Diversity Forum Sub-Committee Minutes (Part A) - 21 November 2024

Privileges and Procedures Committee Diversity Forum

(13th Meeting)

21st November 2024

Part A (Non-Exempt)

All members were present, with the exception of Deputy L.K.F. Stephenson of St. Mary , St. Ouen and St. Peter , Chair, and Deputy M.R. Ferey of St. Saviour , from whom apologies had been received.

Deputy L.M.C. Doublet of St Saviour, Vice Chair

Deputy H.L. Jeune of St John, St Lawrence, and Trinity , Vice Chair Deputy R.L. Kovacs of St Saviour (present for item Nos. A1-A4 and A8- A10)

Deputy H.M. Miles of St. Brelade

Deputy I. Gardiner of St. Helier North (present for item Nos. A3-A10) Connétable M.O. Troy of St. Clement (present for item Nos. A8-A10)

In attendance –

19. Cartwright, Chief Officer, Bailiff 's Chambers (present for item No. A8)
20. Oldham , Assistant Greffier (Committees and Panels)

J. Lepp, Research and Project Officer

C. Fearn, Secretariat Officer, Specialist Secretariat, States Greffe

C. Tucker, Assistant Secretariat Officer, Specialist Secretariat, States Greffe

E. Patterson, Assistant Secretariat Officer, Specialist Secretariat, States Greffe

Note:  The Minutes of this meeting comprise Part A only.

Minutes.  A1. The Minutes of the meeting held on 19th September 2024, having previously been

circulated, were taken as read and were confirmed.

Proposed  A2. The Sub-Committee noted that in the absence of Deputy L.K.F. Stephenson of St. arrangements in  Mary, St. Ouen and St. Peter , Chair, it had been proposed that Deputies L.M.C. absence of the   Doublet of St. Saviour and H.L. Jeune of St. John , St. Lawrence and Trinity , Vice Chair.  Chairs,  would  assume  Chairing  responsibilities  for forthcoming  meetings  of the

Diversity Forum.

It was noted that the proposed arrangement would be referred to the Privileges and Procedures Committee (PPC) for formalisation.

Action Arising:

Work  A3. The Sub-Committee, with reference to its Minute No. A3 of 19th September 2024, Programme  noted the ongoing work programme for 2024.

2024.

Having considered the programme, the Sub-Committee requested further clarity in regard to outstanding actions. It was confirmed that matters arising from forthcoming meetings of the Sub-Committee would be compiled to produce an action list, which would be a live document to ensure members of the Sub-Committee could provide input and be kept apprised of progress.

The Sub-Committee noted the position. Action Arising:

Women's  A4. The Sub-Committee, with reference to its Minute No. A7 of 19th September 2024, Caucus.  discussed  the  proposed establishment  of  a  Women's  Caucus  and the  associated

scheduled training sessions in this connexion.

The  Sub-Committee  recalled  that  the  training,  delivered  by  the  Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA), would consist of 8 modules, lasting between 4-8 hours in total. Invitations had been sent to all States Members who identified as female to complete the training across 2 sessions scheduled to be held in December 2024, and January 2025.

Following further consideration of the matter, the Sub-Committee decided that, due to availability, the scheduled sessions would be cancelled and replaced with one training session to be held on 8th January 2024, from 10.00 a.m. – 2.00 p.m. It was further confirmed that, whilst Members would convene on this date with a view to undertaking the training collectively, the CPA had stipulated that all Members would have to complete the training on their individual accounts to meet course requirements.

Action Arising:

Public Sector  A5. The Sub-Committee, with reference to its Minute No. A6 of 19th September 2024, Equality Duty.  received and noted a letter, dated 21st October 2024, addressed to Deputies L.M.C.

Doublet of St. Saviour and H.L. Jeune of St John, St Lawrence, and Trinity , Vice Chairs, from Deputy C.S. Alves of St. Helier Central , Assistant Chief Minister, in connexion with Public Sector Equality Duty.

