Covid-19, often debated and adopted at very short notice, more normal business resumed in 2021. The report identifies some of the major debates, and most significant pieces of scrutiny work, all of which touch the lives of people across the Island. The debate on assisted dying, where the States agreed in principle that legislation should be introduced to permit assisted dying, subject to stringent safeguards, was one I particularly wish to highlight. It was an extremely high-quality debate which showed the States at its best; considering all aspects of the issue, with compassion and dignity, and hearing a range of viewpoints with respect. The Island can be proud of the way in which its elected representatives have addressed this difficult subject.

With the 2022 election shortly upon us, I was interested to read a detailed report on the public engagement work now being undertaken by the States Greffe. Election turnout in Jersey is not as high as it could be and work to inform people about the electoral system and to encourage people to vote is of vital importance. This election will take place using new constituency  boundaries,  and  without  an   Island-wide  election  for  Senators,  which  will undoubtedly feel different. The Greffe has put considerable effort into explaining the changes to the public and providing practical assistance to people considering standing for election. Each year the Annual Report contains the text of the tributes paid in the States to former Members who died during the year. While each of these is a sad loss, the death of Connétable Leonard Norman of St. Clement was a particularly heavy blow. Len had been a member of

the States for 38 years, had served as a Senator, Connétable and Deputy , had been a Committee  President  during  the  old  Committee  system,  chair  of  the  Commonwealth Parliamentary Association branch for many years, chair of the Privileges and Procedures Committee and, latterly, Minister for Home Affairs. He was a tremendous servant to the Island and a very good man. The Assembly misses his dry humour and common sense.

As this Assembly term draws to a close, I wish to pay tribute to States Members for their work for the Island; the Deputy Bailiff , the Law Officers, the Viscount and the Dean for their work in the States; and the Legislative Drafting Office.

It would be remiss of me, though, not to end by making a special mention of the Greffier, Deputy Greffier, and all their staff who have worked to hard in support of the Assembly in all its functions and who have guided us through what is still a challenging time. This is the last full year that the Greffe will have been led by Greffier Dr Mark Egan, who leaves us shortly. I want to recognise his leadership of the department and support for the Assembly and indeed for the Presiding Officer during what was the huge disruption caused by Covid. We were lucky to have him in this difficult time, we thank him for all his efforts and service to democracy in Jersey and we wish him well for the future.

Introduction by Deputy Carina Alves

Chair, Privileges and Procedures Committee

I am delighted to present the States Assembly's annual report for 2021, the second occasion on which I have been able to do so.

To some extent 2021 saw the Assembly return to normal, after the disruption and additional activity arising from the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020. However, the meetings of the Assembly remained on Microsoft Teams throughout the year, with most meetings using a hybrid format with some Members in the States Chamber and others online. The Assembly met briefly under 'normal' circumstances in September but voted to return to a hybrid format because of concerns about the continuing risks of Covid, especially to clinically vulnerable Members and the limited ventilation in the Chamber.

Teams has permitted some Members to play a full role in the Chamber, and in committees and panels, during periods of ill health. Combining the positive use of new technology with the need for Members to be present in the Chamber when possible will be an interesting challenge for the new Privileges and Procedures Committee and Assembly to deal with after the election.

The report summarises the main debates during 2021. There were very significant debates on matters of interest and concern to the whole population - for example, on Covid rules and our borders policy; the budget and funding for the new hospital project; housing; and assisted dying. Scrutiny assisted the Assembly in considering legislation and also conducted major policy reviews, some of which are also summarised in the report. I wish to draw particular attention to the powerful report on maternity services, which engaged a substantial number of women who had experience of the Island's maternity services in recent years. The important work of the Public Accounts Committee unravelling the States' accounts for 2020-21 and considering deficiencies in the management of the States' property assets should also be highlighted.

My Committee, Privileges and Procedures, was also very busy. We completed our work on electoral reform and responding to the report of the election observers in 2018, making the legal changes required to alter the composition of the States Assembly, setting up the independent Jersey Electoral Authority, and restricting the Assembly's activities during the pre-election period. The move to a three-weekly cycle of States meetings, piloted at the start of 2021, was confirmed, new arrangements for States Members' pay were agreed, and we also passed legislation to ensure that the Jerseylaw.je website is kept up-to-date as new legislation comes into force.

Appendix 5 gives a summary of the commitments made by the States Greffe in its business plan for 2021 and the progress made in respect of those commitments during the year.

This report is being published as the 2018-22 Assembly comes to a close ahead of the June election.  I  want  to  pay  tribute  to  States  Members  for  their  work  during  the  Assembly, particularly given the challenges posed by the pandemic; the Bailiff and Deputy Bailiff as our presiding officers; and the staff of the States Greffe and the Legislative Drafting Office who support the work of the Assembly.

States Assembly 2021

Overview

The Assembly returned to a more settled phase of working in 2021, following the disruption caused by Covid-19. The number of meeting days fell back from 60 to 44, close to the 20-year average, as it was no longer necessary to requisition meetings for urgent debates. The Assembly  started  the  year  meeting  entirely  on  Microsoft  Teams  but,  as  public  health restrictions eased, moved to a hybrid format with some Members (usually no more than ten) present in the Chamber and others online. In September, restrictions had been relaxed to the extent that it was possible for the Assembly to meet fully in the Chamber but an emergency proposition was lodged to revert to a hybrid model and this was adopted. Normality' had lasted around 90 minutes. As Covid-19 cases increased again, the Assembly ended the year with the vast majority of Members working from home.

Data about the States' meetings in 2021 can be found in Appendix 4 of this report. Just over 70% of the Assembly's time was spent debating propositions, with most of the rest of the time spent on questions. The Assembly was more efficient than in previous years, debating significantly more projets than in 2020 but in less time. 52 draft laws were debated during the law, compared to 11 in 2020; the number of sets of regulations was the same, 62 in both years; and the number of propositions brought by Members who were not part of government increased from 40 to 48. 50 per cent more non-executive propositions were brought forward for debate in 2021 compared to 2019.

The number of oral questions dropped significantly, from 356 to 221 and the number of written questions also dropped again, from 462 in 2020 to 442 in 2021.

Comprehensive statistics are provided in Appendix 3 on Members' involvement in scrutiny work. Of particular note has been the use of review panels – ad hoc scrutiny panels to consider specific matters. Some Members sit on multiple scrutiny and review panels and attended more than 100 scrutiny meetings during the year on top of their work in the States It is possible that some of the matters previously raised in oral and written questions are now being pursued in meetings of scrutiny and review panels. Behind the scenes, and facilitated by new technology, online briefings for States Members about current issues and forthcoming projets are more common than was the case when briefings were provided in person.

The Members' Research and Casework Team, founded in 2020, reached its stride in 2021 and a report on its activities is included here. Many Members now routinely turn to the team for research advice and assistance in drafting propositions, particularly on complex matters such as the Bridging Island Plan. The team has also offered support in the provision of Children's Rights Impact Assessments alongside proposition, something that will  shortly become a statutory requirement.

Significant debates

Overview

121 debates were undertaken by the States Assembly during 2021, including on 26 Laws and 31 sets of Regulations. Amongst the more noteworthy topics discussed by States members were the following:

As in previous years, the longest debate was the Government Plan 2022–2025 (P.90/2021), lodged  by  the  Council  of  Ministers  and  debated  over  4  days  in  December  2021.   26 amendments to the Plan from independent members and Scrutiny Panels were considered, of which 19 were adopted. In agreeing the Government Plan, the Assembly approved proposals and limits for both States income and States expenditure as well as capital expenditure on Government projects.

The Assembly continued to debate and approve legislation to address the continuing impact of the Covid-19 pandemic that reached Jersey in March 2020. The Assembly agreed to proposals from the Government to extend the period during which emergency legislation could take effect, first adopting the Covid-19 (Enabling Provisions) (Amendment No. 2) (Jersey) (P.27/2021)  and  the  Covid-19  (Amendments  –  Extension  and  Suspension)  (Jersey) Regulations (P.25/2021) on 23rd April 2021 and then the Covid-19 (Amendments – Further Extensions) (Jersey) Regulations (P.84/2021) for a further extension on 8th October 2021.

On  30th  June  2021,  the  Assembly  adopted  the  Covid-19  (Election  of  Jurats)  (Jersey) Regulations (P.60/2021) to allow for the election of Jurats (and thereby the smooth operation of the Royal Court) to proceed in a Covid context. Whilst on 5th October 2021, agreement was given to the Covid-19 (Employment-Minimum Wage) (Jersey) Regulations (P.85/2021) that allowed the Minister for Social Security to set the minimum wage in a Covid context, as the usual arrangements for stakeholder consultation had been disrupted.

The political debate concerning the Government's response to the pandemic also continued. On 22nd April 2021, the Assembly considered a proposition of the Safer Travel Guidelines Review  Panel,  Adjustment  of  Green  Travel  and  Regional  Categorisation  ahead  of reintroduction of Safer Travel Policy (P.34/2021). The proposition sought to amend the criteria used  in  determining  how  destinations  were  assessed  against  the  Red-Amber-Green categorisation that was in use at the time. Those proposals were rejected but the Assembly did agree that Scrutiny and States members would be briefed before any changes were made to the Safer Travel Policy. On 3rd November 2021, the Assembly adopted the proposition, Competent Authorities Ministers: Release of minutes of meetings to Scrutiny (P.86/2021), to facilitate scrutiny of the decisions of the Competent Authorities Ministers.

In 2020, the States had agreed that all personal taxpayers should be moved from paying tax on  a  prior  year  basis  to  payment  on  a  current  year  basis.  As  part  of  the  transitional arrangements, the 2019 income tax liability of affected taxpayers had been deferred. On 23rd March 2021, the Assembly approved the means by which the 2019 liability would be paid, with the adoption of the Income Tax (Payment of 2019 Liability) (Jersey) Regulations (P.9/2021).

On 2nd November 2021, the Assembly adopted the Employment (Amendment of Law) (No. 3)) (Jersey) Regulations (P.88/2021) which improved employee rights in respect of rest breaks and annual leave. Later that month, the Assembly adopted the Income Tax (Amendment of Law – Taxation of Cannabis Companies) (Jersey) Regulations (P.93/2021) to change the way in which companies in the medicinal cannabis industry are taxed. On 21st July 2021, approval was given to the Single-Use Plastics etc. (Restrictions) (Jersey) Law (P.61/2021) that placed restrictions on the use of single-use bags. On 16th September 2021, the Legislation (Jersey) Law (P.26/2021) was adopted, improving the accessibility of the Island's laws. The Law came into force on the 252nd anniversary of the Code of 1771 (when the Island's laws had first been consolidated).

In 2020, the Assembly had agreed in principle to amend the composition of the States so that the Assembly would, from the 2022 election, comprise the 12 Connétable s and 37 Deputies elected from 9, newly-constituted districts. That principle was confirmed with the adoption of the Constitution of the States and Public Elections (Jersey) Law (P.17/2021) on 22nd April 2021. Also lodged by the Privileges and Procedures Committee, the Elections (Miscellaneous Amendments) (Jersey) Law (P.56/2021), adopted on 21st July 2021, made changes to the way in elections would be held in Jersey. In particular, the Law established the Jersey Electoral Authority that would in future oversee the administration of elections. Amendments to  Standing  Orders  were  also  agreed  (with  the  adoption  of  P.66/2021)  to  ensure  that parliamentary  activity  would  effectively  cease  during  the  election  period  and  could  not therefore be used (or be seen to be used) to influence the election campaign.

Alongside electoral reform, the plans for a new hospital have been a constant subject of debate in recent years. 2021 continued this trend and, on 7th October 2021, the Assembly adopted a proposition from the Council of Ministers, Our Hospital – Budget, Financing and Land Assembly (P.80/2021). In doing so, the Assembly set a maximum expenditure cap for delivering a new hospital of £804.5 million and agreed that up to £756 million of this could be funded through borrowing. The compulsory purchase of properties needed for a new hospital to be constructed at Overdale was also agreed.

Brexit had also been the subject of much attention in recent years and, in 2021, the Assembly continued to deal with the ramifications of the United Kingdom's departure from the European Union. On 25th November 2021, the Assembly adopted the proposition,  Principles for Jersey's Participation in United Kingdom Free Trade Agreements (P.94/2021), establishing parameters for Jersey's participation in new trading arrangements

A number of other policy debates were instigated by the Council of Ministers, or individual Ministers,  during  the  year.   Principal  amongst  these  was  perhaps  the  debate  on  the proposition, Assisted Dying (P.95/2021). After a lengthy debate which the Bailiff described as being of the highest quality, members agreed in principle that assisted dying should be permitted in Jersey, subject to a number of safeguards. The legislation to permit assisted dying would be brought forward to allow for a debate by March 2023.

The Assembly continued to consider and revise its own working practices. Having trialled a three-weekly cycle for States meetings, the Assembly agreed on 14th September 2021 that the three-weekly meeting arrangements should be made permanent, with the adoption of States Meetings: Move to a three-week cycle (P.74/2021). On the same date, the Assembly also agreed to extend the provision whereby members could participate in Assembly meetings remotely  via  Microsoft  Teams  in  adopting  States  Meetings:  Continuation  of  Remote Participation (P.87/2021).

