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States Assembly Annual Report 2018.

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STATES ASSEMBLY ANNUAL REPORT 2018

PRIVILEGES AND PROCEDURES COMMITTEE

September 2019  R.119/2019

Foreword by the Bailiff of Jersey

President of the States

I am pleased to write this introduction to the Annual Report of the States Assembly for the year 2018. In doing so, I will try to steer the middle way between saying nothing at all in a very bland way and expressing a point of view which is generally regarded as not something Bailiff s should do. Of course we all have a point of view. Everyone knows that and there is no reason for that not to include Bailiff s as well. It seems to me that the sensitivity about the Bailiff expressing – as opposed to having – a point of view has historically arisen for one of 3 reasons.

First of all, there was once the fear that the Bailiff would exercise some form of influence over States Members by the very nature of his office. If that were true when I was appointed as Attorney General in 2000, I do not believe it to be true today. Our democracy has advanced, and Members know perfectly well the respective functions of the Bailiff and the other unelected Members on one hand, and those of the elected Members on the other. That is not to say that expressions of opinion by the Crown Officers in their respective spheres of expertise and responsibility should be disregarded – indeed one hopes that the people occupying these positions will express rational views which will be taken into account and considered by elected Members as indeed all rational views, whether inside or outside the Assembly, should be considered. I think this first reason, if it once inhibited Bailiff s from saying things which might be construed as political, has less force than it once did.

The second reason is that as presiding officer, it is important that the Bailiff is seen to be impartial. This reason for not speaking out on political matters is obviously still relevant – first of all, the Bailiff may have to preside over a debate where the issue in question is being considered, in which case he must be seen to be impartial and should not have expressed views in advance, and secondly comments which are made might be construed as carrying criticism of Ministers or back-bench Members which might have political ramifications in the Assembly. Those are genuine and constraints, which it seems to me, will and should inhibit comments of a political nature. In some cases, the comments will be genuinely apolitical even though made in a political arena. In my case, I will not be presiding for much longer and do not feel the potential of debate sometime is as much of a constraint!

Thirdly, there is always a possibility that some issues which are the subject of comment may end up in the Royal Court. This is not so much an issue for the States, but amounts to a statement that any judge needs to be careful about what he says in public in order to ensure that he cannot be criticised for bias or perceived bias in the context of a case which comes before the court. That applies to all judges, but perhaps with slightly less force in relation to a Chief Justice where matters concerning the judiciary need to be raised with the Public or with the legislature, and as head of the Judiciary and Chief Justice, the Bailiff is obviously the right person to do so.

I thought I would raise the issue because the role of the Bailiff in the States continues to cause much debate. It has bedevilled my time as Bailiff , making it more difficult for me to express views which do not breach the principles set out above, and which might have been helpful in the context of the overall administration.

Against that background perhaps I can make one comment about the present structure that we have.

The Chairman of the Privileges and Procedures Committee raises the question in his introduction as to whether May is an appropriate month in which to hold the elections. I welcome his decision to raise it. That month was chosen because it was thought that the electorate would be more persuaded to turn out in the Spring than in the Autumn when elections had previously taken place. My own view is that it is time to reconsider these reasons –

  1. The turnout at the election in May 2018 was not significantly better than previously, so the rationale for the change has not been justified.
  2. The requirement for States Members to go into purdah' for 6 weeks prior to the elections means that there is a real risk of a number of opportunities for States Meetings to be lost over and above what is necessary. Easter takes place variously in March and April. In 2018 it took place on 30th March to 1st April, and accommodating an Easter break meant that there were in fact only 3 Sittings of the Assembly (plus the ceremonial Liberation Day Sitting) between 1st March and 31st May. Given the lengthy summer break which happens annually, the Assembly leaves itself exposed to the charge that Members are not working hard enough, however unfair that may be.
  1. The combination of having to elect a new government and a relatively short time before the Assembly adjourns for the summer break means that very little is done by the Assembly over the 4 months after the general election. That election occurred in 2018 on Wednesday 16th May and the States did not reconvene until Tuesday 11th September – again Members are exposed to the same criticism which is no fault of theirs, but is down to the diary arrangements.
  2. As the Chairman of PPC says, sitting Members who are standing for re-election have a slightly uncomfortable day on Liberation Day, which is a time when all States Members should be on parade to celebrate our national day.

I hope there will be some reconsideration of the Spring general election day before the next elections. Care is of course needed. It might be said there are objections to any date.

The States Assembly Annual Report provides a wealth of information both for use by politicians inside the Assembly, by the media and by the Public at election time. I am pleased to commend it to all readers.

Finally, as this will be the last occasion on which I write the foreword to the Assembly's Annual Report, it is right that I say what a privilege it has been for me to be President of the States. It would be going too far to say that I have enjoyed every single debate, but I can say without hesitation that I have always enjoyed participating in the democratic process, and that I have tried in all the jobs I have done – as Attorney General, Deputy Bailiff and Bailiff – to perform the respective functions in a non-political way. Sometimes – and I think these are fewer than my critics would have one believe – I have no doubt failed in that, but it is not for want of trying. I wish all Members present and future the best in the forthcoming years.

Sir William Bailhache , Bailiff of Jersey

Introduction by Deputy Russell Labey

Chairman, Privileges and Procedures Committee

I am delighted to introduce the States Assembly's Annual Report for 2018, an election year and a year of firsts'. For the first time the election was held in the month of May. We welcomed 15 new faces to the Assembly and welcomed back 3 Members after an absence of a term or two. Four Deputies and a Constable made the leap to Senator. Twenty-six Members held onto their seats.

Of the 91 candidates who stood for election, 29 were women and 13 were elected to office.

Becoming a people's representative in a parliament is one of the few jobs for which there are no specific educational qualifications, training or on-the-job experience; one simply has to gain trust and votes before being thrown in at the deep end. The statistics contained within this report demonstrate the ability of the Class of 2018' to swim swiftly to the surface and surge into the fast lane of the pool.

Is May an appropriate month in which to hold our election? I am sure I was not alone in feeling uncomfortable on Liberation Day being on parade' as a sitting Member, in the middle of fighting an election campaign.

Similarly, the degree to which the Assembly can continue to operate between nominations night and election day is a concern, and one that was picked up by the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association Election Observers Mission. Another first' for us was the scrutiny of our 2018 election process by one of the world's foremost authorities on free and fair elections.

The idea to properly prorogue – or lay dormant – our Assembly during elections is just one of the 18 recommendations of the CPA observation mission. They found our elections to be properly and professionally run, but strongly suggest our electoral system needs revision.

PPC, under my chairmanship, will ask the Assembly to address every recommendation. This will be difficult, painful and passionate in some areas, although other areas are obvious housekeeping improvements.

On the night of 14th November 2018, at the age of 54, we lost Deputy Richard Rondel, who was first elected in St. Helier District No. 3&4 in 2011. Richard and I were close friends from school and the Young Farmers' Club right up to our time together in the States, but all of us in the Assembly feel the loss of such a charming, charismatic, caring and clever man. He was also brilliantly funny. It was on a weekend break to southern Spain, in May 2015, that I sensed something was seriously wrong and insisted on taking Richard to hospital. He finally got his diagnosis but it came too late for a cure. He fought bravely and with a tremendously selfless spirit, often promoting initiatives to encourage men of his age to go to the doctor and get a check-up. In tribute to him I repeat that message here.

Richard's seat was to be taken in 2019 by a woman, taking our female tally to 14. He would have approved of that greatly.

In September 2018, Sir William Bailhache gave notice of his retirement as Bailiff . I have worked closely with Sir William, and as a novice PPC Chairman have relied very heavily on his wise counsel, which is always freely and generously given. The Privileges and Procedures Committee is expertly supported and advised by the Greffier of the States, the Deputy Greffier, the Assistant Greffier and every single member of staff in this energetic and excessively helpful department. To them all our grateful thanks.

States Assembly 2018

Overview

The Assembly sat on 34 days in 2018, 8 fewer than in 2017 due to the election in May 2018. The total sitting time was 190 hours and 59 minutes, more than in 2016 despite the interruption in ordinary sittings due to the election.

Most of the Assembly's time (130 hours) was spent on public business' – debating propositions and legislation. Just over one half of that time was spent on propositions and laws proposed by the executive – including the Council of Ministers and individual Ministers. The remaining time was spent on propositions brought by individual Members and committees (particularly the Privileges and Procedures Committee). Twenty-four propositions from individual Members were debated during the year, compared to 34 in 2017 and 20 in 2016.

Ministers were asked 211 questions, with advance notice of the subject, compared to 219 in 2017. As usual, the Chief Minister was the most questioned Minister. There were also over 7 hours of questions asked without notice, with the Chief Minister asked the most questions.