The Sub-Committee recalled that it had originally intended to write to Deputy L.J. Farnham of St. Mary , St. Ouen and St. Peter , Chief Minister, to establish which Minister  was  currently  responsible  for  Public  Sector  Equality  Duty.  The  Sub- Committee noted that it had instead decided to address the query to Deputy Alves , in her capacity as Assistant Chief Minister with responsibility for raising the profile of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) policies.

Within  her  correspondence,   Deputy   Alves  had  noted  ongoing  workstreams  in connexion to the gender pay gap reporting and income ratio, which the recent debate on the proposition entitled Gender Pay and Income Ratio Consultation' (P.64.2024 referred) had highlighted, and it was envisaged that the Government would provide support in the development of a usable and relevant product for reporting on these matters. Deputy Doublet sought to gain a greater insight into these workstreams, and Deputy H.M. Miles of St. Brelade advised that Deputy Alves would be appearing at a Corporate Services Scrutiny Panel hearing in February 2025, which would present an opportunity to discern further the Government's position on the gender pay gap and gender responsible budgeting. Deputies Doublet and Jeune undertook to attend this hearing and provide an update to the Sub-Committee.

The Sub-Committee noted that Deputy Alves had also advised that the engagement of under-represented groups had been a key focus in developing DEI policy and tangible actions, which would see the re-establishment of the International Culture Centre (ICC). Deputy Alves noted her oversight of ICC initiatives such as Project Luso, which aimed to celebrate the Portuguese culture in Jersey whilst addressing the challenges faced by these communities in Jersey. It was also noted that alongside Project Luso, research  was  to  be  conducted  by  4  Insight'  which  would  explore  Islanders' perceptions of cultural diversity and barriers to social cohesion.

The Sub-Committee agreed to invite Deputy Alves to provide an update on DEI at the next scheduled meeting of the Diversity Forum, due to take place in January 2025. Deputy Doublet also requested that an update from Government on DEI matters be made a standing item on future agendas and that Deputy M.R. Ferey of St. Saviour be notified of this intention.

Actions Arising:

Diversity of  A6. The Sub-Committee, with reference to its Minute No. A6 of 24th January 2024, recruitment  discussed the diversity of recruitment within States-owned bodies and Arm's-Length within States- Organisations  (ALOs)  on  the  ongoing  2024  work  programme,  which  included owned bodies  reference to the report entitled Diversity of Public Sector Appointments – Research and Arm's- by the Diversity Forum' (R.25/2022 referred).

Length

Organisations.  It was recalled that, subsequent to the Assembly's adoption of the proposition entitled

Diversity Working Group' (P.118/2019 referred), lodged by the former Deputy of St. Saviour ,  Mr.  J.M.  Maçon,  it had  been  agreed to  evaluate the  development and implementation  of  policies  which  proactively  encouraged  greater  diversity  of applicants for various States-owned bodies and ALOs. R.25/2022 had subsequently been presented to the Assembly on 4th March 2022.

It was noted that the report included a comprehensive action plan for enhancing the equality of opportunity in the  appointments process, which was based upon the Diversity Delivers' strategy produced by the Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments  in  Scotland,  which  the  Sub-Committee  agreed  required  further championing. Deputy I. Gardiner of St. Helier North informed the Sub-Committee that the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) would be launching a review of ALOs in March 2025, which the Sub-Committee would be invited to provide a submission to, and Deputy L.M.C. Doublet of St. Saviour, Vice Chair, suggested that a report outlining the updated views of the Sub-Committee on the action plan contained in R.25/2022 could form the basis of such.

On a related matter, the Sub-Committee discussed the potential role of campaign groups, such as Women in Politics' (WIP) and Guernsey Women in Public Life' (GWPL), in achieving the diversification States-owned bodies and ALOs.