On 10th June 2021, approval was given to States Members' Remuneration (P.40/2021). States members thereby agreed to disband the States Members' Remuneration Review Body in order that a new independent system for the setting of States members' pay could be established. The legislation required to enact this system would be brought forward at a later date. The Assembly had earlier agreed, in adopting P.23/2021 on 22nd April 2021, to amend Standing Orders to ensure that Ministers would make a statement on each occasion they received a report from the States of Jersey Complaints Board.

In addition to Laws and Regulations, and policy propositions from the Government, there were 24  debates  on  propositions  brought  forward  by  members  in  an  independent  capacity. Examples included Pedestrian Priority in Broad Street, St. Helier (P.28/2021), a proposition from Connétable Simon Crowcroft . Adopted on 12th May 2021, its approval meant the maintenance of traffic restrictions in Broad Street and enhancement of the resulting pedestrian area.

On 9th June 2021, the Assembly considered Housing Affordability Crisis: Actions to be taken by the Government of Jersey (P.31/2021) from Senator Sam Mézec ; but the proposition was rejected.   The  Senator  saw  a  later  proposition,  Affordable  Homes  in  the  South  Hill Development (P.69/2021), adopted on 22nd July 2021; in approving the proposition, the Assembly agreed that no residential properties in the South Hill development should be sold as buy-to-let properties.

On that same day, 22nd July 2021, the Assembly adopted Parental Bereavement Leave (P.70/2021) from Deputy Steve Ahier , requesting the Minister for Social Security to bring forward proposals to grant all employees the right to two weeks of Parental Bereavement Leave following the death of a child. Earlier in the same week, on 20th July 2021, the States had approved Allocation of the Former States of Jersey Police Headquarters site to Rouge Bouillon School (P.43/2021). This proposition, from Deputy Inna Gardiner , ensured that land in States ownership in St. Helier and St. Saviour that was deemed suitable for the location of a primary school would not be allocated for another purpose until the strategic review of States' education facilities had been completed. It also ensured that the former States of Jersey Police headquarters would be allocated to Rouge Bouillon School (unless alternative provision could be made).

On 26th November 2021, the Assembly adopted Actions to mitigate the use of Palm Oil (P.99/2021), lodged by Connétable Karen Shenton-Stone , agreeing that the Government should reduce its use of palm oil and that labelling of the use of palm oil should be improved on Jersey food products.

The Assembly held two in-Committee debates during the course of the year. On 24th March 2021, States members considered the development of a population policy for the Island. Whilst on 23rd July 2021, there was an in-Committee debate about Carbon Neutral Jersey.

Chamber and Members' Support

The Chamber and Members' Support section of the States Greffe comprises two teams: Members' Resources and Support Services.

Members' Resources Team

The purpose of the Members' Resources Team is to assist and support all 49 elected States members with the work they undertake as parliamentarians in an independent capacity (i.e. not as a Minister or Assistant Minister nor as a member of a Scrutiny Panel or any other body). Assistance is provided in 3 principal areas:

• Research enquiries;

• Casework  (i.e.  the  work  undertaken  by  States  members  on  behalf  of  individual constituents or Parishioners); and

• Training and development.

As a result of dealing with research enquiries, the Team is the funnel through which the majority  of  propositions  lodged  by  States  members  in  an  independent  capacity  are administered by the States Greffe. Research assistance is also provided, however, with preparation  for  debates;  the  background  for  a  Written  or  Oral  Question;  and  with understanding key issues of public importance in the Island. Any material provided to a member is presented impartially and objectively and is for that member alone.

The Team is also responsible for publishing Briefing Papers on specific subjects of interest or in preparation for significant debates. These are provided to all members and are made publicly available on the States Assembly website. Research assistance is also provided to the wider department of the States Greffe to assist in responding to enquiries from other jurisdictions  or  from  the  Commonwealth  Parliamentary  Association  (CPA). Members' Resources  also  administer  and  publish  the  official  transcript  of  Assembly  proceedings (Hansard) and provide a front-line research function for all Oral and Written Questions submitted by States members and for e-petitions submitted by members of the public.

Easing Covid restrictions in 2021 meant that the Team could provide more of its services directly to members. As more States members were able to attend meetings of the Assembly, an in-person on-call service was introduced for States meetings whereby members could access the services of the Team for any immediate enquiries or queries.

There were two particularly busy periods for the Team in 2021 in respect of research enquiries: during the initial window allotted for amendments to the Bridging Island Plan (to be debated in 2022) and in relation to amendments for the Government Plan 2022-2025. In 2020, the Team had assisted 27 different members; in 2021, the Team reached 36 members – that increase driven predominantly by the number of members who sought to lodge amendments to the Bridging Island Plan.

The following table indicates the total number of enquiries that were received and dealt with by the Team:

Not all enquiries reach a conclusion: in such cases, the majority of enquires are treated as on hold' in the event that the member returns to the team at a later date to complete the inquiry. In some cases, the member confirms that no further work will be required and in such cases the enquiry is marked as closed'

The following table provides a breakdown of the enquiries received:

Queries are classed as shorter pieces of work, for example, a request for a search for information during a debate.

For the enquiry service, and in conjunction with the Legislative Drafting Office, a policy was developed for legislative drafting on behalf of members. Approved by the Privileges and Procedures Committee (PPC), the policy provides a framework in which requests for law- drafting (outside of amendments) from members acting independently are dealt with. The team also undertook initial work on the development of a tracker' whereby the implementation by  Government  of  the  decisions  taken  by  the  Assembly  on  independent  members' propositions can be monitored.

As  in  2020,  there  were  relatively  few  requests  in  2021  for  assistance  with  casework. Recognising the need for members to understand their obligations under the Data Protection (Jersey)  Law  2018,  however,  the  team  arranged  for  the  States  Greffe  to  take  over responsibility for registering members with the Jersey Office of the Information Commissioner (JOIC), if they wished it, and began work on developing written guidance for members on the implications of the Law for their work as parliamentarians.

In relation to members' personal development, training on unconscious bias took place in June 2021 in order to implement the States Assembly's decision that such training should be provided to all States members. The team also arranged for all members to access training modules on the States' Virtual College' training platform, that had otherwise been made available to public sector employees, for example, on children's rights. The team also assisted in making available online offerings from the CPA and from the McGill University School of Continuing Studies (for instance, online training on The Role of Parliaments in Curbing Corruption'). In December 2021, work started on preparing for the induction of the new Assembly after the elections of June 2022.

The Briefing Papers published by the Team can focus on any number of topics: an upcoming debate; the Assembly's procedures; or general matters of public interest. 2 Briefing Papers had been produced in 2020; but further work was undertaken during 2021 to agree a standard template for these documents and a schedule of planned Briefing Papers was approved by PPC. All Briefing Papers are circulated to members and then made available publicly via a dedicated  page  on  the  States  Assembly  website.   The  following  Briefing  Papers  were produced during 2021:

In 2021 work was also undertaken on papers for the Greffier and the Diversity Forum; and the Team  provided  four  papers  for  submission  on  behalf  of  the  Jersey  Branch  to  the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association.

In order to monitor members' needs and views on the delivery of the Members' Resources function, a survey of members was undertaken in April 2021 (to follow up on a previous survey undertaken in 2019 before the team was established).

Support Services Team

The Support Services Team provides an administration service to the States Assembly and its members, as well as to the wider department as a whole, including any travel arrangements required. The team staffs the States Assembly Information Centre in Morier House, accepting enquiries from members of the public either in person or by telephone, and manages the facilities of both the States Assembly and the States Greffe. The Team is also responsible for any printing required and for the distribution of material to States members.

For all meetings of the States Assembly and for all hearings held by Scrutiny and Review Panels, the team provides a log-noting service so that the proceedings may be transcribed; and ensure that arrangements have been made for the proceedings to be webcast, when required.

The team is led by the States Greffe's Office Manager, who is also the department's Health and Safety Officer.

In 2021, the procedures followed by the team were consolidated into one location within Microsoft Teams to provide a centralised handbook for the team's functions.

Overview

As was the case during the previous year, 2021 saw Scrutiny Panels and the Public Accounts Committee  (PAC)  delivering  comprehensive  work  programmes,  combining  significant amounts of Covid related legislation and other related workstreams with several large-scale policy matters and a range of business as usual' work. The volume of work challenged resources across the function, including Member and staff capacity as well as the available budget. However, output and influence remained substantial. All legislation brought to the Assembly continued to be considered in some capacity by the relevant panel, with a number of panels receiving briefings and presenting associated Comments as a matter of course.

The context of the ongoing pandemic and the cross-cutting nature and large scale of some of the major matters scrutinised, meant that the Scrutiny function continued to adopt a flexible approach. This led, for example, to the formation of several Review Panels (established by the Scrutiny Liaison Committee to cover topics that fall across the remits of multiple standing panels, and to offer flexibility in membership) to work on topics such as the Future Hospital, Migration and Population, Government Plan and Safter Travel Guidelines. Logistically, panels made use of physical meetings and public hearings when the lifting of restrictions allowed, often complemented by the contined use of virtual meetings and live event public hearings, and the latter methods were used exclusively when restrictions did not allow for physical gatherings. In holding Government to account, the nature of the output of panels and the platforms they used in doing so was varied and wide-ranging, encompassing, amongst others, traditional reports and Comments, propositions, statements and amendments, hearings and

briefings, questions in the States Assembly, open letters, and traditional and social media commentary.

The Scrutiny Liaison Committee (consisting of the Chairs of the five standing Scrutiny Panels and the PAC) continued to meet weekly, in addition to its monthly scheduled meetings, in order to maintain collaborative oversight of the comprehensive work programmes and to address the challenges arising from the pressures placed on the function during the year. In addition, from the start of the year the Committee oversaw the introduction of more structured and comprehensive communications and public engagement support. This has helped deliver more timely, informative communications to the community about the work being undertaken on its behalf, and to increase engagement with committees and panels to help further inform their  recommendations  to  the  Government.  It  is  intended  that  this  area  will  be  further developed in 2021, with a focus on engaging more effectively with children and young people, and on engaging a more diverse audience from which evidence is drawn.

A full list of official publications by scrutiny panels and the PAC can be found in Appendix 3.

Significant scrutiny work: examples

Maternity Services

In July 2021, the Health and Social Security Scrutiny Panel published a report following its Review of Maternity Services. This review was prompted by concerns about maternal mental health; the support available to maternity service users; an absence of leadership and direction in maternity services; a lack of expertise/training of staff; and, the impact of fathers being unable to stay with the mother and baby for prolonged periods following birth.

The review included, amongst other matters, assessment of the current maternity facilities and plans for an upgrade, the safety and effectiveness of maternity care, maternity staffing, governance and policies, the experiences of women and their partners and families and the impact of COVID-19 on the provision of maternity services in Jersey. In total, the Panel's report produced 48 key findings and 29 recommendations for the Minister for Health and Social Services.

The  Panel  explored  evidence  received  from  members  of  the  public  and  targeted  key stakeholders. To gain feedback on maternity services the Panel engaged the services of 4insight, to undertake various focus groups, in order to hear the views of key service users. The Panel also gathered evidence using a targeted survey for mums who had given birth in the last 5 years and sought their views on the current provision of maternity services in Jersey: over 650 mums responded.

The Panel identified a number of key issues including: a need for an upgrade to the current maternity unit facilities; a lack of emotional safety and support which was impacted by issues relating to continuity of care and the level of compassion and kindness provided when receiving  maternity  care;  and,  that  there  is  no  system-wide  agreement  by  Health  and Community Services in relation to a single maternity strategy which describes agreed outcome and performance goals for maternity services. In response, the Minister accepted 16 out of the 48 key findings and 24 out of the 29 recommendations made in the Panel's report.

Government Plan 2023 – 2025

The Government Plan Review Panel, which incorporates the Chairs from each of the standing panels, oversaw and co-ordinated scrutiny of the plan. Each Panel conducted their own review of elements of the plan that fell under their remit as identified by the Review Panel, including:

• A review of the progress made on the projects of the previous Government Plan, including commentary on the impact of Covid-19;

• Commentary on departmental budgets and efficiencies;

• Reports  on  the  actions  and  business  cases  for  additional  revenue,  and  capital, expenditure that were allocated to them by the Government Plan Review Panel;

• Panel Comments; and,

• A summary of witnesses and evidence gathered by that Panel.

Each  of  the  standing  panels  produced  their  own  report  detailing  their  findings  and recommendations, with the Review Panel producing an overarching report detailing findings on broader themes such as the plan's realisation of the Common Strategic Priorities, its presentation and communication, commentary on the efficiency measures and a summary of the standing panel's reviews.

In  total  these  reports  ran  to  555  pages,  and  together  made  153  findings  and  78 recommendations. Scrutiny Panels subsequently lodged twelve amendments following their reviews.

During 2021 the Government Plan Review Panel carried out an online survey in order to gauge public perception and understanding of the Government Plan 2022-25. The survey ran from 8 November to 23 November 2021 and was promoted via the States Assembly social media channels and meet and greet' public sessions with Panel members in St Helier.

The Panel concluded that steps could have been taken, including the production of a summary document, which would have assisted with public understanding and engagement. The Panel also identified that some scrutiny panels faced delays in receiving information, with this detrimentally impacting upon their reviews.