Questions Without Notice

2.5 2 1.5 1 0.5 0

2017 2018

In addition, 284 questions requiring a written answer were tabled during the year, compared to 350 in 2017.

More data about the States Assembly in 2018 can be found in Appendix 4.

Significant debates

Overview

The year saw the end of one Assembly and, following the May election, the beginning of a new one. The weeks immediately prior to the election in particular saw the previous Assembly debate a large number of items. Some of the more noteworthy topics discussed by Members, both before and after the election, are summarised in the following pages.

The Assembly continued to deal with the report of the Independent Jersey Care Inquiry and the recommendations which it had made regarding the future of care of children in the Island. On 31st January 2018, the Assembly debated the implementation of the report's recommendations, 6 months on from their publication.

One of the most significant topics for  debate in recent years has been the  plans for a new hospital. 2017 had seen  a number of debates on the subject and  it continued to be discussed in 2018,  both before and after the election. On  9th April 2018, the Assembly debated  Future Hospital: Review of proposed  site location and costs (P.37/2018),  which had been lodged by the   Connétable of St. John , Chris Taylor . The proposition sought to open up the discussion on the number of sites on which a new hospital could potentially be built, but was rejected. However, on 11th July 2018 the new Assembly adopted a proposition from Deputy Russell Labey , Future Hospital: Public Inquiry – Terms of Reference (P.90/2018), which allowed the Independent Planning Inspector looking at the Hospital planning application to consider whether it could be built on other sites (aside from the preferred option of Gloucester Street).

Brexit also continued to be a subject of debate. On 6th March 2018, the Assembly adopted the Draft European Union (Repeal and Amendment) (Jersey) Law 201- (P.16/2018). On

20th November 2018, the Draft Road Traffic and Vehicles (Vienna Convention – Miscellaneous Amendments) (Jersey) Regulations 201- (P.109/2018) were also adopted to ensure that Jersey motorists could continue to circulate freely throughout the E.U. following Brexit.

A number of significant policy matters were brought forward by the Council of Ministers and by Ministers individually. Before the elections, on 9th April 2018 the Assembly adopted Higher Education funding proposal (P.33/2018), which had been lodged by the Council of Ministers and which established the principle of a new Higher Education Grant Scheme. However, not all ministerial initiatives were successful: on 21st February 2018, the Minister for Housing's Social Housing in Jersey: introduction of a regulatory framework (P.120/2017) was rejected.

Further policy proposals were considered by the new Assembly. On 6th November 2018, for example, the Assembly agreed Importation of Waste for treatment in the Jersey Energy from Waste plant (P.104/2018), lodged by the Minister for Infrastructure, which sought in-principle approval for the importation of waste for disposal. Perhaps most significantly, on

4th December 2018, the new Assembly unanimously adopted the Proposed Common Strategy Policy 201822 (P.110/2018), which set the priorities of the Council of Ministers for the new term of office.

Reform of the Island's public institutions continued to be a source of debate. In 2017, the previous Assembly had agreed that the Bailiff should cease to be President of the States, and that his role in the Assembly should be filled by that of a speaker elected by the Assembly. Implementation of the proposition was made subject to a referendum, and the Draft Referendum (Presidency of States Assembly) (Jersey) Act 201- (P.76/2018) was one of the first items debated by the new Assembly. However, the Draft Act was rejected and a referendum was therefore not held, and the Bailiff 's role as President of the States was not altered.

In 2017, the Assembly  had agreed the principle  of setting up a system of  e-petitions by which the  Public could raise issues  of importance to them  with elected Members.  The system became a  reality in 2018 following  the Assembly's adoption  of E-Petitions:  introduction (P.123/2017) on 30th January 2018, in which the precise workings of the system were determined. The system went live in August 2018. On 20th March 2018, the Assembly also adopted the Draft Machinery of Government (Miscellaneous Amendments) (Jersey) Law 201- (P.1/2018) which amended the make-up of public sector departments and the responsibilities of the Chief Executive of the States.

In the run-up to the elections, a number of pieces of significant legislation were adopted. The Draft Criminal Procedure (Jersey) Law 201- (P.118/2017) was adopted by the States on 18th January 2018 and the Draft Marriage and Civil Status (Amendment No. 4) (Jersey)

Law 201- (P.91/2017) was adopted (as amended) on 1st February 2018, having been subjected to review by the Corporate Services Scrutiny Panel. The Law made provision for same-sex marriage. The Draft Sexual Offences (Jersey) Law 201- (P.18/2018) was adopted on 21st March 2018 and, a day later, the Draft Discrimination (Disability) (Jersey) Regulations 201- (P.20/2018) were also approved. Finally, and immediately before the Assembly broke for the elections, a number of items of mental capacity and self- determination legislation were adopted.

There were a number of propositions from independent Members, both before and after the elections. On 18th January 2018, the Assembly adopted, as amended, Bellozanne Sewage Treatment Works: odour emissions (P.115/2017), which had been lodged by Deputy Andrew Lewis . And on 6th March 2018, the Assembly adopted Deputy Montfort Tadier 's proposition, Housing:

prevention of discrimination by landlords against tenants with children (P.31/2018), thereby requesting measures to be taken to ensure that such discrimination does not take place. The last proposition debated by the Assembly before the elections was Retail tax: rescindment of States' decision (P.62/2018), lodged by Senator Philip Ozouf . The result was a tied vote,

24 votes each way, which meant that the proposition was rejected.

Members newly elected in May were among those to bring propositions for debate in the new Assembly. Deputy Jess Perchard saw several parts of her proposition, Entitled status on social and economic

grounds: changes to legislation (P.99/2018), adopted. Later on

in the year, the Assembly adopted a proposition from

Deputy Montfort Tadier entitled Medicinal Cannabis: right to prescribe by medical professionals (P.113/2018). Finally, on 20th November 2018, the Assembly adopted a proposition from Deputy Carina Alves , Compensation for Mesothelioma sufferers (P.124/2018), which arose from an e-petition on the subject, and agreed that a compensation scheme for people suffering from the condition should be established. The last proposition debated in 2018 had been lodged by Deputy Southern . Entitled Public Finances (Jersey) Law 2005: amendment to Medium Term Financial Plan for 2019 (P.137/2018), it requested that money be made available so that negotiations about public sector pay could be re-opened. It was debated until late in the evening on 6th December 2018 and was rejected.

Scrutiny 2018

Overview

2018 was a busy and influential year for the Assembly's Scrutiny Panels and the Public Accounts Committee ("PAC"), despite a break in work during the election and a significant change of membership across the Panels and Committees as the new States Assembly took shape. The last few months before the election, traditionally a quieter time in Scrutiny as Panels complete work and are cautious not to begin reviews that cannot be finished, saw a heavy programme of Government business in the Assembly. Most Panels therefore continued to work up to the last Sitting scrutinising the legislation, policies, decisions and actions of Ministers.

Following the election, the States completed the appointments of Members to the various chairing and membership roles on its Scrutiny Panels by mid-June. Full membership of PAC was completed in September. Members took part in a number of induction and training sessions and all Panels have been pro-active in commencing reviews, covering a range of topics including mental health services, Budget 2018, the gender pay gap, cybercrime legislation and States of Jersey estate management.

As well as legislative and policy reviews, Panels have once again ensured that the full range of mechanisms available to them have been used to hold Ministers to account, and in the case of the PAC, the Chief Executive and Accountable Officers. This has included questions and statements in the States, public quarterly hearings, and public comment in traditional and social media.

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

Significant scrutiny work

Future Hospital

The future location of Jersey's General Hospital was subject to considerable scrutiny attention throughout the year, beginning in January following the Minister for the Environment's decision to refuse planning permission for the outline planning application for the new Hospital. As part of its work, an ad hoc review Panel held a public hearing with the Ministers for Health and Social Services and Infrastructure, where they were challenged about their plans for the Hospital project, and the implications of the planning refusal in terms of preferred location for the Hospital and funding for the project.

In March the Future Hospital Project Team presented a revised scheme. In a report, the review Panel noted that the revised scheme differed significantly to the previous version, particularly the footprint and the project sequencing which would be completed in phases. The Panel recommended that the Government lodge a proposition to seek the States' approval of the revised scheme.

After the election the review Panel was reconstituted. With a planning inquiry on the Government's plans for a new Hospital on the existing site beginning in September, it immediately invited the Chief Minister and Chairman of his new Hospital Policy Development Board to attend a public hearing to explain the latest Government approach. The Panel's work continued in 2019.