The Sub-Committee was informed that GWPL had been a source of inspiration for the establishment of the Jersey-based WIP group by Deputy Doublet and cohorts, and it was acknowledged that the group formed a powerful vehicle for female representation in politics in the Island. It was noted that the group, which had been in a period of inactivity, was due to resume under the leadership of Ms. K. Wright, Chair of FREEDA (Free from Domestic Abuse) and founder of the Diversity Network. The Sub-Committee noted the overlapping themes of interest of the group with the PAC's review into ALOs and the work of Deputy H.M Miles of St. Brelade on encouraging female involvement at Parish-level, and avenues for collaboration with organisations such as the Jersey Community Relations Trust were discussed. It was agreed to arrange further discussions with WIP and GWPL to explore the broadening of WIP support to women in public life and to encourage women to engage with the democratic process prior to the 2026 election.

Actions Arising:

Commonwealth  A7. The Sub-Committee received and noted a draft report, entitled Commonwealth Parliamentary  Parliamentary  Association  Gender  Sensitive  Parliament  Self-Assessment',  in Association  connexion  with  an  assessment  conducted  by  the  Commonwealth  Parliamentary Report.  Association (CPA) which aimed to evaluate progress made since the Sub-Committee,

as previously constituted, had undertaken an internal gender audit in 2019.

The  Sub-Committee  concurred  that  this  report  possessed  a  complex  and comprehensive list of recommendations, which would require additional time to consider. The Sub-Committee, therefore, chose to defer to this item to the scheduled next meeting and requested an analysis of the recommendations most relevant to the remit of the Sub-Committee be undertaken.

Action Arising:

Disability  A8. The Sub-Committee, with reference to its Minute No. A5 of 19th September 2024, Access in the  welcomed Mr. S. Cartwright, Chief Officer, Bailiff 's Chambers, in connexion with 2 States Building.  audits which had been carried out on accessibility in the States Building, namely the

States Building Access Audit completed in 2018, and the Accessibility Audit of the States Building undertaken by Liberate in 2020.

The Sub-Committee recalled that despite numerous changes which had been made to the States Building to aid accessibility, such as the installation of ramps, accessible toilets and live-streamed debates, the usability of the States Building for disabled individuals remained a concern.

It was noted that to make the States Building fully accessible, extensive and costly alterations would be necessary. The historical significance and structural constraints of the building would pose a significant challenge to the implementations of such measures. Mr. Cartwright advised the Sub-Committee that the States Building lacked modernisation, with the last full renovation of the building having taken place more than 20 years ago. It was noted that to make the building fully compliant, significant financial commitment was required and Mr. Cartwright suggested that the optimum solution to these concerns would be a new building which catered for accessibility needs. The Sub-Committee was also informed that the section of the building occupied by the Royal Court faced similar constraints, and that without unilateral accessibility, staff were working on a case-by-case basis to provide solutions for individuals with accessibility needs.

The  Sub-Committee  expressed  concern  regarding  disability  access  in  the  States Chamber, particularly for wheelchair users and evacuation procedures in case of an emergency. Deputy H.L. Jeune of St. John , St. Lawrence and Trinity , Vice Chair, highlighted the importance of identifying and actioning achievable targets within the States Building, such as changing the lighting within the Chamber and improving the accessibility of signage throughout the building.

The Sub-Committee sought to invite a representative of Jersey Property Holdings (JPH), who possessed ultimate responsibility for the building, to a future meeting to further discuss the feasibility of making the States Building accessible. The Sub- Committee  agreed  to  subsequently  bring  these  findings  to  the  Privileges  and Procedures Committee for consideration.

Action Arising:

2025 Meeting  A9. The Sub-Committee approved the proposed schedule of meeting dates for 2025, Dates.  subject to minor amendments.

Date of next  A10. The Sub-Committee noted that its next meeting, scheduled for 19th December meeting.  2024, would be cancelled and a further meeting arranged for 2025.