Senator Kristina Moore , Chair of the Government Plan Review Panel, said: "'I am grateful to the members of all the Scrutiny Panels who have, in a challenging timeframe, conducted thorough reviews of the final Government Plan from this Council of Ministers. Concerns have been raised across the Panels about the continued uncertainty of funding and whether projects which are vital for the Island's future are properly prioritised. We have also voiced our concerns over both accountability and the level of Government engagement with the public. We have made recommendations which we hope will be considered to ensure that future plans show an increased level of accountability and are as widely understood as possible."

Covid-19 Response: Support for Businesses

In February 2021, the Economic and International Affairs Scrutiny Panel launched its review of the Government's support for businesses as part of its COVID-19 response.

The Panel received over 30 submissions from a number of small business owners and representatives, which identified key issues in relation to the accessibility of the Government financial support packages. The Panel used this information to write an open letter to the Minister for Economic Development, Tourism, Sport and Culture and, in addition, held a public hearing with the Minister and Government Officials to question the areas which concerned small business owners. The response to the Panel's open letter can be found here.

The Panel was aware of the rapidly moving environment in which small businesses found themselves due to the pandemic, and it was for that reason it decided to write to the Minister swiftly with its initial findings, rather than present a Report. The Panel did not consider it appropriate to undertake a lengthy review process for this particular topic opting from the outset that the review would be nimble in its approach.

Business support packages examined by the Panel during its review included the Payroll Co- funding Scheme; deferral of GST and Social Security contributions; the Business Disruption Loan Guarantee Scheme; the Visitor Accommodation Scheme; the Events and Attraction Scheme; and the Grant Support Scheme.

Redress and Accountability Systems in Jersey

In December 2021, the Care of Children in Jersey Review Panel, following its previous review, which sought to examine the progress made in respect of implementing the recommendations arising from the Independent Jersey Care Inquiry (IJCI), published a report which examined redress  and  accountability  systems  in  Jersey.  This  was  done  in  relation  to  previous submissions which had highlighted these areas as requiring attention, especially in light of the Care Inquiry findings and recommendations. The Panel assessed the current systems in place across key areas of public administration in respect of complaints processes, redress available and disciplinary procedures.

The review explored evidence received from across the four key areas of public administration, including holding public hearings with the Chief Minister, Bailiff of Jersey, Judicial Greffier, Chair of the Comité des Connétable s and the Attorney General. Furthermore, a public call for evidence was undertaken to gather views on the systems currently in place and people's experience  of  them.  Many  of  the  submissions  received  detailed  difficult  and,  in  some instances, distressing situations that had been encountered within these systems.

The Panel identified key issues in relation to the systems of the Government of Jersey, the Court Service, parish administrations and the States Assembly. These helped to inform the Panel's 54 key findings and 18 recommendations. Moreover, arising from its review, the Panel highlighted a further three fundamental issues that it agreed should be addressed including the requirement for a Public Service Ombuds to oversee the complaints process of the public sector, the prohibitively expensive costs associated with taking a case through the court system and its impact of access to justice, as well as the significant impact of a poorly managed complaints system on a person's wellbeing.

The Panel concluded that the negative perception of the Jersey Way' is still viewed strongly from some corners of the Island's society. Furthermore, there continues to be an undercurrent of distrust in the institutions identified as perpetuating this issue. The Panel has attempted in its review to objectively assess what are seen as cornerstones of this negative perception and has made recommendations to address some of the key issues where possible. However, the Panel notes that there is not a one size fits all solution to the negative perception of the Jersey Way' and many of the issues relate to systemic and cultural changes which need to be embedded. Although, the Panel notes that work is ongoing to address these issues, at this stage some four years after the IJCI report was published, the Panel is concerned that little progress has been made to address this on a cultural level. It is hoped that work looking at some of the more specific points in respect of the negative perception of the Jersey Way' will continue within future reviews.

Our Hospital

The Future Hospital Review Panel is tasked with scrutinising the development of a new Hospital for Jersey. During 2021 the Panel carried out two main reviews concerning the Our Hospital Project, the first on the proposition P.167/2020 – Our Hospital, Preferred Access Route' and the second on P.80/2021 – Our Hospital – Budget, Financing and Land Assembly' which encompassed the Outline Business Case (OBC) and proposed funding solution for the project.

The proposed access route option for the Our Hospital project at Overdale, was lodged for debate in December 2020 following the technical consideration of 70+ options. The Panel engaged the services of expert advisers K2 and ClarkeBond to undertake an independent, technically robust appraisal of these options, to help ensure the preferred option had been suitably appraised to deliver the best outcome for the area and the project. The Panel also received in excess of 70 written submissions from stakeholders and members of the public, which it considered as part of its review.

The Panel's report, S.R.2/2021 found that although the list of options was extensive, a smaller shortlist with greater detail should have been produced following an initial filtering process. The Panel highlighted a lack of use of detailed designs in option appraisal and requested that these be made available to the States Assembly prior to debate of the proposition. The Panel further highlighted that the do nothing' option scored only marginally lower than the preferred access route and recommended that the Council of Ministers ensure that full consideration be given to that option, highlighting construction time, loss of green space, trees, children's play areas, existing parking spaces and disruption to existing modes of access.

Ultimately the proposed preferred access route was adopted by the Assembly following amendments.

The Council of Ministers lodged P.80/2021 Our Hospital – Budget, Financing and Land Assembly in August 2021, asking the Assembly to agree that the total budget of the Our Hospital Project would be capped at £804.5 million and that up to £756 million of this should be funded via borrowing, with the Strategic Reserve to be used to facilitate this. The OBC was prepared by the Government to underpin the budget proposal for the project and the means by which it is intended to fund that budget. The Panel had already launched its review by July 2021, mindful of the importance and size of the scrutiny task.

The Panel's report, S.R.13/2021, details the work undertaken to examine if the proposed budget and funding solution was appropriate and justified. The Panel engaged the services of two expert advisers: Currie & Brown who undertook an independent, technical appraisal of the Our Hospital Project Outline Business Case, to determine whether the OBC was robust and supported the Government's conclusions; and the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA) who examined the affordability of the budget level and the economic impact of borrowing, indicated at that time to potentially include using two public bonds of approximately £400 million each.

In addition to this expert advice, the Panel received over 130 public submissions to its call for evidence and held three public hearings during the course of this review.

The Panel expressed concern that one of the primary findings made by Currie & Brown was that the Outline Business Case did not provide the evidence needed to justify the scale of the project. Their report also voiced a number of concerns about the departures made from the accepted compliance model for such reports.

The advice received from CIPFA was that the approach taken by Government committed the States of Jersey to a strategy that could impair future policy options in terms of future financing and threaten financial stability in the medium and long-term. CIPFA also found that the large scale of the project and its nature and complexity meant that it had the potential for total costs to exceed £1 billion.

As a result of these concerns the Panel lodged an amendment to P.80/2021, to reduce both the primary budget of the Our Hospital Project and the proposed borrowing amount. The amendment was narrowly defeated, with 26 voting against and 22 voting for it, and the States Assembly accepted the proposition unamended.

2020 Annual Report & Accounts

As  part  of  its  annual  review,  the  Public  Accounts  Committee  considered  the  unique circumstances reflected within the Annual Report and Accounts, namely, the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and the exit payment made to the former Chief Executive. The PAC first considered the first issuance of a Qualified Regulatory Opinion by the indepednent external auditors appointed to review the Annual Report and Accounts.

The PAC published its findings and recommendations in August 2021 (P.A.C.1/2021). The PAC considered the Comptroller and Auditor General's report on the Employment of the Former Chief Executive (R.88/2021) and its Executive Repsonse (R.88/2021 Res.), and held public hearings with the Interim Chief Executive and Chair of the States Employment Board to obtain further information on the preparation of the Annual Report and Accounts and the exit payment  to  the  former  Chief  Executive.  The  PAC  also  held  private  briefings  with  the indpenedent external auditors to discus the issuance of a Qualified Regulatory Opinion, the Interim Chief Executive and the Treasurer of the States, and with the Chair of the States Employment Board anda Senior Legal Advisor from the Law Officers' Department. The PAC also liaised in writing with the Chair of the States Employment Board to gather additional evidence.

The PAC found that additional information on departmental performance and objectives had been included, and were further supported by Departmental Annual Reports. The PAC also found that, unlike other jurisdictions, the COVID-19 Pandemic did not delay the preparation and publication of the Annual Report and Accounts, and would have been on target for publication but for consideration by officers and the external auditors of the exit payment made to the former Chief Executive.

The PAC identified a lack of consultation from the Chair of the States Employment Board with Treasury and Exchequer before or during the negotiation of the exit payment with the former Chief Executive. The PAC therefore recommended that consultation should be sought with Treasury and Exchequer for all future special payments made to senior officers.

The PAC further identified a lack of clarity in the identity and status of the Chief Executive Officer and Principal Accountable Officer during March 2021, when two employees held contracts stating that they were Chief Executive, and recommended that the identity of the Chief Executive and Principal Accountable Officer, or anyone deputising in one or both of these roles, should be publicly available at all times.

The Government of Jersey accepted 18 of the PAC's 22 recommendations and rejected 3. One recommendation was neither accepted nor rejected.

Deputy Inna Gardiner , Chair of the PAC, stated at the time that "we hope that this unique set of circumstances remain exactly that – unique. To that end, we have recommended that all due processes should be stringently followed and documented, in respect of every Special Payment, including consultation with Treasury and Exchequer, regardless of time pressures."

Estate Management

The PAC has sought to understand the Govenrment of Jersey's progress on producing a comprehensive  property  strategy  linked  to  corporate  objectives,  whilst  maintaining deteriorating buildings and considering the sales of buildings and land in line with the Common Strategic Policy and successive Government Plans. It further sought to understand the roles and responsibilities of the restructured Govenrment of Jersey departments in relation to Estate Management, and determine whether there was coherent and joined up' decision making and the prioritisation of land based on social and potential financial value by the Corporate Asset Management  Board  and  the  Regeneration  Steering  Group.  This  followed  on  from  the recommendation of the previous Comptroller and Auditor General to develop a public estate strategy  and implementation  plan,  alongside the  previous  Public  Accounts  Committee's recommendations from its 2019 review of Estate Management.

The PAC presented its findings and recommendations in October 2021 (P.A.C.3/2021). The PAC held a total of 9 public hearings with Director Generals across the Government of Jersey, and considered additional public hearings undertaken by the preceeding PAC. The PAC further liaised with the Chief Executive, as well as each Director General and Non-Ministerial Department, and received evidence from schools and charities to further inform its findings. The PAC also held a private briefing with the Managing Director of the States of Jersey Development Company to gather additional evidence.

The PAC found that it was challenging to determine how and when property decisions were made, and by whom, with some prominent and culturally significant properties within the Public Estate lying empty for many years and other properties of limited financial or social value being maintained or repaired annually at huge cost. The PAC further found that the Government of Jersey's Estates Strategy did not outline an assessment of needs, or objective rationale to underpin decision-making.

The PAC subsuquently recommended that the Government of Jersey should define the remit of key bodies including the Regeneration Steering Group and Corporate Asset Management Board, and their relationships with each other, consider their membership, and present their revised terms of reference to the States Assembly. The Government of Jersey accepted 17 of the PAC's 28 recommendations, rejecting 4 and partially accepting 7.  

People and Culture

The People and Culture Review was established by the Corporate Services Scrutiny Panel to scrutinise the structure, strategy, policies and procedures of Government which significantly influence  the  culture  of  the  public  sector.  The  Panel  published  its  findings  and recommendations in September 2021 (S.R.12/2021). The Panel highlighted at the time that the review was necessary as effective people management, both at line management level and through the corporate centre, is widely recognised as being pivotal to productivity, engagement and effectiveness of service delivery, important factors for the Government of Jersey to achieve.

The Panel wrote, on several occasions, to the Chief Minister and States Employment Board and completed two public hearings with Ministers and Government Officers to obtain further information on views and policy direction. The Panel also held a public hearing with union representatives and held two private hearings with Government employees. Alongside this, the Panel members engaged with the public via social media and by issuing a call for evidence, with a range of comments and written submissions being received from Islanders and employees  regarding  their  views.  A  large  majority  of  the  45  written  submissions  were confidential to the Panel, however all publishable evidence is included on the Scrutiny website. The Panel also commissioned an independent adviser with expertise in human resources, policies, and procedures, to provide additional professional judgment during its work.

The Panel's findings and recommendations suggested that there were various areas of improvement for the States Employment Board, relevant Ministers and Government officers to consider. The Panel indicated that it was evident that the public sector was continuing to go through a significant period of change from a human resource management perspective and that this needed to be carefully managed to ensure employees feel valued and supported. It was also suggested that the States Employment Board needed to consider the framework required to deliver to its legal requirements and lead the delivery of the People Strategy, policy and procedures which were fundamental to the future of the public sector.

The Panel indicated that policies and procedures put in place by the States Employment Board as  the  employer,  in  relation  to  disciplinary  procedures,  bullying  and  harassment  and discrimination, required additional work to be completed and the consequential effect of this not having been finalised was significant for employee morale and well-being. It was also highlighted  that  there  were  certain  departments  within  the  public  sector  where  careful consideration must be given to secure improvements for employee wellbeing.