Deputy Kevin Pamplin, Chairman of the Future Hospital Review Panel said:

"Our job in Scrutiny is to hold Ministers to account for their policies and to help keep the Public informed on matters of public interest. The future Hospital will be the Island's largest project to date and it is important that the Public are clear about the status of the project.''

Care of Children in Jersey

As part of an ongoing project, the Care of Children in Jersey Review Panel reviewed the progress made to implement the recommendations put forward by the Independent Jersey

Care Inquiry ("IJCI"). It

established that by the end of  2018 all 41 actions committed to  by the Government in response to  the IJCI had either been started or  completed.  

The report gave particular focus  to the response to the first  

4 recommendations of the IJCI,  as well as the work done to bring  forward a revised children's plan  and a pledge for children and young people. It also examined concerns around the funding available to make these changes in the last year of the current Medium Term Financial Plan ("MTFP").

Overall, the Panel found that there had been significant progress made in the areas reviewed, with numerous successes. They highlighted the appointment of the Children's Commissioner, the development of a schools-based participation strategy (school council network), an external inspection by Ofsted, and subsequent Children's Services improvement plan and the collaborative approach to developing a revised children's plan.

There was, however, evidence to suggest that the wider cultural and structural changes recommended by the IJCI were still not fully in place.

Panel Chairman Deputy Rob Ward commented:

The response to the Care Inquiry has been, and continues to be, a major priority for the States of Jersey. The Review Panel has seen that a substantial amount of work has been undertaken in order to implement the recommendations of the Care Inquiry. The foundations are being laid to meet the cultural and structural challenges that Jersey faces. However, there is no time to become complacent, and a considerable amount of work is still required in order to implement the recommendations fully.''

Student Finance Proposals

The Education and Home Affairs Scrutiny Panel examined proposals brought forward largely in response to its own previous review, which had put pressure on the Government to address the challenges that many families faced in relation to the costs of higher education. The proposals sought to increase significantly the support available to students accessing higher education.

The Panel concluded that, although the proposals would increase the support available to students, concerns existed in relation to the robustness of the modelling undertaken. Specific issues included the deadweight' created from providing funding to some of the wealthiest households in the Island, underestimating the future demand for the scheme, and an apparent lack of any consideration for other types of funding (e.g. a loan scheme).

The Panel recommended that the proposals should be seen as an interim solution until the end of the current MTFP, and that further work was required by the Ministers for Treasury and Resources and Education to identify a long-term scheme.

Deputy Jeremy Maçon, Chairman of the Panel, said:

"There is no doubt that what has been brought forward to the States Assembly will immediately address the issue of the costs of higher education that has affected so many families in recent years. Whilst the Panel is pleased that something has finally been brought forward to address this issue, the proposals should only be seen as an interim measure, and further work is required.''

An amendment to the proposal was submitted by Senator Philip Ozouf , which stipulated that the scheme would need to be reviewed after 3 years, but also that it should cover the full course fees of all students who started University from 2018 to 2021. During the debate on 9th April 2018, the proposals were adopted as amended by the States Assembly.

Long-Term Care Scheme

This review by the Health and Social Security Scrutiny Panel examined the Government's Long-Term Care ("LTC") Scheme, which provides a framework to support the growing care costs of the ageing population, as well as providing means-tested payments and loans to people who would otherwise struggle with the costs of care.

The Panel considered that the LTC Scheme compared favourably with internationally recognised schemes in terms of the balance of responsibility between the Government and individuals. However, it highlighted respite care as a fundamental issue within the health and social care system as a whole. It found that some individuals struggled to gain access to respite, particularly when the need for it was urgent or unplanned, and the Panel found that present arrangements did not meet needs in many cases, which risked the provision of care within families.

Chairman of the Panel, Deputy Richard Renouf , said:

"Although we found there were some problems in the early implementation of the Scheme, the situation has now improved. in general, the Scheme is a positive and well thought out system which provides valuable support to Islanders with long-term conditions. However, there are still areas where improvements can be made. Perhaps the most crucial issue we heard about was the difficultly in accessing respite care, particularly if the need for it is urgent or unplanned. Carers make a huge contribution to society by providing unpaid care and support to family members. The pressures on them can be great and Ministers should ensure they have adequate respite to enable them to continue with the care they give."

Marriage and Civil Status Law

The Corporate Services Scrutiny Panel published a report on the Draft Marriage and Civil Status (Amendment No. 4) (Jersey) Law 201-. The Panel's legislative review focused on a number of key themes, including:

Accreditation for civil marriage celebrants

Protections for buildings owned by religious groups

A limited and narrowly defined "tolerance" clause

Use of religious material in civil marriage ceremonies.

In addition to presenting the report, the Panel proposed a series of amendments aimed at improving the draft Law, which were debated by the States. Deputy John Le Fondré, Chairman of the Panel, explained:

'The amendments are based on the issues and concerns that we encountered during our review. We have tried to ensure that the Draft Law maintains the right balance between the rights of people to enjoy a family life and the rights of people to live by their religious conviction.''

Retail in Jersey

A report published by the  Economic Affairs Scrutiny  Panel made 29 key  findings and  

15 recommendations,  having found that retailers  face considerable  challenges, including  online shopping, high rent  costs and Brexit-related  uncertainty.  

Chairman of the Panel, Deputy Kirsten Morel said:

"The retail sector plays a major role in our economy. There's no doubt that the sector has experienced difficult times in recent years and the challenges it faces are ongoing. However, the Panel has found that the outlook can remain positive if retailers and authorities remain flexible and open to new ideas.''

The report highlighted that retailers will have to ensure that their staff have the right skills, both to improve the quality of customer service in the Island, and to provide the sector with a bright future by having the skills to develop exciting and fulfilling careers in retail. The introduction of a career-focused retail course (run by Highlands College) was seen as a good example of the steps currently being taken to enhance skill levels in the retail workforce.

The Panel further recommended that the Government needed to collect better data on the retail sector, because the lack of good quality data had been a clear impediment to effective management of retail in Jersey.

The Panel also looked at the deregulation of Sunday trading, which is expected to be brought forward as a Government proposal in 2019. The Panel backed the Government's presumed position on this, as it could benefit the tourism industry. However, the Panel advised that proper protections regarding people's rights to worship and to spend time with their families, would be imperative.

Improving Scrutiny: developments and initiatives

Code of Practice

In April the States endorsed a new framework governing the engagement between the Assembly's Scrutiny Panels and Ministers. The new Code of Practice (/assemblypropositions/2018/p.56-2018.pdf) establishes a clear expectation of co-operation in the provision of information by Ministers and Departments to the Scrutiny Panels and the PAC.

Evidence under Oath

The States also approved an amendment to the powers of Scrutiny Panels to enable them to place witnesses under oath when providing evidence at a public hearing. It is seen as a powerful tool and one to be used sparingly, but in the right circumstances it will be of value to Scrutiny proceedings in providing focus to the requirement for witnesses to be open and truthful in the evidence they provide.

This is similar to mechanisms available to parliamentary committees in other jurisdictions, including the UK House of Commons.

Deputy John Le Fondré, President of the Chairmen's Committee when it brought forward the Code of Practice and oath proposals, said:

"The approval by the States of these 2 significant improvements to the authority and standing of Scrutiny Panels is a very satisfactory conclusion to the detailed assessment of Scrutiny processes carried out by the Chairmen's Committee ... The aim has been to ensure that Jersey's Scrutiny processes are on a par with the rights and powers of Scrutiny Panels and Select Committees in other jurisdictions, something we have gone a long way to achieving."

Webcasting

Live online broadcasts of public hearings held by Scrutiny Panels and the PAC were introduced in 2018. The webcasts are accessible via a link on the States Assembly website, and viewers can watch hearings live or on catch-up. The webcast of each hearing is available to view for 6 months.

Senator Kristina Moore , appointed President of the Chairmen's Committee in June 2018, commented:

"Scrutiny is the main way in which the States Assembly holds Government Ministers to account, and Scrutiny does this on behalf of the Public. One of the key principles underpinning that work is transparency; it is important that the Public is able to follow Scrutiny's work, and it is therefore vital that we make that work as accessible as possible. Webcasting public hearings will help to achieve that. It will allow more people to follow the progress of Scrutiny Reviews and to witness the political decision-making process."

The decision to publish live online coverage of Scrutiny hearings was an objective of the States Greffe Business Plan 2018, and follows the successful introduction in 2016 of webcasting facilities in the States Chamber. Each meeting of the States Assembly is already available live online, and the same will now happen for every Scrutiny public hearing held in the States Building.

