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Privileges and Procedures Committee Machinery of Government Sub-Committee
(13th Meeting) (Business conducted electronically)
27th January 2025 Part A (Non-Exempt)
All members were present.
Deputy T.A. Coles of St. Helier South , Chair Connétable K. Shenton-Stone of St. Martin
Deputy R.L. Kovacs of St. Saviour
Deputy M.R. Scott of St. Brelade
Deputy H.L. Jeune of St. John , St. Lawrence and Trinity
In attendance –
C. Tucker, Assistant Secretariat Officer, Specialist Secretariat, States Greffe
Note: The Minutes of this meeting comprise Part A only.
Reporting on A1. The Sub-Committee, with reference to its Minute No. A5 of 17th January 2025, Ministerial received and noted an electronic mail message dated 27th January 2025 from the Affairs Assistant Greffier of the States, Chamber and Members' Support, and draft (P.71/2024): Comments which had been prepared in response to the proposition, and subsequent comments. amendment, entitled Reporting on Ministerial Activities' (P.71/2024; P.71/2024
Amd. refers).
It was recalled that the proposition, which had been lodged au Greffe' by Deputy K.L. Moore of St. Ouen , St. Mary and St. Peter on 11th October 2024, was due for debate on 4th February 2025, and Deputy Moore had additionally lodged an amendment to the proposition on 21st January 2025. The Sub-Committee was reminded that the proposition, as amended, sought to request the Chief Minister to update the Codes of Conduct and Practice for Ministers and Assistant Ministers, prior to 30th April 2025, to enable the following -
- the details of external meetings attended by Ministers and Assistant Ministers regarding Government matters to be published monthly in arrears on the Government website; and
- the publication of details of all off-Island travel by Ministers and Assistant Ministers, inclusive of the costs incurred, on the Government website within 30 days of their return to the Island.
Whilst the Sub-Committee had supported the proposition's transparency in principle, in particular when identifying Government interaction with lobbying groups, concerns had been raised as to whether the proposition considered the nuances of Government in smaller jurisdictions, such as Jersey. Consequently, the Sub-Committee did not believe that the proposition would be adopted by the Assembly in its current form. Correspondence conveying the Sub-Committee's stance was sent to Deputy Moore on 20th January 2025, which requested that the debate on the proposition be deferred and extended an invitation for the Deputy to attend the next Sub-Committee meeting to discuss the matter further. The Sub- Committee was informed that Deputy Moore had replied to the letter via electronic mail on 21st January 2025, indicating that the proposition would not be withdrawn, and she noted that the proposition sought to implement practices which were commonplace in other jurisdictions. As such, Deputy T.A Coles of St. Helier South , Chair had requested that comments which highlighted the Sub-Committee's concerns be drafted and presented to the Privileges and Procedures Committee (PPC) for approval.
The Sub-Committee noted the draft comments, which outlined the following positions -
- further discussions were required to address the potential personal and professional relationships developed by Ministers and Assistant Ministers in a small jurisdiction such as Jersey and in what capacity informal meetings were to be recorded;
- since Jersey did not have lobbying legislation or a register, further clarity and guidance was required to ensure that the proposition did not directly impact the ability for groups to lobby in the Island;
- whilst the amendment removed the word all' from Part A of the proposition, the inclusion of regarding Government matters' was considered undefined and broad;
- consideration was required to determine what meeting details were to be published, particularly regarding confidential meetings and subsequent breaches of Data Protection legislation; and
- regarding off-Island travel', it was noted that the proposition did not differentiate between Government-related and personal travel, which required further clarification.
Having reviewed the matter, the Sub-Committee approved the comments and requested that they be presented to PPC for formal approval, to facilitate the presentation of the same to the States Assembly prior to 31st January 2025.