The Panel concluded that every employee impacts the culture within the Government of Jersey, but highlighted that it was widely acknowledged that leadership has by far the largest and most direct effect on the culture of an organisation. The Panel suggested that it was pivotal that the States Employment Board provide the strategy which would deliver the required leadership.

GST Personal Importation Review (Phase 1)

Following the release of the Revenue Jersey report GST: Review of the Taxation of the Importation of Unaccompanied Parcels by Private Individuals, the Corporate Services Scrutiny Panel launched a GST Personal Importation Review Sub-Panel, which the Connétable of St. John joined as a co-opted member, to scrutinise the Government of Jersey's review of potential changes to the GST de minimis and scope for future changes to the GST de minimis, as outlined in the Revenue Jersey report.

The Sub-Panel consulted with several key stakeholders to inform its review, consisting of Jersey Business, the Jersey Chamber of Commerce, the Jersey Consumer Council, the Jersey Customs and Immigration Services, and Jersey Post. The Sub-Panel wrote to the Minister on two occasions and questioned her on this subject during Quarterly Public Hearings with the Corporate Services Scrutiny Panel. The Panel held a public hearing with the Jersey Consumer  Council  and  held  private  briefings  with  the  Comptroller  of  Revenue,  Jersey Chamber of Commerce, and Jersey Customs and Immigration Service to obtain further information on their views. The Panel also received several letters and messages from members of the public.

In  its  report  [S.R.15/2021]  the  Sub-Panel  suggested  that  there  were  various  areas  of improvement to the proposed transition to a lower GST de minimis, including providing greater transparency around both its communications with retailers and the data Revenue Jersey used to reach its conclusion, and to ensure that support and written guidance was available for any islander that request it to help them fully understand GST personal importation. The Sub-Panel further identified that to improve the accessibility of GST personal importation for both retailers and  consumers,  the  Customs  and  Excise  System  for  the  Administration  of  Revenue (CAESAR) system would need to undergo a series of upgrades.

The Sub-Panel highlighted that it was aware of the impact that changes to the GST de minimis would have on islanders on low-incomes and retailers and subsequently recommended that the Minister should review the provision of GST exemptions for imported goods, and consider any exemptions required due to limitations on customer choice or health grounds, whilst further considering the impact that a lowering of the GST de minimis will have on lower-income families in Jersey. Having considered the evidence it received, the Sub-Panel concluded that the Minister should commit to reducing the GST de minimis to zero.

Lead member of the review, Senator Steve Pallett, said at the time: "GST has been an emotive issue for Islanders since its introduction in 2007. After closely examining the consequences that these latest changes to GST might have on the public and organisations, we are particularly concerned about the lack of reliable data to justify a change that is likely to disproportionally  affect  lower  income  households.  We  hope  that  that,  ahead  of  the Government Plan debate, our report will inform States Members of the issues and risks associated with changing the de-minimis level as well as the potential benefit to Treasury."

Covid-19 Response and Recovery Review

Since March 2020 the Corporate Services Scrutiny Panel has conducted scrutiny on the Government of Jersey's response to COVID-19 as the pandemic has necessitated substantial decisions which have impacted Islander's lives, the economy, international affairs, and public finances in the short, medium, and long term.

During this ongoing Review the Panel has carried out a number of evidence gathering activities as well as concurrent scrutiny work. This includes public hearings with the Chief Minister and Minister for Treasury and Resources, obtaining further information on the views and policy position on relevant matters via letters, and receiving briefings both when offered and via request.

The Panel published an Interim Report [S.R.7/2021] in March 2021 which considered the timeline of key ministerial decisions relevant to the COVID-19 pandemic, the strategy and core legislation in place for the response to the pandemic and the governance, policy, and procedure practices to manage the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Interim Report put forward 20 preliminary key findings and recommendations which included:

• A lack of transparency in relation to the minutes of decision-making bodies (Council of Ministers,  Competent  Authorities  and  Emergency  Council)  and  the  Scientific  and Technology Advisory Cell (S.T.A.C), which the Panel indicated should be addressed immediately to ensure Islanders have a clear understanding of on what basis decisions are made,

• The Council of Ministers and other decision-making bodies had not always followed the advice of S.T.A.C and should communicate when this was the case,

• All  COVID-19  costs  were  addressed  on  a  case-by-case  basis  and  no  budgeting appeared in any strategies. The Panel recommended that the Minister for Treasury and Resources considered the procedures regarding the allocated, drawn down and unspent monies against COVID-19 expenditure and whether these reflected the fluid nature of the pandemic, and

• The  Government  had  not  canvassed  Islanders'  views  on  the  COVID-19  policy; recommending that a survey should gauge Islanders' perceptions of the Government's pandemic response and its ongoing strategy to better inform future decision-making.

Demerger of CICRA and Formation of the JCRA

In April 2021, the Economic and International Affairs Scrutiny Panel launched a two-part review of the restructure of competition regulation in the Channel Islands, in particular, with regards to the changes made in Jersey. The Panel decided to follow-up its 2020 review of the Demerger of the Channel Islands Competition and Regulatory Authority (CICRA) and review the future operation of the Jersey Competition Regulatory Authority (JCRA) as an independent entity. The Panel's report made 9 key findings and 4 recommendations for the Minister for Economic Development, Tourism, Sport and Culture to consider.

Part 1 of the review assessed the previous work undertaken by the Panel in 2020, in relation to the demerger of CICRA, which included the original inception of CICRA as a competition regulator for the Channel Islands, CICRA expenditure and funding, the background and context regarding the demerger of CICRA, and the transferal of Ministerial responsibility for competition policy in Jersey. The first part of the review concluded that whilst the demerger of CICRA took place with the intention to establish a JCRA that "acts in the best interests of Jersey", it was acknowledged by the Panel that it had received evidence alluding to concerns about the future operation of the JCRA as an independent competition and regulatory body for Jersey.

In Part 2 of the review, the Panel assessed the future operation of the JCRA which included an assessment of the 2021 JCRA Business Plan, the Memorandum of Understanding between the JCRA and the Government, funding, and collaborative working between the JCRA and the Guernsey Competition Regulatory Authority. Overall, the Panel expressed support for the JCRA's ability to operate independently and in the best interests of consumers in Jersey. In the Minister for Economic Development, Tourism, Sport and Culture's response, 8 out of the 9 key findings and 2 out of the 4 recommendations were accepted.

Independent Taxation Review

During 2021, the Corporate Services Scrutiny Panel conducted a Review of the Draft Income Tax (Amendment – Stage 1 Of Independent Taxation) (Jersey) Law 202- (P.78/2021) which sought to introduce legislation for the first two phases of the Independent Taxation. Phase one resulted in three taxpaying groups coming under the regime:

1. Couples who marry or form civil partnerships who arrived in Jersey on or after 1st January 2022;
2. Individuals who are married or civil partners who arrived in Jersey on or after 1st January 2022; and
3. Those married couples and civil partnerships who have elected for separate taxation for the tax year 2020 and who jointly elected to be independently taxed for 2022 by the due date of 29th October 2021.

Phase two is expected to begin in 2023 when all married couples and civil partners will be granted the option to elect for Independent Taxation in 2023 by making a joint election by 29th July 2022.

The Panel enlisted the help of an independent expert tax adviser, conducted a public hearing with  the  Minister  and  received  submissions  from  members  of  the  public,  publishing  a Comments Paper to aid in the debate of the Draft Law.

These comments highlighted the Panel's belief that the Draft Law facilitated a long-awaited and essential change that ended an outdated and discriminatory system of taxation. It also expressed satisfaction in noting that it was the intention of the Minister to give a bespoke Compensatory Allowance to help offset any higher tax bills faced by those changing to Independent Taxation.

However, the Panel highlighted a number of recommendations, including:

• The Minster should immediately begin work on publicly addressing the concerns of those being moved to Independent Taxation and effectively communicate how they would be impacted,

• The Minister should provide a clear understanding to the States Assembly of the planned future of the Child Tax Allowance following the introduction of Independent Taxation,

• The Minister should undertake work to ensure that Islanders on lower incomes do not subsidise those on significantly higher incomes noting that wealthier taxpayers are likely to enjoy greater benefit under Independent Taxation.

A further phase of Independent Taxation introduction is expected to be completed in 2025 or 2026 when all married couples and civil partners will be taxed independently on a mandatory basis. Phase 3 will also include a compensatory allowance to compensate couples who will pay more total tax than under married man's taxation. The Panel expects that further scrutiny work will be required in this area.

Income Tax (Payment of 2019 Liability) Regulations Review

The Draft Income Tax (Payment of 2019 Liability) Regulations Review was established by the Corporate Services Scrutiny Panel to scrutinise proposed regulations made by the Minister for Treasury and Resources following the move of Prior Year Basis taxpayers onto a Current Year Basis system through the Income Tax (Amendment No 46) (Jersey) Law 2021.

The Panel was keen to gain a greater understanding of the implications of the regulations on taxpayers and public finances. To achieve this aim an expert independent tax adviser was consulted, a public hearing with the Minister and Revenue Jersey Officers was held and a general call for evidence was issued.

The Panel's report (S.R.8/2021) detailed that the proposals in the draft Regulations for the collection of the deferred 2019 liability had been significantly revised since the original proposals were developed in October 2020, with these changes making the payment of the 2019 liability more manageable for taxpayers.

However, the Panel also highlighted that such generous provision for payment of the 2019 liability over a considerable period of time inevitably increased the risk that some of the amount due would prove to be irrecoverable and have significant impact on Government projections of  revenue  collection  and  the  management  of  Government  expenditure.  The  Panel subsequently identified that appropriate risk management processes would be essential.

The Panel further found that the Regulations failed to consider the impact of the 2019 liability on couples whose relationship had already broken down to the point that they were seeking divorce or dissolution of their civil partnership. The Panel also identified that it was likely that those taxpayers with 2019 liability payments over the 20-year period allowed, would see reduced availability of mortgage funding as a result of the recognition of their additional regular outgoings by potential lenders.

Following these findings the Panel made 13 recommendations and lodged two amendments to the Draft Regulations, both of which were adopted by the Assembly.

P.86/2021  Competent  Authorities  Ministers:  Release  of  Minutes  of Meetings to Scrutiny

In September 2021 the Corporate Services Scrutiny Panel lodged P.86/2021 which asked the States Assembly whether it agreed that upon request by the Scrutiny Liaison Committee, any approved minutes of meetings of the Competent Authorities Ministers (CAM) should be shared in confidence and without redactions by the Chief Minister with that Committee for distribution to the relevant Scrutiny Panels.

The Panel's report accompanying the proposition highlighted that there was a clear need and will for transparency in decision-making by the general public within the Island, and this had been heightened by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The Panel acknowledged the need for decisions to be made, including in a quick and confidential manner, however highlighted that they required due oversight as the decisions undoubtedly had both positive and negative impact on Islanders, businesses, Jersey's economy and Public Health.

The Panel outlined that despite being requested, no minutes of CAM had been forwarded to scrutiny. This was notwithstanding the ability for them to be received in a confidential manner, indeed the Panel indicated that the proposition did not seek to publish minutes, only to allow the confidential analysis of vital context through the Scrutiny function.

The States Assembly agreed with this sentiment, adopting the proposition 37 votes pour', with 7 votes contre'.

Foreshore Encroachment Policy

In January 2021, the Environment, Housing and Infrastructure Panel published a  report following its review of P111/2020 - Encroachments on the Foreshore: Revised Policy which was lodged by the Minister for Infrastructure in September 2020. The Panel sought to assess whether the revised policy had addressed the numerous emerging issues in respect of the current Foreshore Encroachment Policy.

As a result of its review, the Panel found there to be sustained uncertainty over the foreshore boundary, as well as the land defined as publicly owned foreshore land'. As the boundary line is crucial for understanding whether an encroachment of the foreshore had occurred or would occur in the future.

Whilst work has been undertaken to establish a master schedule of encroachments, the Panel found that it would not be publicly accessible. In addition to this, the public have not been provided with a map that demonstrates the boundary line, or justification as to how it has been determined. The Panel recommended that, in the interests of greater transparency, the Minister for Infrastructure should further consider the boundary line of the foreshore, and that the means for determining the boundary should be publicly accessible.

The Panel agreed that the Minister for Infrastructure should be able to defend and maintain Jersey's  sea  defences,  without  them  being  placed  at  risk.  However,  the  Panel  found insufficient evidence to suggest that encroachments along the foreshore have significantly affected the Minister's ability to defend and maintain the sea defences to date. The Panel recommended that the Minister for Infrastructure should consider a separate Sea Defences Maintenance Policy, in addition to how Planning Obligation Agreements might satisfactorily be utilised going forward to ensure adequate upkeep and maintenance of seawalls where encroachments are concerned.

Another finding of particular concern to the Panel was that neither the current or revised policy provided a suitable complaints or appeals mechanism which makes it difficult for individuals to appeal a decision made by the Minister regarding foreshore encroachment compensation. As  such,  the  Panel  recommended  that  the  Minister  for  Infrastructure  should  seek  to incorporate a suitable and workable process for dealing with complaints within the revised policy.