Public engagement and schools outreach

Overview

In January 2017, the Privileges and Procedures Committee published a strategy for engaging the Public with Jersey's democracy (R.5/2017). The strategy set out a number of public engagement initiatives which were well established:

Year 5 schools programme of visits to the Assembly

Support for the Jersey Youth Assembly

Vote.je website and other activity to promote elections

High-profile public meetings of Scrutiny Panels

Use of Twitter and Facebook to provide information about the Assembly and Panels

Webcasting of Assembly Sittings.

However, PPC noted that public engagement had developed piecemeal in recent years without any underlying strategy or co-ordination. Furthermore, it said that new developments in open data and digital-first are not being fully exploited, and that if the Assembly is increasingly seen as out-of-touch from the people it serves, Jersey's democracy will be damaged.

The strategy set out a number of initiatives for enhancing the Assembly's engagement with the Public, several of which were implemented in 2018:

Our website, www.statesassembly.gov.je, was redesigned, following extensive engagement with users. It is cleaner and more modern, has increased functionality, including the capability to host news stories about the Assembly, and an improved search function. More improvements are now being made continually. The site has seen a massive increase in the number of users visiting, from 33,684 in 2017 up to 82,955 in 2018 (+146%).

We launched an e-petitions function – www.petitions.gov.je – in August 2018 which quickly attracted thousands of signatures to e-petitions on a wide range of subjects chosen by Islanders. Within 5 months of launching the site, 14 petitions had reached over the required 1,000 signatures for a Ministerial response, with 13 Ministerial responses having been published.

We introduced the webcasting of Scrutiny Panel and Public Accounts Committee meetings – all of which can now be seen at https://statesassembly.public- i.tv/core/portal/webcasts, alongside webcasts of Assembly meetings.

We now publish open data sets on Members' names, roles and voting records, which facilitated the creation of a new website, www.theyworkforyou.je, which enables Members' voting records to be compared.

We have significantly improved our use  of social media, particularly Twitter, to  communicate information about the  Assembly and to engage with the  Public. On Twitter alone, link clicks'  were up from 1,902 in 2017 to 4,043 in  2018 (+112%); retweets' were up from  579 in 2017 to 1,580 in 2018 (+173%);  post likes' were up from 422 in 2017 to  1,870 in 2018 (+343%); and  impressions (the number of accounts our tweets were delivered to) was up from 443.6K in 2017 to 795.6K in 2018 (+78%).

Primary School visits to the States Chamber/Citizenship Programme

The school visit scheme, which involved all Year 5 primary school children (aged 9 and 10), from both the States-funded and private sectors, ran throughout the school year and enabled each school to visit the States Chamber on a Monday morning.

The children 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, 3 of the children took the rôles of the Greffier, the Dean and the Usher.

During 2018, 42 visits were held and 1,157 Year 5 children visited the States Chamber. Each child was presented with: a copy of their proposition, an Order Paper, an information sheet concerning the States Member whose seat they had taken, and a certificate to commemorate their involvement in the visit.

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.

Debate topics during 2018 included proposals to introduce class pets, reduce the use of cars for the school-run, increase recycling across the Island, ban single-use plastics, homework and smacking.

Youth Service Politics Workshops

The States Greffe worked with the Youth Service to run 6 sessions in Autumn 2018 for Hautlieu Year 10 pupils as part of the Personal, Social, Health and Economic curriculum, for the third year in a row. Discussions also commenced with the Youth Service to develop and implement a new Youth Parliament organisation in order that the views of young people in the Island could be heard.

Youth Assembly and other youth debates

The 21st Jersey Youth Assembly was held in the States Chamber on 20th March 2018. The Assembly was held under the presidency of the Branch President, the Bailiff of Jersey, and continued during question time under the presidency of the Branch Chairman, Len Norman, the Connétable of St. Clement . Thirty-seven young people participated from 5 schools and colleges.

The event began with Question Time, at which several Ministers and Assistant Ministers answered questions from the students on a range of topics, including wind and tidal energy, mental health services for young people and the potential sale of Fort Regent.

The topics covered during the debates were:

that a licence should be required to have a child in the UK and Jersey

that Jersey should reduce its contribution to pollution by restricting the number of cars per household

that Jersey's Planning Laws should be relaxed

that there should be a subsidised fruit and vegetables scheme for morning break at all Jersey primary schools from Reception to Year 3.

The Chamber was also the venue in November 2018 for the annual Rotary Peace debate, which featured students from across all of the Island's secondary schools.

Chamber visits

During 2018 a wide range of visitors were welcomed to the Chamber for tours, including visitors from Tobago, Canada, staff from the Lord Mayor of London's office, St. Martin 's and St. Mary 's Women's Institutes, as well as a large group from various U.K. W.I. branches, and also a group of visitors as part of the Festival of Words. The Deputy Greffier conducted one tour in French for students visiting from Brittany, and delegates were also welcomed from the Commonwealth Association of Legislative Counsel Conference, which was held in Jersey in September 2018.

2018 election and Vote.je

The 3 main focal points of the work undertaken in 2018 under the vote.je banner were an increase in the information available about the current electoral system, the encouragement of a broader range of people to vote, and also the provision of greater support to prospective candidates.

For the first time, an open day event was held in March 2018 at which local industry representatives gathered to meet with prospective candidates and existing States Members, so that they were better informed about current issues within the Island. Not only was this a chance for prospective candidates to talk directly to representatives from the Island's industries and hear about their main areas of concern and share ideas about strengthening the economy, but it also provided an opportunity to talk with officers from the States Greffe about the campaign process and find out about the support available via vote.je and to new Members after the election. Outreach work was also undertaken in the months leading up to the elections with colleagues from Brighter Futures and Women in Politics in order to encourage candidates from a more diverse range of backgrounds to consider standing for election.

In another first, 48,000 letters were sent out by the Parishes to let Islanders know if they were on the electoral register and could vote in the elections. Furthermore, from

1st March 2018, the Public could register online on the My Parish Online website to make sure that they were on the electoral register and able to vote. Some 5,000 people took advantage of this process in the run-up to the election.

Translation work was undertaken to ensure that all of the key messages associated with the general election were also available in Polish, Portuguese and French. A series of short animated films were produced which covered registration and voting processes in Jersey, and these were available in Portuguese, Polish and French.

A 64-page booklet containing all the details of the 77 candidates seeking election, as well as material about the registration and voting process, was circulated to all Island households. It also included pages in Polish, Portuguese and French so that all voters had access to information about how and where they could vote.

Lovetheatre was commissioned to write a play which was performed in all Island secondary schools to target young voters. "One Day " portrayed the story of a boy in Jersey who had inaccurate preconceived ideas and did not consider that he had a role to play in local politics. The play followed his journey which led to him becoming more engaged. This play was a fun, powerful and memorable way of informing young people about our voting system, and a great way for Islanders of all ages to understand the way voting in Jersey works. The play was also filmed and available as a download on vote.je.

Pre-poll voting was available at St. Paul's Centre and 3,099 people used this facility in the 3 weeks before the general election day – just under 12% of the votes cast overall.

Short candidate videos were again filmed and available on vote.je. All of the hustings meetings were filmed and uploaded to vote.je the day after each event. For the first time, a qualified British Sign Language Interpreter provided a signing service for the deaf community at the final senatorial hustings at St. Helier Methodist Centre. Where available, transcripts of candidates' videos were included on vote.je so that the needs of people in the Island who are hearing-impaired were acknowledged, allowing them to find out more about candidates' views. It is hoped that in 2022, coverage can include live captions.

The CPA Election Observers' Mission report published after the 2018 Elections was extremely complimentary about the work undertaken by the States Greffe and the vote.je project in providing information to Islanders and support for candidates.

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.

The highlight of the year came in February, when Jersey hosted the global Commonwealth Youth Parliament. Over 40 young people from across the globe came to Jersey to learn about parliamentary institutions and procedures. Akbar Khan, the Secretary-General of the CPA, visited the Island during the event, as did a number of parliamentarians from other jurisdictions who acted as mentors for the participants. Deputy (now Senator) Sam Mézec , who had represented Jersey at an earlier Commonwealth Youth Parliament, also acted as a mentor to delegates.

In addition, during 2018 Assembly Members attended the 48th annual meeting of the CPA British Islands and Mediterranean region ("BIMR"), in London, the 5th annual conference of the regional branch of the Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians, which was also in London, and took part in the CPA (UK) Westminster Seminar event, which is aimed at new parliamentarians. In November, parliamentarians from the UK and the Isle of Man visited Jersey to host a seminar for new States Members on parliamentary procedure and practice. Jersey was also represented at the Commonwealth Day celebrations in London in March.