During the review, the Panel received evidence to support an overwhelming and unanimous view that the revised policy remains an unfair approach that is complicated, unclear and lacks transparency. The Panel noted, in the absence of a fairer and clearer approach, it would be likely that an adverse impact may be felt by individuals who own property along the foreshore, both in monetary and personal terms.

Considering  the  evidence  presented,  the  Panel  concluded  that  the  revised  policy  was fundamentally flawed and lacking in essential detail. The Panel considered that the revised policy was not fit for purpose and was unable to support the adoption of the revised policy. The review resulted in a total of 20 key findings and 9 recommendations.

Inclusion of the Bailiwick of Jersey in the UK/EU Trade and Co-operation Agreement: Goods and Trade

Following the United Kingdom's (UK) withdrawal from the European Union (EU) on 31st January 2020, the States Assembly debated Jersey's participation in the UK-EU negotiated Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) on 27th December 2020, and voted to instruct the Brexit  Review  Panel  to  review  the  TCA  provisions  relating  to  Goods'  in  P.170/2020 (Amd.Amd).

In order to provide Jersey with sufficient time to consider the detailed terms of the TCA and necessary scrutiny of the TCA provisions, including the final legal text, the UK and EU agreed to provide a 90-day period during which Jersey, through the UK, could decide to terminate its involvement in the TCA. Therefore, due to the tight timescales, the methodology for the Panel's review included receiving the Law Officers' Department for a private briefing to deliver their legal opinion of the TCA, holding a Public Hearing with the Minister for External Relations and Financial Services, undertaking a process of public and stakeholder engagement, a process of ministerial and departmental engagement and the Panel's own research on matters concerning the TCA and its application to Jersey. The Panel's report made 14 key findings and 5 recommendations for the Minister for External Relations and Financial Services.

The Panel concluded that following legal advice and analysis provided by the External Relations Department, that the full legal text reflected what was anticipated within P.170/2020 (Amd.Amd). and that the Panel did not consider it to be in Jersey's best interests to invoke the 90-day termination clause. The Panel highlighted in its concluding paragraph that Jersey would need to ensure the UK fully represented its interests in future dialogue with the EU, noted that the UK ultimately maintains responsibility for the TCA on behalf of Jersey, that Jersey is not part of the Authorised Economic Operations or Value Added Tax Protocol and that the Government of Jersey would need to increase its engagement with the UK to agree the most appropriate ways of working to ensure representation of Jersey by the UK. The Minister for External Relations and Financial Services accepted 9 out of 14 of the Panel's key findings and all 5 of its recommendations.

Inclusion of the Bailiwick of Jersey in the UK-EU Trade and Co-operation Agreement: Fisheries

On  27  December  2020  the  States  Assembly  voted  to  approve,  in  principle,  Jersey's participation in the UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA). This vote was subject to a 90-day 'cooling off' period, to expire on 31 March 2021, during which time Jersey was able to terminate its involvement in the TCA. The proposition adopted by the States Assembly, as amended, instructed the Environment, Housing and Infrastructure Panel to present a report to the States Assembly prior to the expiry of the 90-day 'cooling off' period, for States Members to consider its findings.

In February 2021, the Environment, Housing and Infrastructure Panel published a report following its review. The Panel focused its review on scrutinising the sections of the TCA concerning 'Fisheries' and Jersey's territorial waters including the implications this will have for Jersey, whilst the Brexit Review Panel conducted a separate review of the sections of the TCA concerning 'Goods' and trading implications (see above).

During its review, the Panel found Jersey's appointment as the licensing authority to be an opportunity to preserve and enhance the marine environment, whilst addressing prevailing access and management issues around shared fishing waters. The Panel found that Jersey's inclusion in the TCA would mean that management of its waters would no longer be shared with France, as was the case under the Granville Bay Treaty. Instead, Jersey would be able to manage its waters as it sees fit and impose non-discriminatory management restrictions on a scientifically justified basis which promised the opportunity for better management of fishing activity  in  Jersey's  waters  and  the  development  of  an  ecologically  and  economically sustainable approach.

However, the Panel also found the process of collecting and evaluating evidence to issue licences to qualified EU vessels to be challenging and complex. In addition, concerns were raised in respect of Government resources in particular regarding marine resources and regulatory services provided by the States Vet in issuing export health certificates.

During its review, the Panel found that Jersey's fishing industry receives no financial support from the Government in respect of licensing fees, safety equipment and vessel upgrades, unlike EU fishing fleets and whilst the Minister for the Environment confirmed that a support package was being considered, the Panel was concerned that this was not being expedited quickly enough.

As a result of its review, the Panel made 30 key findings and 16 recommendations. Having examined the fisheries section of the TCA, the Panel concluded that it was in Jersey's best interest to remain included in the agreement, following the 90-day cooling off' period.

Affordable Housing, Supply and Delivery

In November 2021, the Environment, Housing and Infrastructure Panel published a report following its review in response to growing concern of the issues surrounding housing supply and affordability in Jersey. The Panel's review was informed by the engagement of expert advisors ARK Consultancy who specialise in advising on many aspects of housing, including housing market functionality and assessment, housing policy and new homes development. Through ARK's advisory role, as well as engagement from key stakeholders including Andium Homes and Jersey Development Company, and from members of the public, an in-depth examination was undertaken of affordable housing supply and delivery in Jersey which resulted in 64 key findings and 61 recommendations.

The review explored the key issues surrounding housing affordability in Jersey, the types of housing need, as well as the Government's current definition of affordable housing. It also explored the existing barriers to the supply and development of affordable homes. The review considered both existing and proposed Government policy and strategy, namely: the Draft Bridging Island Plan; the Public Estate Strategy; and the Creating Better Homes Action Plan, which are intended to address housing shortage and affordability in the short to medium term.

The Panel concluded that there are numerous barriers and challenges to the supply and delivery of affordable housing in Jersey and addressing these challenges in isolation is not likely to solve Jersey's housing problems. The Panel argued for a more holistic approach to housing and planning policy to address issues of affordability and supply. It was found that although the Housing Action Plan is a positive step forward to achieving this, the release of government-owned  sites  to  affordable  housing  providers  needs  to  be  prioritised  and expedited. The Panel identified that the Draft Bridging Island Plan 2022-25 will play an important role in addressing some, but not all, existing restrictive planning policies. A lack of adequate resourcing within the Planning team was also found to be a significant issue causing delays and hindering development delivery timescales.

The Panel noted that, unfortunately, much of its report resonated with its predecessor Panel's 2015 review of the Supply of Housing, demonstrating that issues of housing supply and affordability have gone unaddressed by Government for some considerable time.

Public engagement and outreach Overview

Following adoption by the Privileges and Procedures Committee (PPC), significant progress was made during 2021 on delivering programmes of work to achieve the objectives and target outcomes defined in a new Digital and Public Engagement Strategy.

Being one year out from a general election, addressing one of the top two reasons Islanders gave for not voting: lack of education on the system' has been at the heart of all workstreams, which can broadly be grouped into seven key areas:

- Helping Islanders to understand the political system

- Election activity

- Education programmes

- Scrutiny communications

- Digital advancements

- Working with partners

Some noteworthy highlights during the year included:

- A very successful Democracy Week in September with over 5,000 Islanders engaging with one or more of our activities

- Growing the number of people engaging with the States Assembly on Facebook (the most active social media platform in Jersey and the rest of the world) by 60%

- Hosting a very successful first online hustings in Jersey for the by-election of the Constable of St Clement (July 2021)

- Delivering school visits for over 1,850 children to ensure none missed out due to the Covid-19 pandemic

Helping Islanders to understand and engage with the political system

Democracy Week

The Island's second Democracy Week took place from 27 September – 3 October. It built on the successes of 2020 and included a range of activities designed to encourage Islanders to think and talk about what they care most about in Jersey, with the aim of creating projects that extend well beyond the week itself:

- Island  Views  Photography  Competition:  Over  2,300 votes were cast to choose a winner out of 185 photos showing what entrants love most or would change about the Island

- Island Bunting: Over 2,000 school children from across the Island's primary schools decorated 150m meters of bunting with their favourite things about Jersey

- Democracy  Bus  #2:  100  Victoria  College  students worked with artist James Carter to discuss and vote on how they would invest £1 million of taxpayers' money to

improve the Island. Artwork based on their ideas has been spray-painted on a school bus, which is on the roads until March 2023

- Q&As with States Members: 750 people  attended Q&A sessions on Facebook on  the role of Scrutiny and engaging young  people in politics  

- Tours of the States Chamber: 31 people  attended tours to learn more about the  history  and  procedures  of  the  States  Assembly. Work then proceeded on introducing Blue Badge tours in 2022.

Animation

To  help  Islanders  to  understand  the  difference  between  the  States  Assembly  and  the Government, a five-minute animation was created to explain the make-up and responsibilities of the States Assembly and how it differs from the Government. The animation was prepared for roll-out in January 2022, alongside the start of the voter engagement work. The animated video can be viewed on the States Assembly YouTube channel and will be used with schools and online.

Tri-lingual States Assembly branding

In response to the proposition agreed by the States Assembly for the States to adopt Jèrriais as an official language, alongside English and French the States Assembly branding was reviewed and updated. The new branding is being rolled out as and when new assets need to be produced, ensuring budgets are used effectively.

Old New  

TV screens facing into the Royal Square

Two television screens have been installed in the Le Capelain meeting room in the States building, facing into the Royal Square. The screens will show a range of content, from the list of debates taking place during a meeting, to the day's scrutiny hearings, to informative graphics and videos (with subtitles).

E-Petitions

Petitions continued to be shared across the social media platforms to raise awareness of this opportunity to influence the future of Jersey. The BBC also reported on the power of petitions to result in a change to the Law, citing the cat hit and run' legislation as an example. During 2021, the number of visitors to the petition website reduced by 28%. This is thought to be due to the Covid-19 pandemic, as 2020 saw many Covid-related petitions, which did not occur in 2021.However, the petition site saw a 15% reduction in its bounce rate', meaning people who get to the site are staying on rather than bouncing' straight off. This signifies an increase in engaged visitors.

Glossary

To help Islanders to understand Jersey's democratic system, a glossary of terms used by and in relation to the States Assembly was created and shared on the website and social media channels.

Preparations for the 2022 election

Work to increase the diversity of candidates standing for election in 2022

In March 2022, a campaign was launched to encourage a more  diverse range of Islanders to consider standing for election in  2022. The campaign included digital adverts, traditional media  activity and the creation of a partner toolkit to help third parties  reach out to their communities and support this message. The  campaign recognised a range of demographic measures.  

Developing resources for potential candidates

To support potential candidates on their journey to standing for election, a series of three videos was curated covering:

- What the role of States Member involves

- The support and training available for candidates

- What the recent changes to the Election Law mean for 2022 candidates

- How candidates from a range of backgrounds are being supported to stand for election

- How to write a manifesto

- How to campaign effectively, including rules around spending

- How to take part in a husting successfully

- Using social media effectively

The videos were followed up with live online Q&As to give potential candidates the opportunity to ask questions. Videos were well received with combined viewing figures exceeding 700.

To help potential candidates to understand the process and prepare for standing, people were given the opportunity to subscribe (anonymously) to receive email updates from Vote.je, which attracted over 300 sign-ups.

Communicating electoral changes to voters

Following decisions up amend the Election Law, the media and website were updated to clarify decisions made by the States Assembly and an Island-wide leaflet was prepared ready for distribution in January 2022, once the changes to the Law were approval by the Privy Council.

Digital projects

With 93% of Jersey residents accessing the internet, online channels offer huge potential for engaging the community. Our objective relating to digital is to increase Islander engagement with the States Assembly's online channels by 20% each year'.

States Assembly website

Whilst the current States Assembly is an extensive information repository, it is inflexible and even minor updates are costly due to the age of the platform. Therefore, during 2021, financial approval was secured to create a new website that will help achieve the engagement objectives set out in the four-year strategy.

To inform the procurement process, a detailed review of the current website and department's needs was conducted, involving numerous internal stakeholders. The output was a detailed set of requirements, which will go out to tender in 2022.  

Meanwhile, on the current States Assembly website, there was a reduction in the number of users visiting the States Assembly website during 2021, compared to the previous 12 months. This is thought to be related to the Covid-19 pandemic and the exceptionally high volume of States meeting and debates during 2020, which was not repeated in 2021.

However, the engagement figures show encouraging trends, including:

• The length of time users spent on the States Assembly website rose by 23% in 2021, compared to the previous 12 months.

• The  bounce  rate  has  fallen  by  16%,  meaning  that  more  people  coming  to stateassembly.gov.je are staying on the site.

• The number of pages people navigate to during a visit to the website has increased by 23%.

Social media

In 2021 we focussed our resources on growing engagement on Facebook and Instagram and significantly reduced the volume of content being shared on Twitter. We also started sharing relevant scrutiny news and calls for evidence on LinkedIn, where the platform had previously been sparsely used for recruitment. This is due to:

- The number of people in Jersey using Facebook being significantly higher than all the other social media platforms

- Instagram being one of the fastest growing social media platforms in Jersey, with 47,500 Islanders using the platform (as at December 2021) and the most engaged user group being aged 24 – 35 (with 13,600 active users)

The results of this approach are:

- Facebook: the number of people liking, commenting, sharing, and clicking on States Assembly posts has increased by 60% to 151,398 over the course of the year.  

- Instagram: the number of unique accounts that saw any of our posts or stories at least once increased by 70.2% to 17,519

- Twitter: the number of followers, impressions and profile visits increased month on month with over 70,000 profile visits during the final two months of 2021

- LinkedIn: We received high levels of engagement (likes and shares) on posts that included video and in particular content about the election. This isn't surprising with the rise of consumers preferring video to digest information. We will continue to use video content to increase engagement, brand awareness and connection to  

Live Question and Answer sessions

In 2021, we organised four live Q&A's with States Members on Facebook, where the public could ask questions around topical themes. These events are designed to create more opportunities for two-way communication and to help Islanders recognise how they can influence the Island's future. These Q&As reached 5,464 users, with 177 comments.

The St Clement by-election: Vote.je and online hustings

During 2021 the Vote.je site was updated and restructured in preparation for the by-election for the Constable of St Clement. In the month leading up to the by-election there were 2,871 visits to Vote.je from 1,979 users. The number of registered voters in St Clement was 5,500. New functions and content were also added in preparation for the 2022 Island-wide election, such as the countdown clock and new FAQs.

Although the initial suggestion was to host a hybrid (mix of in person and online attendance) hustings, the Covid-19 public health guidance in July 2020 forced the event to be held fully online. This was a first for Jersey and was deemed a success by the parish Procureur. The event was attended online with a constant average of just over 50 people watching at any given time in Zoom and 60 viewers via Facebook, with 21 questions asked virtually, followed by 548 watch-backs after the live event. Parishioners without digital access were catered for by installing a television screen with a recording of the hustings in a well-ventilated room at the Parish Hall , where they could book to come and watch the hustings ahead of the election.

Scrutiny communications

New strategy

Our objective relating to Scrutiny is to improve awareness of the role Members outside of States Meetings, in particular the role of Scrutiny'. A detailed communications strategy was presented to the Scrutiny Liaison Committee in 2021 and, arising from that,  dedicated communications support was provided to each panel and committee.

Campaign plans were produced for reviews with a significant focus on public calls for evidence. Examples of success include single posts on social media reaching 10,000 people and generating more than 470 click throughs to submit feedback. The campaign tactics deployed in relation to the review of maternity services led to record levels of engagement from users of maternity services, significantly strengthening the panel's inquiry and report.

Groups and organisations who supported campaign activity by asking their communities to respond to calls for evidence were contacted upon conclusion of the reviews in order for the findings and recommendations to be shared with contributors. This approach is designed to build awareness and trust in the process of  contributing views and evidence for reviews.  

Pop-up stands in the town centre

Between 8 - 16 November, a series of pop-up  events  was  organised  for  members  of  Scrutiny to be in the town centre to hear public  views about the Government Plan ('22 – '25).  The  events  were  deemed  a  success  by  

Members and received positive feedback from the public. This is tactic we would recommend repeating for future reviews.

Education programmes

Primary school visits to the States Chamber

The  long-standing  programme  of  year  five  students  (aged  9  and  10)  from  all  the  Island  primary  schools  (States  funded  and  private)  continued, with a record number of visits in a year  (1,851) to allow all those who had missed out  during 2020, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, to  catch  up.  By  comparison,  464  students  experienced the visit in 2020 and 881 in 2019.  

The children who attended the visits sat in the  seats usually occupied by States Members and  used the voting system during a mini debate on a topic of their choice. On each occasion, three of the children took the roles of the Greffier, the Dean and the Usher.

The topics the children chose to debate as a class included:

- The adoption of a four-day week

- Whether animals belong in zoos

- Whether primary schools should teach more languages

- Whether every tree cut down should be replaced by two new trees

- Whether Jersey should encourage space tourism

The scheme aims to encourage local children to take more of an interest in how their Island is governed, and dovetails with the citizenship curriculum to promote participation in elections, especially since the reduction in the voting age to 16.

Working with the Curriculum Council

Another objective for the four years between 2021 – 2024 is to embed politics in every year of the local secondary school curriculum. To start this process, the team presented their vision and objectives to the Curriculum Council, who were supportive of the work. The agreed next steps are to pilot the first set of resources in one secondary school, with a view to making any necessary refinements, then rolling it out to further schools in PSHE/Form Time. An Education Manager has been recruited in Q1 of 2022 to lead on this area of work.

Highlands College Freshers' Fayre

In September 2021, Vote.je took the largest area at  this  annual  event  for  Highlands  College  students,  talking  about  the  upcoming  elections  and  helping  students to register to vote, which over 100 did at the  Fayre.  

International outreach

Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (Jersey branch)

Jersey is an active member of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA), which brings together parliamentarians from across the Commonwealth and helps build and develop parliamentary capacity and capabilities. Despite the ongoing travel restrictions imposed in response to the Covid pandemic, Jersey delegates were able to attend 16 events virtually thanks to the use of Teams and Zoom platforms. These included the British Islands and Mediterranean  Region  (BIMR)  Commonwealth  Women  Parliamentarians'  Conference  in February, which was attended by Deputies Jess Perchard, Louise Doublet , Inna Gardiner and Kevin Pamplin and virtual Election Observation Training which took place in October and was attended by Senator Steve Pallett, John Le Maistre, the Connétable of Grouville and Deputies Montfort Tadier , Mike Higgins and Rob Ward .

In September 2021 Deputy Rob Ward attended the CPA BIMR Election Observer Mission to the Isle of Man General Election as the Deputy Head of Mission.

The 50th BIMR Conference was held in Belfast 20th - 23rd September 2021 and was attended by Mike Jackson , the Connétable of St. Brelade and Deputies David Johnson and Inna Gardiner .

Following on from the inaugural CPA Crown Dependencies Network event held in the Isle of Man in 2019, Jersey hosted the event from 10th  - 12th November 2021. Members of Guernsey's States of Deliberation and the Isle of Man's Tynwald came together with Members of the States to discuss health care models and population policy.

Jersey was also represented by young people at the Commonwealth Youth Parliament held virtually between 18th -22nd October 2021.

Assemblée Parlementaire de la Francophonie

Due to the impact of the Covid Pandemic, many events that would otherwise have been organised by the Assemblée Parlementaire de la Francophonie, and which would have been attended by members of the Executive Committee, did not take place. There was no Conférence des Présidents de la Région Europe ; nor did the Assemblée Région Europe take place. In January 2021, however, the 46th global Assemblée Générale of the APF took place virtually via Microsoft Teams; to which all Sections of the APF were invited. The main focus of this conference was a debate on the subject of "Les parlements francophones face à la crise du Covid-19, perspectives pour demain" (French-speaking parliaments' response to the Covid-19 crisis: approaches for the future). Sections were invited to make a presentation to Assemblée  Générale  on  how  the  impact  of  Covid-19  had  been  addressed  in  their jurisdictions. Senator John Le Fondré, Vice-President of the Section, made a presentation to explain how the States Assembly had responded to the impact of the virus and the measures that had been taken in Jersey.

British-Irish Parliamentary Association

The British-Irish Parliamentary Assembly (BIPA) is a deliberative body consisting of members elected to the parliaments and legislatures of the United Kingdom, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the British crown dependencies. Its purpose is to foster common understanding and mutually beneficial relationships between elected representatives from these jurisdictions. Deputy David Johnson is Jersey's BIPA representative and Connétable Simon Crowcroft is associate representative. The 60th Plenary meeting had been postponed in 2020 due to Covid and was held in February 2021.

The BIPA 61st Plenary was scheduled to take place in London 17th-18th October 2021, but was cancelled following the murder of Sir David Amess MP.

Legislative Drafting Office

Overview

This is the third annual report of the Legislative Drafting Office, reporting as a distinct unit within the States Greffe, while keeping its distinct identity. Under current arrangements we share a budget with the Greffe, with the Principal Legislative Drafter reporting to the Greffier of the States.

Our staff

The LDO is headed by the Principal Legislative Drafter Lucy Marsh-Smith . Her deputy is Matthew Waddington.

In 2021 the office also consisted of 5 other legislative drafters, including one ring-fenced till the end of that year for post-Brexit matters, a second drafter ring-fenced for children matters and one trainee drafter. (A further drafter is on long-term secondment to Government to work on roads and traffic-related matters till the end of 2024). We were able to back-fill one of these posts with a remote-working UK Parliamentary Counsel on a career break, but not the other, due to difficulties in recruitment largely due to the pandemic. We therefore used our panel of consultant drafters to meet additional needs, including a half-time consultant drafter engaged to work on financial services legislation. As a result, we were easily able to meet all drafting needs. As from January 2022 the office was up to full complement.

The office is also supported by our editorial team headed by Heather Mason, Legislation Editor. She is assisted by 1.5 legislation clerks/assistant legislation editors and Kate Hannah, an experienced Legislation Services Consultant, who has been invaluable in terms of in-house technical support as well as advising on improvements that might be made to the legislation section of the jerseylaw.je website and assisting with the forthcoming roll-out of our upgraded case management system.

Our achievements

2021 was another busy year for the Legislative Drafting Office, as the demands for legislation due to Covid-19 continued. The year also saw further legislation being required following the end of the Brexit transition period and it was a busy year for the drafting of children-related projects, this work being a top priority of Government. As the year progressed, there were additional demands for legislation in various areas which were to be completed before the general election. In addition, we achieved the following in 2021:

• We continued to refine our new drafting template to gain further efficiencies to speed up our drafting and minimise errors in published legislation.

• Our editorial team is a key feature of improving drafting quality. This is achieved by ensuring consistency, eliminating grammatical and other non-legal errors and increasing the efficiency of existing review processes by enabling the reviews by drafters to focus on legal matters. The team also ensures that new legislation is published on the jerseylaw.je website very shortly after it is made and that changes are consolidated almost as soon as they take effect. It is a significant achievement that the website not only displays the Jersey statute book showing the law as it is in force on the day it is accessed by users, but this is now the official version of Jersey legislation, as provided for by the Legislation (Jersey) Law 2021. Legislation editors are a key feature of drafting offices in Canada and Australia, but Jersey was the first of the British drafting offices to have this service. We were pleased to learn that we inspired Guernsey to recruit an editor.

• The  office  hosted  a  remote  conference  for  legislation  editors  and  translators  in September, which attracted a lot of interest from many Commonwealth jurisdictions.We have also set up a support group that takes in those responsible for editing and publishing legislation in both Guernsey and the Isle of Man.

• We continued to work with the Jersey Legal Information Board to improve access to current law. The commencement of the Legislation Law meant a complete overhaul of the legislation section of the website, and this coincided with new search facilities and subject groupings. We are hopeful of achieving further specific improvements such as enhanced search facilities and "point in time," which will enable users to access the law as it was on selected dates in the past.

• We restarted our training courses for instructing officers, delivering 2 further courses in the Autumn. Jointly with Revenue Jersey colleagues, and with assistance from the Greffe, we ran a half day course for officers on the budget process. This covered what we looked for in tax-related drafting instructions as well as procedural matters unique to the Government Plan and Finance Law. We plan to co-produce with Revenue Jersey a short procedural manual developed from this course and what was learnt from the Government Plan debate in 2021 and the resultant Finance Law.

• Our case management system, Domis, was designed to store and retrieve documents efficiently to avoid the creation of any new paper files, as well as being a management tool to track progress on draft legislation. Though it was a vital step in enabling us to operate remotely during the Covid crisis, it was never fully operational and in 2021 work continued to migrate to a more refined and cloud-based version of Domis, again developed by Civica using their icasework system. This is due to be rolled out in March 2022 and should better serve our needs.

• We were honoured to have an informal visit at the drafters' meeting in October of former President of the Supreme Court, Baroness Hale of Richmond. We were able to explain something of our work to Lady Hale, who took a particular interest in the reform of Children's legislation, including in relation to the recognition of the United Nations Convention of the Rights of the Child.

• We were delighted that a joint initiative by Kate Hannah and drafter Zoe Rillstone won the 2021 Award for Innovation at the One Gov awards. Zoe and Kate invented an application to assist with providing drafting instructions for the uprating of fees in Orders as part of a project for a course they both did at Flinders University in Australia. This has led to a request for our involvement in an exciting coding project with other Flinders students in 2022.

• We continued with our work on "Rules as Code" looking at digitising legislation, a project enthusiastically led by Matthew Waddington. He gave presentations (remotely) at "ReMep2021 - Workshop on Computational notation of laws and regulations" and at a series of three webinars for the Commonwealth Association of Legislative Counsel introducing Rules as Code to legislative drafters. Matthew also wrote two articles, one for the "Loophole" journal of the Commonwealth Association of Legislative Counsel and one for La Trobe University's journal "Law in Context". In Jersey we organised and hosted a well-received talk on AI for lawyers across non-Ministerial Departments and the Government, and we started discussions with the Digital Economy Team on terms of reference for a wider Jersey project on Rules as Code. We also published results of a project rendering parts of the Charities (Jersey) Law 2014 in an Excel spreadsheet.

The following table shows the volume of legislation passed since 2000, with 2021 being another busy year.