Deputy Carolyn Labey , who during 2018 replaced Connétable Len Norman as Chair of the branch, was replaced by Deputy Jess Perchard as Jersey's representative on the regional steering committee of the Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians. Deputy Labey was also a member of a working party to develop a strategy for the regional CPA.

Assemblée Parlementaire de la Francophonie ("APF") – Section de Jersey

New President

Following the elections to the States Assembly in May 2018, a new Executive Committee of the Jersey Section of the Assemblée Parlementaire de la Francophonie (APF) was appointed. Deputy Montfort Tadier was elected as President of the Executive Committee, defeating Senator John Le Fondré by 21 votes to 16.

Assemblée Regionale Europe

Due to the May election, the Jersey Section could not be represented in 2018 at the Conférence des Présidents in Romania, nor the Assemblée Générale in Québec. From 22nd to 24th October 2018, however, the Section was represented by the President, Deputy Tadier , and the Vice-President, Senator Le Fondré, at the Assemblée Régionale Europe in Andorra.

The subject of the conference was sustainable tourism and its impact on the economic, environmental and socio-cultural spheres. The discussions provided opportunities for the President and Vice-President to hear about measures being taken in other jurisdictions in these areas. Particular attention was given during the discussions to the role of education, and the challenges faced by francophone jurisdictions in ensuring a sustainable tourism industry. The conference also afforded the Jersey delegates an opportunity to learn about Andorra and its institutions.

Ordre de la Pléiade

Each year, the Jersey Section is able to recommend individuals to the APF for receipt of an honour within the Ordre de la Pléiade. This Order was created to recognise the outstanding merits of those who have distinguished themselves serving the ideals of the APF and French-speaking communities. This includes promoting the role of the French language in their own country. The previous Executive Committee had recommended that an award be given to Mr. Bob Le Sueur , M.B.E. and, on 30th July 2018, he was presented by the Bailiff with the award of the level of Chevalier. Mr. Le Sueur , a proficient French-speaker, had been a founding member of Les Amitiés Franco-Britanniques de Jersey (an organisation created to foster good relationships between France and Jersey and to encourage the use of French 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 (now Senator) Le Fondré was until 2018 Jersey's representative member, and Deputy Kevin Lewis was associate member. They have now been replaced by Deputy David Johnson and Connétable Simon Crowcroft respectively. Jersey's representatives attended conferences in Sligo and London

during 2018.

Appendix 1:

Membership of the States Assembly, as at June 2018

Sir William James Bailhache , Bailiff , President (Appointed 29th January 2015)

Air Chief Marshal Sir Stephen Dalton, G.C.B., LL.D. (Hon.), D.Sc. (Hon.), B.Sc., F.R.Ae.S., C.C.M.I., His Excellency the Lieutenant Governor (Appointed 13th 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  Role

in as

States

Member

05.12.2005  Minister for External Relations

09.12.1999  Minister for Economic Development,

Tourism, Sport and Culture

12.12.2002  Chairman, Public Accounts

Committee

05.12.2005  Chief Minister 08.12.2008  Minister for Education

14.11.2011  President, Chairmen's Committee

and Chairman, Corporate Services Scrutiny Panel

14.11.2011  Assistant Minister for Economic

Development, Tourism, Sport and Culture and Health and Social Services

07.03.2014  Minister for Children and Housing

and Assistant Minister for Education and for Health and Social Services

Connétable Alan Simon Crowcroft of St. Helier

Connétable Leonard Norman of St. Clement

Connétable Deidre Wendy Mezbourian of St. Lawrence

Connétable Sadie Anthea Le Sueur - Rennard of St. Saviour


12.12.1996  

17.06.1983  Minister for Home Affairs 05.12.2005  Chairman, Comité des Connétable s 14.11.2011  

Connétable Michael Keith Jackson of  11.11.2005  Chairman, Environment, Housing St. Brelade  and Infrastructure Scrutiny Panel

Connétable John Edward Le Maistre  04.10.2013  

of Grouville

Connétable Christopher Hugh Taylor  03.11.2014  Assistant Chief Minister of St. John

Connétable Philip Bond Le Sueur of  03.11.2014  

Trinity

Connétable Richard Vibert of  01.06.2018  

St. Peter

Connétable John Michael Le Bailly of  01.06.2018  

St. Mary

Connétable Richard Alan Buchanan of St. Ouen

Connétable Karen Shenton-Stone of St. Martin


01.06.2018  Assistant Chief Minister and

Assistant Minister for External Relations

01.06.2018  

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


05.05.2000  Minister for Social Security 15.02.2002  Assistant Minister for Social Security

12.12.2002  Minister for International

Development, Assistant Chief Minister and Chairman, Jersey Overseas Aid Commission

05.12.2005  Minister for Infrastructure

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 Rondel of St. Helier No. 3/4

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

Deputy John Hilary Young of St. Brelade No. 1

Deputy Lindsay Barry Edward Ash of St. Clement

Deputy Kirsten Francis Morel of St. Lawrence

Deputy Gregory Charles Umberto Guida of St. Lawrence

Deputy Rowland Edward Huelin of St. Peter


08.12.2008 Assistant Minister for Economic

Development, Tourism, Sport and Culture

08.12.2008

08.12.2008 Assistant Minister for Education,

Health and Social Services, and Social Security

14.11.2011 Minister for Treasury and Resources 14.11.2011

14.11.2011 Assistant Minister for Infrastructure

03.11.2014 Minister for Health and Social

Services

03.11.2014

03.11.2014 Chairman, Privileges and Procedures

and Planning Committees

03.11.2014

03.11.2014

03.11.2014

14.11.2011 Minister for the Environment

01.06.2018 Assistant Minister for Treasury and

Resources

01.06.2018 Chairman, Economic Affairs Scrutiny

Panel

01.06.2018 Assistant Minister for the

Environment and Home Affairs

01.06.2018

Deputy Hugh Charles Raymond of Trinity

Deputy Trevor Pointon of St. John

Deputy Mary Rose Le Hegarat of St. Helier No. 3/4

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

Deputy Jessica Harriet Perchard of St. Saviour No. 3

Deputy Robert James Ward of St. Helier No. 2

Deputy Carina Soares Alves of St. Helier No. 2

Deputy Kevin Glyn Pamplin of St. Saviour No. 1


01.06.2018  Assistant Minister for Infrastructure

and Health and Social Services

01.06.2018  

01.06.2018  Chairman, Health and Social

Security Scrutiny Panel

01.06.2018  01.06.2018  

01.06.2018  Chairman, Education and Home

Affairs Scrutiny Panel

01.06.2018  01.06.2018  

Timothy John Le Cocq , Deputy Bailiff (Appointed 2nd April 2015)

The Very Reverend Michael Robert Keirle , Dean of Jersey (Appointed 7th September 2017) Robert James MacRae , Q.C., H.M. Attorney General (Appointed 5th May 2015)

Mark Howard Temple, Q.C., H.M. Solicitor General (Appointed 17th August 2015)

Officers of the States

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

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

Tributes to former States Members

Tributes were paid to the following States Members in the Chamber during 2018: Deputy Graham Thorne of St. Brelade – 9 April 2018

Members will no doubt be aware that Graham Thorne died on Monday, 26th March at the age of 81. He was elected to the States on 17th December 1981 as a Deputy in St. Brelade No. 2 and re-elected in 1984 serving 6 years as Deputy of that District. He was a member of the Resources Recovery Board and the Fort Regent Development Committee, and to both those Committees he brought his knowledge and skills of the plumbing and building industries. Graham Thorne was also familiar with the challenges which running a small business entailed, and he was able to bring that experience to the Assembly in the various debates which took place. He stood unsuccessfully in 1987 and again in the Senatorial elections of 1993, from which one can see not only his interest in politics but also his desire to serve his Island in, at that time, an honorary capacity. Graham Thorne had to suffer the loss of his son, Paul, before him and now he leaves his widow, Joy, to whom he was married for 59 years, his daughter, Tanya and 3 grandchildren. I know we would all wish to pass on the thoughts of the Assembly to his family in their grief and I ask Members to stand and show their appreciation in the usual way. May he rest in peace.