Legislation passed 2000-2021

300

250

200

150 213

176

152 201 157 181 177 172 163

175

100 160 147 135 126 164 171 141 136 142 146 186 170

50

0 45 30 51 44 26 39 25 38 43 28 23 30 40 21 48 16 30 23 31 15 7 20 2000200120022003200420052006200720082009201020112012201320142015201620172018201920202021

Laws R&Os

Membership of the States Assembly, as at July 2021

Timothy John Le Cocq , Bailiff , President (Appointed 17 October 2019)

Air Chief Marshal Sir Stephen Dalton GCB, Lieutenant Governor (Appointed 13 March 2017)

Elected Members

Senator Ian Joseph Gorst Senator Lyndon John Farnham

Senator Sarah Craig Ferguson

Senator John Alexander Nicholas Le Fondré

Senator Tracey Anne Vallois Senator Kristina Louise Moore

Senator Stephen William Pallett Senator Samuel Yves Mézec

First sworn in as States Member

05.12.2005 09.12.1999

12.12.2002 05.12.2005

08.12.2008 14.11.2011

14.11.2011 07.03.2014

Role

Minister for External Relations and Financial Services

Minister for Economic Development, Tourism, Sport and Culture and Deputy Chief Minister

Chief Minister and Chair States Employment Board

President, Scrutiny Liaison Committee and Chair, Corporate Services Scrutiny Panel

Connétable Alan Simon Crowcroft of St. Helier

Connétable Deidre Wendy Mezbourian of St. Lawrence

Connétable Sadie Anthea Le Sueur -Rennard of St. Saviour

Connétable Michael Keith Jackson of St. Brelade

Connétable John Edward Le Maistre of Grouville

Connétable Philip Bond Le Sueur of Trinity

Connétable Richard Vibert of St. Peter

Connétable John Michael Le Bailly of St. Mary

12.12.1996

05.12.2005  Chair, Comité des Connétable s 14.11.2011

11.11.2005  Chair, Environment, Housing and

Infrastructure Scrutiny Panel 04.10.2013

03.11.2014  Chair, Planning Committee 01.06.2018  Assistant Minister for Children and

Education

14.11.2011

Connétable Richard Alan Buchanan of St. Ouen

Connétable Karen Shenton-Stone of St. Martin

Connétable Andrew Jehan of St. John

Connétable Marcus Troy of St. Clement

01.06.2018 01.06.2018 09.04.2021

30.07.2021

Assistant Chief Minister and Assistant Minister for External Relations and Financial Services

Deputy Judith Ann Martin of St. Helier No. 1

Deputy Geoffrey Peter Southern of St. Helier No. 2

Deputy Carolyn Fiona Labey of Grouville

Deputy Kevin Charles Lewis of St. Saviour No. 2

Deputy Montfort Tadier of St. Brelade No. 2

Deputy Michael Roderick Higgins of St. Helier No. 3

Deputy Jeremy Martin Maçon of St. Saviour No. 1

Deputy Susan Jane Pinel of St. Clement

Deputy Stephen George Luce of St. Martin

Deputy Richard John Renouf of St. Ouen

Deputy Louise Mary Catherine Doublet of St. Saviour No. 2

Deputy Russell Labey of St. Helier No. 1

Deputy Scott Michael Wickenden of St. Helier No. 1

Deputy Robert David Johnson of St. Mary

Deputy Graham John Truscott of St. Brelade No. 2

05.05.2000 15.02.2002 12.12.2002

05.12.2005 08.12.2008 08.12.2008 08.12.2008 14.11.2011 14.11.2011 03.11.2014 03.11.2014 03.11.2014 03.11.2014

03.11.2014 03.11.2014

Minister for Social Security

Minister for International Development, Assistant Chief Minister, Chair, Jersey Overseas Aid Commission and Chair, Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (Jersey Branch)

Minister for Infrastructure

President, Assemblée Parlementaire de la Francophonie (Jersey Branch)

Minister for Treasury and Resources

Minister for Health and Social Services

Minister for Housing and Communities

Minister for Children and Education, Assistant Chief Minister and Assistant Minister for Social Security

Chair, Economic and International Affairs Panel

Deputy John Hilary Young of St. Brelade No. 1

Deputy Lindsay Barry Edward Ash of St. Clement

Deputy Kirsten Francis Morel of St. Lawrence

14.11.2011 01.06.2018 01.06.2018

Minister for the Environment

Assistant Minister for Treasury and Resources and Home Affairs

Assistant Minister for Economic Development, Tourism, Culture and Sport

Deputy Gregory Charles Umberto  01.06.2018 Guida of St. Lawrence

Deputy Rowland Edward Huelin  01.06.2018 of St. Peter

Deputy Hugh Charles Raymond  01.06.2018 of Trinity

Deputy Trevor Pointon of St. John  01.06.2018 Deputy Mary Rose Le Hegarat of  01.06.2018

St. Helier No. 3/4

Deputy Steven Morrison Ahier of  01.06.2018 St. Helier No. 3/4

Deputy Jessica Harriet Perchard  01.06.2018 of St. Saviour No. 3

Deputy Robert James Ward of St.  01.06.2018 Helier No. 2

Deputy Carina Soares Alves of  01.06.2018 St. Helier No. 1

Deputy Kevin Glyn Pamplin of St.  01.06.2018 Saviour No. 1

Deputy Inna Gardiner of St. Helier  01.03.2019 No. 3/4

Minister for Home Affairs and Assistant Minister for Environment

Assistant Chief Minister

Assistant Minister, Health and Social Services and Infrastructure

Assistant Minister for Children and Education

Chair, Health and Social Security Scrutiny Panel

Assistant Minister for Environment

Chair, Education and Home Affairs Scrutiny Panel

Chair, Privileges and Procedures Committee

Chair, Public Accounts Committee

Robert James MacRae Q,C., Deputy Bailiff (Appointed 6 January 2020)

The Very Reverend Michael Keirle , Dean Of Jersey (Appointed 7 September 2017) Mark Howard Temple, Q.C., H.M. Attorney General (Appointed 9 March 2020) Advocate Matthew Jowett, Q.C., H.M. Solicitor General (Appointed 1 May 2020)

Officers of the States

Dr. Mark Egan, Greffier of the States (Appointed 19 January 2016) Lisa-Marie Hart , Deputy Greffier of the States (Appointed 13 May 2014) Advocate Elaine Millar , Viscount (Appointed 10 July 2015)

Advocate Mark Harris , Deputy Viscount (Appointed 28 January 2013)

Tributes to former States Members

Tributes were paid to the following States Members in the Chamber during 2021:

Frederick "Freddie" Cohen

Members will have noted that since we met last we have sadly lost one former Member and one current Member of the Assembly. Frederick Cohen, known to all as Freddie, passed away on 12th May. Mr. Cohen was a Senator in this Assembly from 2005 until 2011, having previously served at St. John as a Constable's officer, Centenier and rates assessor. He was also a former president of the Jersey Jewish Congregation, a trustee  of  the  Jersey  Community  Relations  Trust  and  a

member of the Jersey Holocaust Memorial Day Committee. Among his published books he wrote The Ultimate Sacrifice which  is  a  study  of  Islanders  who  perished  following

deportation from the Island during the Occupation. He was elected as Senator on 5th December 2005, coming third in that election with 13,704 votes. He was appointed Minister for Planning and Environment from 8th December that year. During his tenure as Minister for Planning and Environment, he was responsible for the introduction of the Percentage for Art Policy whereby developers had to include some form of artwork which would benefit the community within their development. He was also responsible for the introduction of the Eco- Active Environmental Awareness campaign and the Renewable Energy Commission. Famed for his support of world-renowned architects and his ambition for the Island to have iconic buildings, he will be remembered for encouraging local architects to design more in the Jersey vernacular. Mr. Cohen successfully brought forward a North of Town Masterplan which provided a framework for the redevelopment and regeneration of St. Helier . He successfully steered through the new Island Plan in June 2011 which was a mammoth task which saw the longest-ever debate in this Chamber on a single proposition, taking some 6½ days and lasting for 39 hours and 55 minutes. Fifty-eight separate amendments to the plan were lodged for debate and 15 further amendments to those amendments. In July 2011 he resigned from his planning role in order to concentrate on his position as Assistant Chief Minister responsible for foreign affairs, a newly-created post at that time to which he had been appointed on 14th January 2011. That was a forerunner of the office of Minister for External Relations and Financial Services which we have today.

During this time in that role, he visited India and China and signed Tax Information Exchange Agreements with those countries and others and helped to forge a stronger identity for the Island in London. In 2011 Mr. Cohen stood again for election, but with just 4 Senatorial seats available, he was unsuccessful and his later years were sadly seriously impacted by ill health. Our thoughts and our very best wishes go out to this family. [8 June 2021]

Leonard Norman

Len Norman was first elected as Deputy of St. Clement on 21st June 1983 and was re-elected a further  3  times  to  that  role  until  he  stood  for Senator in December of 1996. He was re-elected for a further 6-year term in 2002 and in 2008 he took up his seat as Connétable of St. Clement , a

post he held unopposed until his untimely death last week at the age of 73. Connétable Norman was a proud Jerseyman. He was educated locally at Beaulieu at primary level and then at De La Salle College. He then worked in a variety of jobs, including jobs in the United Kingdom and locally at the Jersey Evening Post, the Country Gentlemen's Association and then running his own insurance company before joining the States in 1983. He served on a number of committees, most notably Harbours and Airport, at various points from 1983 holding the position of committee president from 2002 until 2005 when the committee system ended. He also served as president of the Housing and Education Committees, overseeing the new builds at Hautlieu and Le Rocquier Schools. After the move to ministerial government he served on the Public Accounts Committee before being made Assistant Minister for Economic Development in 2008. He was chair of the Privileges and Procedures Committee from 2014 to 2018 and after the last election was made Minister for Home Affairs. In whatever position he held, Connétable Norman always forged strong working relationships with the officers involved in supporting him. He was popular because he was loyal, respectful and placed the Island's best interests at the forefront of all he did. During his time as a States Member, Connétable  Norman  was  a  member,  staunch  supporter  and  latterly  chair  of  the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association and was an enthusiastic ambassador for the Island,  attending  a  number  of  Commonwealth  Parliamentary  Association  conferences, including plenary events in Australia, Tanzania and Kuala Lumpur and was a genial host to delegates attending events in Jersey. As C.P.A. chair he presided over a number of Youth Assemblies blending the necessary formalities of the event with his trademark wit to ensure the nerves of the young people participating were quickly dispelled and often failing to conceal his obvious enjoyment in watching States Member colleagues face extremely tricky questions. He also chaired the Commonwealth Youth Parliament which Jersey hosted in 2018 and we have received a letter of condolence from the C.P.A.'s secretary general. Connétable Norman

was a charismatic speaker and had a calm manner which put others at ease. He had a renowned sense of humour and his speeches in this Assembly were often amusing but also direct and effective. His contributions to the various goods and services tax on food debates, affectionately referred to as the "rum baba" speeches, are remembered as a masterclass in delivery and he used humour to great effect to emphasise anomalies in proposals. His dedication to his Parish was unquestioned. He was honoured to be Connétable of "God's own Parish" as he called it and was heavily involved in all aspects of Parish life and considered the Parish staff to be members of his extended family. He served his Island tirelessly for almost 38 years and was one of the few Members to have occupied each of the 3 States Members' Benches, although he was perhaps most proud of being Connétable , as his father had been Constable  of  St.  Saviour  before  him.   He  has  been  described  by  a  number  of  those expressing Tributes as a "true statesman". Often such terms can be misapplied but in this instance Members may agree that the description is apt. Our thoughts are accordingly with his family, his mother, brother and sister, his wife Rosemary, his son Philip and daughter Anna and their families. He will be missed by his family, friends and States Member colleagues, his beloved Parish and the Island as a whole. [8 June 2021]

Robert Duhamel

Before we move on with Public Business, Members would have noted the sad news of the death of former Deputy Rob Duhamel 2 nights ago. Robert Duhamel was the eldest of 5 children and he was born and raised in his beloved St. Saviour and educated at St. Luke's and then De La Salle College, having  gained  a  scholarship  at  the  age  of  11.   After  he successfully completed his A-levels he was the first member of his family to go to university, gaining a degree in mathematics at University College London. He was a keen scholar and went on to add a Masters and a further degree in science through later studies. It was at University College London that he met his wife, Sue. They were married in 1978, and they returned

after that to Jersey to live. Rob worked as a self-employed computer consultant undertaking work in the then new field of analysis and programming in the early 1980s. He was also a private mathematics teacher. He joined the States in December 1993, elected as Deputy of St. Saviour No. 1, and he was subsequently re-elected 6 times to this position until 2014. During the committee  system Rob served on a variety of committees, including Island Development Committee, as it then was, Telecoms, Housing, Public Services and Shadow Scrutiny. His real focus though was always the environment, and he was the first chairman of the Environment Scrutiny Panel from 2005 to 2008, and the first president of the Scrutiny

Chairmen's Committee from 2005 to 2007. He was appointed as Assistant Minister for Planning to Senator Cohen in May 2009 and took over from him in July 2011 as Minister. He will be remembered for his innovative views, particularly on green issues, campaigning strongly against the purchase of the Energy from Waste plant when he believed greener solutions could be found. Many people made fun at times at some of his seemingly outlandish ideas but as time has moved on many of his proposed initiatives have gained traction and he can now be seen as having been at the vanguard of modern views on ecological matters. A man ahead of his time in some ways. He will be remembered for being a man of principles who was not afraid to speak his mind and while this often saw him out of steps with his Council of  Minister  colleagues  his  commitment  to  his  Island  and  its  long-term  future  was unquestionable. He also possessed a great sense of humour and a quick wit and his approach to Christmas Greetings, when he was senior Deputy , will be remembered by many. It was particularly memorable his homage one year to the Christmas songs of Cliff Richard. He was also a keen and expert exponent of the pun. Following his time in the States, Rob wrote a regular column in the Jersey Evening Post and regularly received plaudits for the views he expressed. A dedicated and a loving family man, he leaves behind his wife Sue, 4 children - Nicole, Emile, Simone and Dionne and 2 much adored grandchildren, and our thoughts at this time are with them. I would ask Members to rise and observe a minute's silence. May he rest in peace. [16 September 2021]

Anne Dupré

Members  will  be  aware  that  former   Deputy  Anne  Dupré passed away last week. Deputy Dupré was born Anne Cairoli on 24th October 1947 in Jersey. She attended Convent FCJ, when it was based in David Place in St. Helier , and she began her career as a civil servant at the Housing Department where she worked from the age of 16 to 22. During this time, she met and married her husband, Clary, whose father - also Clary

- was himself of course a very well-known politician as Deputy and Senator, and perhaps best known as president of the Tourism Committee during the heyday of the Island as a holiday destination in the 1960s and 1970s. The couple had 2 daughters but sadly Mrs. Dupré was widowed when her

husband, Clary, died aged 46. She was actively involved in the Battle of Flowers for over 40 years, first with the Beeches Old Boys with her late husband, and then with the Parish of St. Clement . She worked in the Jersey Citizens Advice Bureau in its early days at the Town Hall and was assistant manager there for a number of years before working for nearly 18 years as

a medical secretary. Mrs. Dupré was an active volunteer and served on the council of Jersey

Hospice for some 16 years. She was also an active member of the FCJ Past Pupils Association. She successfully stood for election and served one term as Deputy of St. Clement from December 2008 until October 2011. She was appointed as Assistant Minister for Education, Sport and Culture and had special responsibility for cultural matters during her time in office. She is survived by her 2 daughters and 3 grand-daughters, and our thoughts go out to her family at this very difficult time. I invite Members to stand for one minute silence. May she rest in peace. [2 November 2021]

Scrutiny and PAC Reports/Comments/Amendments/Propositions 2021

Scrutiny Liaison Committee

• Comments – Draft Constitution of the States and Public Elections (Jersey) Law 202- (P.17/2021) Third Amendment: Comments – [P.17 Amd. (3) /2021]

• Comments – Land Transaction Under Standing Order 168 (3) – Office Accommodation Project, Union Street, St Helier: Deferral of Approval (P.18/2021): Comments – [P.18/2021]

Corporate Services Panel

• Report – Government Plan 2022-2025 – [S.R.20/2021]

• Report – GST Personal Importation Review: Phase 1 – [S.R.15/2021]

• Report – People and Culture Review – [S.R.12/2021]

• Report – Income Tax (Payment Of 2019 Liability) Regulations Review – [S.R.8/2021]

• Report – COVID Response and Recovery Interim Report – [S.R.7/2021]

• Comments – Changes to the Objects and Purpose of the Ann Alice Rayner Fund – [P.92/2021]

• Comments – Draft Income Tax (Amendment Stage 1 of Independent Taxation) (Jersey) Law 202- – [P.78/2021]

• Comments – Chief Executive Officer – Recruitment Process: comments – [P.73/2021]

• Comments – Draft Amendment (No. 52) of the Standing Orders of the States of Jersey

– [P.62/2021]

• Comments – Draft Taxation (Income Tax, Goods and Services Tax and Revenue Administration) (Amendment) (Jersey) Law 202- – [P.51/2021]

• Amendment – Proposed Government Plan 2022-2025 (P.90/2021): twenty-fourth amendment. Lower increase to Alcohol duties – [P.90/2021] - Adopted

• Amendment – Proposed Government Plan 2022-2025 (P.90/2021): twenty-second amendment. Stamp Duty – [P.90/2021] – Adopted

• Amendment – Proposed Government Plan 2022-2025 (P.90/2021): twenty-first amendment. Remove funding for Technology Fund – [P.90/2021] – Part 1 rejected, part 2 adopted

• Amendment – Proposed Government Plan 2022-2025 (P.90/2021): seventh amendment. Fiscal Stimulus Fund Borrowing – [P.90/2021] – Accepted by Council of Ministers

• Amendment – Draft Taxation (Income Tax, Goods and Services Tax and Revenue Administration) Law202-: amendment – [P.51/2021] – Adopted

• Amendment – Draft Taxation (Income Tax, Goods and Services Tax and Revenue Administration) Law202-: second amendment – [P.51/2021] – Adopted

• Amendment –  Draft Income Tax (Payment of 2019 Liability) (Jersey) Regulations 202-

. (P.9/2021) amendment – [P.9/2021] – Adopted

• Amendment –  Draft Income Tax (Payment of 2019 Liability) (Jersey) Regulations 202-

. (P.9/2021) second amendment– [P.9/2021] – Adopted

• Proposition – Competent Authorities Ministers: Release of minutes of meetings to Scrutiny – [P.86/2021] – Adopted

Economic and International Affairs Panel

• Report – Government Plan 2022-2025 – [S.R.17/2021]

• Report – Demerger of CICRA and Future Operation of the JCRA – [S.R.11/2021]

• Amendment – Channel Islands Lottery: Allocation of Proceeds from 2020 – [P.53/2021]

• Comments – Draft Proceeds of Crime (Amendment of Law) (No.2) (Jersey) Regulations 202- [P.45/2021]

• Comments  –  Government  Plan  2022-2025:  Fourteenth  Amendment  –  [P.90/2021 Amd.(14)]

• Comments – Draft Income Tax (Amendment of Law – Taxation of Cannabis Companies) (Jersey) Regulations 202- [P.93/2021]

Children, Education and Home Affairs Panel

• Report - Government Plan 2022-2025 - [S.R.16/2021]

• Comments  –  Draft  States  of  Jersey  Police  Force  (Amendment  No.3)  Law  202- (P.10/2021): Comments – [P.10/2021]

• Comments  –  Immigration  Consolidation  Extension  to  Jersey  by  Order  in  Council (P.44/2021): Comments – [P.44/2021]

• Comments  –  Draft  Criminal  Procedure  (Consequential  Amendments)  (Jersey) Regulations 202- (P.59/2021): Comments – [P.59/2021]

• Amendment – Draft States of Jersey Police Force (Amendment No.3) Law 202- (P.10/2021) – Second Amendment [P.10/2021] - Adopted

• Amendment – Draft States of Jersey Police Force (Amendment No.3) Law 202- (P.10/2021) – Third Amendment [P.10/2021] - Withdrawn

• Amendment – Proposed Government Plan 2022-25 (P.90/2021) – Jersey Child Care Trust Grant - Eighth Amendment [P.90/2021] - Adopted

• Amendment – Proposed Government Plan 2022-25 (P.90/2021) – Nursery Education Fund Funding Increase - Sixteenth Amendment [P.90/2021] - Withdrawn

• Amendment – Proposed Government Plan 2022-25 (P.90/2021) – Targeted Nursery Education Fund Funding for 2-3 Year Olds - Seventeenth Amendment [P.90/2021] - Withdrawn

• Amendment – Proposed Government Plan 2022-25 (P.90/2021) – Special Educational Needs and School Funding Increase - Eighteenth Amendment [P.90/2021] - Defeated

• Amendment – Proposed Government Plan 2022-25 (P.90/2021) – Moving Funding From Strategic Policy, Planning and Performance to Children, Young People, Education and Skills - Nineteenth Amendment [P.90/2021] - Adopted

• Amendment – Proposed Government Plan 2022-25 (P.90/2021) – Degree Course for Private Nursery Practitioners - Twentieth Amendment [P.90/2021] - Withdrawn

Environment, Housing and Infrastructure Panel

• Report - Government Plan 2022-2025 - [S.R.18/2021]

• Report – Affordable Housing: Supply and Delivery Review - [S.R.14/2021]

• Report  –  Climate  Change  Citizens'  Assembly  –  Observers  Interim  Report  - [S.R.10/2021]

• Report – Inclusion of the Bailiwick of Jersey in the UK-EU Trade and Co – operation Agreement (Fisheries) - [S.R.5/2021]

• Report – Bridging Island Plan 2022-24 - [S.R.3/2021]

• Report – Foreshore Encroachment Policy Review - [S.R.1/2021]

• Comments – Draft Traffic (No.68) (Jersey) (Regulations) 202- (P.39/2021): Comments

– [P.39/2021]

• Comments – Draft Single-Use Plastics etc. (Restrictions) (Jersey) Law 202- (P.61/2021): Comments – [P.61/2021]

• Comments – Draft Public Health and Safety (Rented Dwellings) (Licensing) (Jersey) Regulations 202- (P.33/2021): Comments – [P.33/2021]

• Comments – Draft Wildlife (Jersey) Law 202- (P.110/2020): Comments – [P.110/2020 Health and Social Security Panel

• Report – Review of Maternity Services – [S.R.9/2021]

• Amendment – Government Plan 2022-2025: fifteenth amendment [P.90/2021 Amd] - Health Insurance Funding

• Amendment  -  Government  Plan  2022-2025: ninth  amendment  [P.90/2021 Amd]  – Mental Health Services

• Amendment – Draft Employment (Amendment of Law) (No.3) (Jersey) Regulations 202- [P.88/2021]

• Comments – Assisted Dying - [P.95/2021]

• Comments - Draft Employment (Amendment of Law) (No.3) (Jersey) Regulations 202- [P.88/2021]

• Comments – Draft Social Security (Amendment of Law – Minimum Earnings Threshold) (Jersey) Regulations 202- [P.79/2021]

• Comments – Draft Social Security (Amendment of Law – Minimum Earnings Threshold) (Jersey) Regulations 202- [P.79/2021 Com.(2)]

• Comments – Draft Social Security (Amendment of Law – Minimum Earnings Threshold) (Jersey) Regulations 202- [P.79/2021 Com.(3)]

• Comments  –  Draft  Discrimination (Amendment  of  Law)  (Jersey)  Regulations  202- [P.58/2021]

Public Accounts Committee

• Report – Review of States Annual Report and Accounts 2020 – [P.A.C.1/2021]

• Report – COVID-19 Response: Spend Local Scheme – [P.A.C.2/2021]

• Report – (Follow Up) Review of Estate Management 2021 – [P.A.C.3/2021]

• Comments  –  Anti-corruption  arrangements  (R.12/2021):  Executive  Response  with comments of the Public Accounts Committee [R.12/2021 Res.Com.]

• Comments – Review of States Annual Report and Accounts 2020 (P.A.C.1/2021) Executive  Response  (P.A.C.1/2021  Res.)  –  Comments  of  the  Public  Accounts Committee – [P.A.C.1 Res.Com.]

• Comments  -  Governance  arrangements  for  health  and  social  care  (follow-up) (R.143/2021):  Executive  Response  (R.143/2021  RES.)  –  comments  of  the  Public Accounts Committee – [R.143/2021 Res. Com.]

• Comments – Estate Management (Follow Up) (P.A.C.3/2021) Executive Response (P.A.C.3/2021 Res.) – Comments of the Public Accounts Committee – [P.A.C.3/2021 Res.Com.]

Care of Children in Jersey Review Panel

• Report – Redress and Accountability Systems in Jersey - [S.R.22/2021]

Brexit Review Panel

• Report - Inclusion of the Bailiwick of Jersey in the UK/EU Trade and Co-operation Agreement: Goods and Trade – [S.R.4/2021]

Gender Pay Gap Review Panel

• No publications for 2021

Future Hospital Review Panel

• Report – Our Hospital Outline Business Care and Funding Review – [S.R.13/2021]

• Report – Access Route to Overdale – [S.R.2/2021]

• Amendment – Our Hospital – Budget, Financing and Land Assembly (P.80/2021): second amendment – [P.80/2021] – Defeated

Government Plan Review Panel

• Report – Government Plan 2022-2025 – [S.R.21/2021]

Legal Aid Review Panel

• Comments – Draft Access To Justice (Jersey) Law 2019 (Appointed Day) Act 202- (P.63/2021): Comments – [P.63/2021]

Safer Travel Guidelines Review Panel

• Proposition – Adjustment of Green Travel and Regional Categorisation ahead of reintroduction of Safer Travel Policy – [P.34/2021] – Parts a and b defeated, part c adopted

Migration and Population Review Panel

• Report – P.137 2020 Migration Control Policy (Phase 1) – [S.R.6/2021]

Scrutiny and PAC – facts and figures

STANDING PANELS

Note: The working practice of the EHI Panel is, whenever possible, to arrange meetings on one day. Therefore, a record of a meeting for one day may include multiple meetings such as Panel meetings, hearings and briefings.