Deputy Richard Rondel of St. Helier – 20 November 2018

Members will, I know, have been deeply saddened to learn of the death of a friend and colleague, Deputy Richard Rondel. Deputy Rondel was from a farming family and was deeply involved in the farming community. But in this place, he is chiefly remembered as a courageous and committed Member, popular both within the Parish that he served and in the Assembly. He was first elected on 14th November 2011 and was subsequently re-elected to St. Helier 3 and 4 in 2014 and, again, in 2018, where he topped the poll. In his first term, he served as a member of the Public Accounts Committee and the Corporate Services Scrutiny Panel, and after the 2014 elections he was appointed as Assistant Minister for Infrastructure and he also served on the Planning Applications Panel, latterly the Planning Committee, his involvement with which continued into the current term. In 2013, he represented Jersey in the 24th Commonwealth Parliamentary Association seminar in Singapore and was a

discussion leader during the session entitled "Scrutiny of the Executive: Public Accounts Committee". Deputy Rondel was truly committed to his Parish and he served his constituents diligently and always showed great compassion. He was active within the community and very supportive of various Parish events, particularly in the last 6 years the Fête de

St. Hélier, initiating a parade through town as part of the festivities celebrating our Island's capital. Although in very poor health for the last 3 years, Deputy Rondel remained upbeat and committed to his role, attending Planning and States meetings throughout

October 2018. He will be remembered as much for his character and resilience, as for his undoubted contribution to the public life of the Island. Our thoughts are, today, with his family, especially his sons, James, Joshua and Jack, of whom he was immensely proud, as they should also be of him. He served his Parish and the Island with dedication and enthusiasm, and his unwaveringly positive attitude is an example to all. I would like to invite Members to stand for a minute in silence in tribute to him. [Silence] May he rest in peace.

Scrutiny and PAC Reports/Comments/Amendments/Propositions 2018

Chairmen's Committee

Legacy Report – Chairmen's Committee [S.R.15/2018]

Proposition – Draft States of Jersey (Powers, Privileges and Immunities) (Scrutiny panels etc.) (Amendment No. 2) (Jersey) Regulations 201- [P.51/2018]

Proposition – Code of Practice for Engagement between Scrutiny Panels and the Public Accounts Committee' and the Executive' [P.56/2018]

Corporate Services Panel

Amendment – Draft Marriage and Civil Status (Amendment No. 4) (Jersey) Law 201- (P.91/2017): second amendment[P.91/2017 Amd.(2)]

Amendment – Draft Marriage and Civil Status (Amendment No. 4) (Jersey) Law 201- (P.91/2017): second amendment (P.91/2017 Amd.(2)) – amendment [P.91/2017 Amd.(2)Amd.]

Amendment – Draft Marriage and Civil Status (Amendment No. 4) (Jersey) Law 201- (P.91/2017): second amendment (P.91/2017 Amd.(2)) – second amendment [P.91/2017 Amd.(2)Amd.(2)]

Amendment – Proposed Common Strategic Policy 2018–22 (P.110/2018): fourth amendment [P.110/2018 Amd.(4)]

Amendment – Draft Budget Statement 2019 (P.114/2018): fifth amendment [P.114/2018 Amd.(5)]

Legacy Report – Corporate Services Scrutiny Panel [S.R.14/2018]

Report – Draft Budget Statement 2019 [S.R.16/2018]

Report – Migration Policy 2018 [S.R.7/2018]

Report – Marriage and Civil Status Law [S.R.1/2018]

Economic Affairs Panel

Comments – Draft Taxation (Companies – Economic Substance) (Jersey) Law 201- (P.132/2018): comments [P.132/2018 Com.]

Comments – Draft Limited Liability Companies (Jersey) Law 201- (P.85/2018): comments [P.85/2018 Com.]

Comments – Draft Companies (Demerger) (Jersey) Regulations 201- (P.59/2018): comments [P.59/2018 Com.]

Legacy Report – Economic Affairs [S.R.9/2018]

Report – Retail in Jersey [S.R.18/2018]

Education and Home Affairs Panel

Amendment – Draft Criminal Procedure (Jersey) Law 201- (P.118/2017): amendment [P.118/2017 Amd.]

Amendment – Draft Sexual Offences (Jersey) Law 201- (P.18/2018): amendment [P.18/2018 Amd.]

Amendment – Draft Sexual Offences (Jersey) Law 201- (P.18/2018): second amendment [P.18/2018 Amd.(2)]

Amendment – Draft Sexual Offences (Jersey) Law 201- (P.18/2018): third amendment [P.18/2018 Amd.(3)]

Comments – Draft Armed Forces (Vehicles and Roads – Amendments) (Jersey) Regulations 201- (P.40/2018): comments [P.40/2018 Com.]

Comments – Draft Sexual Offences (Jersey) Law 201- (P.18/2018): comments [P.18/2018 Com.]

Comments – Draft Criminal Procedure (Jersey) Law 201- (P.118/2017): comments [P.118/2017 Com.]

Comments – Draft Motor Vehicles (Removal from Private Land) (Jersey) Law 201- (P.112/2018): comments [P.112/2018 Com.]

Further Comments – Draft Criminal Procedure (Jersey) Law 201- (P.118/2017): further comments [P.118/2017 Com.(2)]

Legacy Report – Education and Home Affairs [S.R.12/2018]

Report – Student Finance Proposals [S.R.5/2019]

Environment, Housing and Infrastructure Panel

Amendment – Draft Road Traffic and Vehicles (Vienna Convention – Miscellaneous Amendments) (Jersey) Regulations 201- (P.109/2018): amendment [P.109/2018 Amd.]

Amendment – Social housing in Jersey: introduction of a regulatory framework (P.120/2017) – third amendment [P.120/2017 Amd.(3)]

Comments – Draft Road Traffic and Vehicles (Vienna Convention – Miscellaneous Amendments) (Jersey) Regulations 201- (P.109/2018): comments [P.109/2018 Com.]

Comments – Importation of Waste for treatment in the Jersey Energy from Waste plant (P.104/2018): comments [P.104/2018 Com.(2)]

Comments – Social housing in Jersey: introduction of a regulatory framework (P.120/2017) – comments [P.120/2017 Com.]

Legacy Report – Environment, Housing and Infrastructure [S.R.8/2018]

Health and Social Security Panel

Comments – Draft Regulation of Care legislation (P.125/2018, P.126/2018, P.127/2018, P.128/2018 and P.129/2018): comments [P.125/2018 to P.129/2018 Com.]

Comments – Draft Discrimination (Disability) (Jersey) Regulations 201- (P.20/2018): comments [P.20/2018 Com.]

Comments – Draft Mental Health legislation (P.42/2018, P.43/2018, P.44/2018, P.45/2018, P.46/2018, P.47/2018, P.48/2018): comments [P.42/2018 through to P.48/2018 Com.]

Legacy Report – Health and Social Security Panel [S.R.10/2018]

Report – Long-Term Care Scheme [S.R.4/2018]

Report – Organ Donation Review [S.R.3/2018]

Public Accounts Committee

Legacy report – Public Accounts Committee 2014-2018 [P.A.C.4/2018]

Report – Jersey Innovation Fund [P.A.C.3/2018]

Report – Reporting of Abortive Costs [P.A.C.2/2018]

Report – eGov Follow-Up Report [P.A.C.1/2018]

Brexit Review Panel

Comments – Draft European Union (Repeal and Amendment) (Jersey) Law 201- (P.16/2018): comments [P.16/2018 Com., presented through the Chairmen's Committee]

Comments – Draft Sanctions and Asset-Freezing (Jersey) Law 201- (P.119/2018): comments [P.119/2018 Com., presented through the Chairmen's Committee]

Comments – Draft EU Legislation (Customs Union, Import and Export Control) (Jersey) Regulations 201- (P.120/2018): comments [P.120/2018 Com., presented through the Chairmen's Committee]

Care of Children in Jersey Review Panel

Comments – Independent Jersey Care Inquiry Report: implementation of recommendations (P.108/2017) – comments [P.108/2017 Com., presented through the Chairmen's Committee]

Legacy Report – Care of Children in Jersey Review Panel [S.R.11/2018]

Report – Response to the Care Inquiry – Update Report Quarter Four 2018 [S.R.17/2018]

Domestic Property Transactions Review Panel

Report – Residential Property Transactions [S.R.2/2018]

Future Hospital Review Panel

Report – Future Hospital Project Follow-up [S.R.6/2018]

Machinery of Government Review Panel

Amendment – Draft Machinery of Government (Miscellaneous Amendments) (Jersey) Law 201- (P.1/2018): second amendment (P.1/2018 Amd.(2)) – amendment [P.1/2018 Amd.(2)Amd., lodged through the Chairmen's Committee]

Comments – Draft Machinery of Government (Miscellaneous Amendments) (Jersey) Law 201- (P.1/2018): comments [P.1/2018 Com.(2), presented through the Chairmen's Committee]

Further comments – Draft Machinery of Government (Miscellaneous Amendments) (Jersey) Law 201- (P.1/2018): further comments [P.1/2018 Com.(3), presented through the Chairmen's Committee]

Appendix 4:

States Assembly data

 

Average length of service of the 49 Members, at end 2018

7 years 4 months

 

Longest-serving Member of the Assembly

Connétable L. Norman of St. Clement (first elected 1983)

 

No. as at June 2018

Male

Female

Senators

5

3

Connétable s

9

3

Deputies

22

7

Total

36

13

 

 

No. of meeting days for ordinary business

Ceremonial meetings

Total number of meeting days

2000

30

2

32

2001

34

3

37

2002

45

2

47

2003

36

1

37

2004

47

2

49

2005

48

1

49

2006

35

3

38

2007

44

1

45

2008

50

1

51

2009

59

1

60

2010

49

1

50

2011

61

3

64

2012

34

2

36

2013

40

2

42

2014

47

1

48

2015

32

1

33

2016

32

1

33

2017

41

1

40

2018

34

1

33

 

 

2016

2017

2018

Roll call and announcements

3h 54m

4h 38m

4h 11m

Notice of propositions and other preliminaries

38m

33m

39m

Appointments

10m

16m

16h 12m

Questions

43h 30m

34h 6m

32h 7m

Statements

7h 29m

5h 24m

2h 23m

Public business

114h 43m

170h 32m

129h 56m

Arrangement of future business

3h 23m

4h 15m

5h 21m

Total Sitting time

173h 49m

229h 48m

190h 59m

 

 

2016

2017

2018

Oral with notice

31h 59m

28h 31m

23h 22m

Oral without notice

9h 24m

9h 38m

7h 14m

Urgent questions

1h 7m

39m

31m

Total oral questions

42h 30m

38h 48m

31h 7m

 

Oral questions with notice

 

2016

2017

2018

Chief Minister

54

62

42

Economic Development, Tourism, Sport and Culture

11

11

7

External Relations

0

4

9

Education

19

13

11

Home Affairs

14

11

12

Housing/ Children and Housing[1]

8

9

20

Health and Social Services

41

20

19

Environment

8

10

14

Social Security

27

20

10

Treasury and Resources

35

22

23

Infrastructure

29

15

15

Comité des Connétable s

4

2

2

Privileges and Procedures Committee

2

6

6

H.M. Attorney General

5

11

1

Chairmen's Committee

0

1

0

Scrutiny Panels

0

0

0

States Employment Board

0

2

12

Total

257

219

211

Unanswered

7

11

13

 

Oral questions without notice

 

2016

2017

2018

Chief Minister

2h 27m

2h 19m

1h 45m

Economic Development, Tourism, Sport and Culture

43m

43m

29m

External Relations

45m

30m

30m

Education

28m

33m

26m

Home Affairs

44m

43m

31m

Housing/ Children and Housing[2]

45m

47m

31m

Health and Social Services

39m

42m

45m

Environment

32m

47m

30m

Social Security

39m

28m

27m

Treasury and Resources

46m

42m

33m

Infrastructure

46m

1h 24m

30m

International Development

17m

Total

9h 24m

9h 38m

7h 14m

 

Written questions

 

2016

2017

2018

Chief Minister

77

102

41

Economic Development, Tourism, Sport and Culture

15

16

13

External Relations

5

3

7

Education

27

22

33

Home Affairs

18

8

11

Housing/ Children and Housing (see footnote in above table)

12

8

10

Health and Social Services

33

50

29

Environment

5

12

10

Social Security

40

47

25

Treasury and Resources

50

28

30

Infrastructure

26

23

18

Comité des Connétable s

2

2

11

Privileges and Procedures Committee

6

6

8

H.M. Attorney General

15

16

11

Chairmen's Committee

0

0

0

Scrutiny Panels

1

0

0

States Employment Board

1

7

27

Total

333

350

284

 

 

2016

2017

2018

Number of statements

27

19

11

Time taken

7h 29m

5h 24m

2h 23m

 

Type of Proposition

2016

2017

2018

Appointments

22

13

13

Draft Legislative Act

6

2

11

Draft Law

36

31

36

Draft Regulations

36

27

46

Draft Amendment to Standing Orders

1

3

1

Medium Term Financial Plan/ Budget

6

4

0

Minister's policy

9

15

21

Petition

0

0

1

Private Member's policy

20

34

24

Privileges and Procedures Committee policy

0

1

2

Scrutiny policy

0

0

2

In-committee debate

1

6

1

Total  

137

136

158

 

Type of Proposition

2016

2017

2018

Appointments

2h 22m

1h 53m

1h 13m

Draft Legislative Act

35m

41m

3h 35m

Draft Law

24h 30m

19h 36m

43h 32m

Draft Regulations

8h 45m

7h 42m

14h 43m

Draft Amendment to Standing Orders

1m

19m

2m

Medium Term Financial Plan/ Budget

36h 18m

10h 7m

Minister's policy

5h 48m

17h and 10m

24h 30m

Petition

1h 5m

Private Member's policy

34h 40m

60h 29m

34h 30m

Privileges and Procedures Committee policy

5h 3m

1h 5m

Scrutiny policy

13m

In-committee debate

1 hour 44m

19h 11m

5h 38m

Total  

114h 43m

170h 32m

129h 56m

 

 

2016

2017

2018

% total Sitting time spent on public business

66.0%

74.5%

68.0%

Speaker Statistics

* Member left Assembly at 2018 election

+ Member elected at 2018 election

# Deputy Richard Rondel of St. Helier died during 2018

 

Senators

Questions asked

Projets proposed for debate

Speeches

Statements

En défaut (absent from Sitting w/out leave)

Malade (absent from Sitting due to illness)

Absent on States' business

Défaut excusé (absence excused by the Assembly)

Senator P.F. Routier, M.B.E.*

0

5

12

0

0

2

0

2

Senator P.F.C. Ozouf *

32

5

34

0

0

1

0

2

Senator A.J.H. Maclean*

1

1

6

0

1

0

0

1

Senator I.J. Gorst

6

16

24

2

1

0

3

1

Senator L.J. Farnham

5

3

20

0

0

0

0

0

Senator Sir P.M. Bailhache *

0

6

11

0

0

0

1

1

Senator A.K.F. Green, M.B.E.*

0

16

8

0

0

0

0

0

Senator S.C. Ferguson

76

4

36

0

0

0

0

0

Senator J.A.N. Le Fondré

13

9

21

1

0

0

6

2

Senator T.A. Vallois

6

4

26

1

0

1

0

0

Senator K.L. Moore

31

7

20

0

1

0

0

0

Senator S.W. Pallett

12

1

16

1

0

0

0

0

Senator S.Y. Mézec

55

4

39

1

0

0

1

1

 

Connétable s

Questions asked

Projets proposed for debate

Speeches

Statements

En défaut (absent from Sitting w/out leave)

Malade (absent from Sitting due to illness)

Absent on States' business

Défaut excusé (absence excused by the Assembly)

Connétable A.S. Crowcroft of St. Helier

37

4

24

0

0

0

1

2

Connétable L. Norman of St. Clement

4

13

6

1

0

0

0

1

Connétable J.M. Refault of St. Peter *

1

1

9

0

0

0

0

1

Connétable D.W. Mezbourian of St. Lawrence

44

4

7

0

1

0

0

0

Connétable J. Gallichan of St. Mary *

4

0

9

0

0

3

0

0

Connétable M.J. Paddock of St. Ouen *

0

0

1

0

0

0

0

1

Connétable M.P.S. Le Troquer of St. Martin *

0

0

5

0

0

0

0

0

Connétable S.A. Rennard of St. Saviour

4

0

15

0

0

0

0

1

Connétable M.K. Jackson of St. Brelade +

21

0

14

0

0

0

0

0

Connétable J.E. Le Maistre of Grouville

7

0

3

0

0

0

0

0

 

 

Questions asked

Projets proposed for debate

Speeches

Statements

En défaut (absent from Sitting w/out leave)

Malade (absent from Sitting due to illness)

Absent on States' business

Défaut excusé (absence excused by the Assembly)

Connétable C.H. Taylor of St. John

15

8

29

1

0

0

0

1

Connétable P.B. Le Sueur of Trinity

3

0

5

0

0

0

0

0

Connétable R. Vibert of St. Peter +

7

0

7

0

0

0

0

0

Connétable J.M. Le Bailly of St. Mary +

4

0

7

0

0

0

0

0

Connétable R.A. Buchanan of St. Ouen +

12

12

12

0

0

0

0

0

Connétable K. Shenton-Stone of St. Martin +

6

0

3

0

0

0

0

0

Deputies

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Deputy J.A. Martin of St. Helier

16

5

23

0

4

1

0

1

Deputy G.P. Southern of St. Helier

188

4

44

0

0

0

0

0

Deputy C.F. Labey of Grouville

15

2

7

0

0

0

0

1

 

 

Questions asked

Projets proposed for debate

Speeches

Statements

En défaut (absent from Sitting w/out leave)

Malade (absent from Sitting due to illness)

Absent on States' business

Défaut excusé (absence excused by the Assembly)

Deputy J.A. Hilton of St. Helier *

10

0

11

0

0

0

0

0

Deputy A.E. Pryke of Trinity *

1

2

13

0

0

0

0

0

Deputy K.C. Lewis of St. Saviour

26

3

15

0

0

0

1

0

Deputy M. Tadier of St. Brelade

165

8

61

0

0

0

1

1

Deputy E.J. Noel of St. Lawrence *

0

1

9

0

0

0

0

0

Deputy M.R. Higgins of St. Helier

84

0

30

0

0

0

0

0

Deputy J.M. Maçon of St. Saviour

52

1

26

1

1

3

0

0

Deputy S.J. Pinel of St. Clement

0

9

8

0

3

0

0

0

Deputy S.G. Luce of St. Martin

12

1

17

0

1

0

1

2

Deputy R.G. Bryans of St. Helier *

1

0

1

0

0

3

0

0

 

 

Questions asked

Projets proposed for debate

Speeches

Statements

En défaut (absent from Sitting w/out leave)

Malade (absent from Sitting due to illness)

Absent on States' business

Défaut excusé (absence excused by the Assembly)

Deputy R.J. Rondel of St. Helier #

14

0

0

0

0

5

0

1

Deputy A.D. Lewis of St. Helier *

12

1

24

0

2

0

0

1

Deputy R.J. Renouf of St. Ouen

14

1

23

1

0

0

0

0

Deputy L.M.C. Doublet of St. Saviour

41

0

9

0

1

6

0

0

Deputy R. Labey of St. Helier

40

4

22

0

4

0

0

1

Deputy S.M. Wickenden of St. Helier

25

6

29

0

0

2

0

0

Deputy S.M. Bree of St. Clement *

6

1

22

0

0

1

0

0

Deputy M.J. Norton of St. Brelade *

3

3

9

0

0

0

0

2

Deputy T.A. McDonald of St. Saviour *

1

0

0

0

0

1

0

0

Deputy R.D. Johnson of St. Mary

12

1

18

1

0

0

1

0

 

 

Questions asked

Projets proposed for debate

Speeches

Statements

En défaut (absent from Sitting w/out leave)

Malade (absent from Sitting due to illness)

Absent on States' business

Défaut excusé (absence excused by the Assembly)

Deputy G.J. Truscott of St. Brelade

4

0

11

0

0

0

0

0

Deputy P.D. McLinton of St. Saviour *

0

0

7

0

0

2

0

1

Deputy J.H. Young of St. Brelade

23

2

24

0

0

0

0

0

Deputy L.B.E. Ash of St. Clement +

3

2

8

0

0

0

0

0

Deputy K.F. Morel of St. Lawrence +

81

0

31

0

0

0

0

0

Deputy G.C.U. Guida of St. Lawrence +

0

2

6

0

1

0

0

0

Deputy R.E. Huelin of St. Peter +

16

0

9

0

0

0

0

0

Deputy H.C. Raymond of Trinity +

1

0

1

0

0

0

0

0

Deputy T. Pointon of St. John +

2

0

4

0

0

0

0

1

Deputy M.R. Le Hegarat of St. Helier +

5

0

4

0

0

0

0

0

 

 

Questions asked

Projets proposed for debate

Speeches

Statements

En défaut (absent from Sitting w/out leave)

Malade (absent from Sitting due to illness)

Absent on States' business

Défaut excusé (absence excused by the Assembly)

Deputy S.M. Ahier of St. Helier +

20

0

1

0

0

0

0

0

Deputy J.H. Perchard of St. Saviour +

16

1

9

0

0

0

0

0

Deputy R.J. Ward of St. Helier +

68

2

14

0

0

0

1

0

Deputy C.S. Alves of St. Helier +

8

1

1

0

0

0

0

1

Deputy K.G. Pamplin of St. Saviour +

21

0

5

0

0

0

0

0

 

2018 SPEAKERS' STATISTICS SUMMARY

No.

States Member

Most Questions asked by a Member during 2018

188

Deputy G.P. Southern of St. Helier

Most Projets proposed for debate by a Member during 2018

16

Senator A.K.F. Green and Senator I.J. Gorst

Most speeches made by a Member during debates in 2018

61

Deputy M. Tadier of St. Brelade

Appendix 5:

States Greffe accountability 2018

Business plan commitments

The following table sets out the principal commitments made in the States Greffe business plan for 2018 and the action taken during 2018 in relation to each matter.

 

Business plan commitment

Action taken

We will promote participation in the 2018 election, helping prospective candidates understand what is involved in running for election and in becoming a States Member, and encouraging people to register to vote and to cast their ballot. The vote.je website will be our main way of communicating information about the election, but we will also send every household authoritative information about who is standing for election and candidate manifestos. We will work with people in minority communities (particularly the Portuguese and Polish communities) to ensure that they are well- informed about the election and to encourage them to vote. We will also work with the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (UK branch) who are sending an election observation mission to the Island.

Fully implemented

We will work with the Comité des Connétable s to introduce an online method of registering to vote which we will encourage people to use in the run-up to the election. We will continue to work with the Comité and the e-gov programme on the introduction of automatic electoral registration.

An online method of registering to vote was introduced in advance of the May 2018 election. Work to introduce automatic electoral registration is continuing.

We will run a comprehensive programme of induction for new Members, to ensure that they can fully contribute as States Members from the start of their term of office.

Implemented, with positive feedback from new Members. We also arranged a CPA seminar for new Members in Jersey in November 2018.

We will continue, working with the States Information Services Department, to redesign the States Assembly and Scrutiny website so that it is better integrated, more customer-friendly, and capable of publishing news stories about the Assembly and its committees and panels. We aim to launch the redesigned website in the summer and we will plan for further enhancements after that.

New website launched August 2018. Further improvements are being made.

 

Business plan commitment

Action taken

A redesigned website will enable us to improve our communications with the Public, particularly using social media.

Implemented, particularly in respect of Twitter.

We will also publish an online guide to how the Assembly works, which will help demystify the Assembly's procedures and explain parliamentary jargon.

We started the planning work for this but have been unable to implement it so far - this remains a priority for 2019/2020.

We will introduce an e-petitioning facility, so that the Public can use e-mail to petition the Assembly.

Introduced August 2018.

We will webcast public meetings of panels and committees, beginning after the election.

Implemented.

We will work with our transcription services provider to introduce a new template for the production of Hansard, which will enable us to publish Hansard in a more accessible format and to make its contents more easily searchable.

This has not yet been achieved, although discussions with our service provider continue.

We will also move to a digital first' format for Scrutiny Reports, including by incorporating infographics and video where appropriate.

Good progress has been made, although further progress can be achieved and remains a priority.

The Privileges and Procedures Committee is currently considering reforms to the Assembly's procedures for legislative scrutiny and, if they are agreed to, we will implement them successfully and train Members to understand and utilise the new arrangements.

Proposals were lodged but withdrawn for further discussions with the Council of Ministers and the Chairmen's Committee. A working party will be established shortly to draw up revised proposals.

We will work with Bailiff 's Chambers to consider improvements to the security of the States Building and aim at the same time to improve public accessibility.

We continue to discuss this matter with the Bailiff 's Chambers.

We hosted the Commonwealth Youth Parliament in February 2018 and will host a conference of parliamentary researchers from across the British Isles in the autumn.

The researchers' conference was successful, and we intend to work more closely with this network in future.

We will ensure that we are compliant with new data protection legislation and will assist other non-ministerial departments in achieving compliance.

We have made good progress in improving data protection procedures and practice within the States Greffe.

Expenditure

 

 

2017 £

2018 £

Staff

1,514,400

1,699,200

Premises and related costs

451,400

461,900

Scrutiny: fees, etc.

215,600

66,100

Members' facilities

125,300

122,600

Inter-parliamentary activity

97,000

85,500

Office equipment and supplies

71,900

62,800

Privileges and Procedures Committee: fees, contracts

55,300

93,000

Transcription

47,900

36,700

Other costs

31,300

28,100

Election 2018

12,200

219,200

Complaints Panel

2,500

1,200

Income and recharges

(33,800)

(52,900)

 

 

 

States Greffe sub-total

2,591,000

2,823,500

 

 

 

Members' remuneration

2,364,500

2,431,800

 

 

 

Independent Jersey Care Inquiry

352,300

46,300

 

 

 

Total

5,307,800

5,301,600