States Meeting Summary 18-20 January
20 January 2022
Question time
Oral questions with notice
Non-executive States Members asked Ministers oral questions with notice for two hours and 20 minutes. See what questions were asked by skipping to page seven of the Order Paper. Listen to Ministers' answers to questions by skipping to nine minutes into Tuesday morning's meeting.
Adjournment
The States Assembly adjourned from 10:30am until 2:15pm so that States Members could attend the funeral of Gary Burgess.
Oral questions without notice
After questions with notice, non-executive States Members asked the following Ministers questions without notice for 45 minutes (15 minutes each):
The Minister for Home Affairs, Deputy Gregory Guida
The Minister for Infrastructure, Deputy Kevin Lewis
The Chief Minister, Senator John Le Fondré
Public business
The States Assembly approved to add Deputy Tadier's proposition regarding hospital visitor access to this week's States Meeting debates.
Changes to the objects and purpose of the Ann Alice Rayner Fund
The Minister for Treasury and Resources, Deputy Susie Pinel, proposed to change the terms of the Ann Alice Rayner Fund (set up to help those with financial difficulties), so that an independent board of four would replace Jurats as income administrators.
The States Assembly voted to APPROVE the Minister for Treasury and Resources' proposal to change the terms of the Ann Alice Rayner Fund. 39 States Members voted in favour of the proposition and three voted against.
Skip to 10 minutes into the States Meeting to watch the beginning of the debate.
Naming the future Ambulance, Fire & Rescue Headquarters
The Minister for Home Affairs, Deputy Gregory Guida, proposed that the future Ambulance, Fire and Rescue Headquarters should be named after the late Connétable of St. Clement and former Home Affairs Minister, Len Norman, in honour of his record of public service.
The States Assembly voted to APPROVE the Minister for Home Affairs' proposition to name the future Ambulance, Fire and Rescue Headquarters after Len Norman.
40 Members voted in favour and one voted against.
Skip to 35 minutes into the States Meeting to watch the beginning of the debate.
Extension of civil financial penalties
On behalf of the Minister for External Relations & Financial Services, the Assistant Minister, Constable Richard Buchanan, proposed to amend the Financial Services Commission Law so that non-financial businesses and professions, and senior managers and directors, are liable to civil penalties for breaching anti-money-laundering and financial terrorism requirements.
The States Assembly voted to APPROVE the Minister for External Relations and Financial Services' amendment to the Financial Services Commission Law. All 40 present States Members voted in favour of the proposition.
Skip to 50 minutes into the States Meeting to watch the beginning of the debate.
Contractual recognition of "bail-in"
The Assistant Minister for External Relations and Financial Services proposed to amend the Bank (Recovery and Resolution) Law so that banks will be required to recognise that bank creditors may be subject to "bail-in" in the terms of their contracts. "Bail-in" requires bank creditors to write down their debt to reduce the risk that taxpayers will have to support the bank should it fail.
The States Assembly voted to APPROVE the Minister for External Relations and Financial Services' amendment to the Bank (Recovery and Resolution) Law. All 40 present Members voted in favour of the proposition.
Skip to one hour and 15 minutes into the States Meeting to watch the beginning of the debate.
Bringing the above Law into force
The Assistant Minister for External Relations and Financial Services proposed to bring in the approved Bank (Recovery and Resolution) Law into force from 31 January 2022.
The States Assembly voted to APPROVE the Minister for External Relations and Financial Services' proposed Commencement Act. All 43 present States Members voted in favour of the proposition.
Requirements of registration with a supervisory body
Minister for External Relations & Financial Services, Senator Ian Gorst, proposed to amend the anti-money laundering and anti-terrorist financing Proceeds of Crime (Supervisory Bodies) Law so that all businesses registering with a supervisory body must meet the same requirements, including carrying out criminality checks.
The States Assembly voted to APPROVE the Minister for External Relations and Financial Services' proposition to amend the Draft Proceeds of Crime (Supervisory Bodies) Law. All 40 present Members voted in favour of the proposition.
Skip to one hour and 30 minutes into the States Meeting to watch the beginning of the debate.
Connétable by-elections
Chair of the Privileges & Procedures Committee, Deputy Carina Alves, proposed to preserve part of the Law which states that a Connétable by-election can take place up to two months before a General Election, and no less. This does not apply to Deputies, for which a by-election cannot take place less than six months before a General Election.
The States Assembly voted to APPROVE the Privileges and Procedures Committee's proposal to ensure the continuation of the current Law relating to Connétable by-elections before a General Election. 44 Members voted in favour and none voted against.
Skip to one hour and 30 minutes into the States Meeting to watch the beginning of the debate.
Bringing into force agreed election laws
The Chair of the Privileges and Procedures Committee proposed that the previously agreed Law regarding some of the changes to this year's General Election come into force immediately, with the exception of two parts, which will be brought into effect on 22 April 2022.
The States Assembly voted to APPROVE the Privileges and Procedures Committee's proposal to immediately bring into force the previously agreed changes to this year's General Election, such as the introduction of the Jersey Election Authority (JEA), the 'none of the above' option and postal voting. This excludes two parts relating to the registration of voters and the disqualification criteria for Connétables, which will be brought into effect on 22 April 2022.
34 Members voted in favour and 12 voted against.
Skip to one hour and 50 minutes into the States Meeting to watch the beginning of the debate.
Re-opening of Samarès Ward
Senator Steve Pallett requested that the full suite of stroke and injury rehabilitation services be reinstated at Samarès Ward or another location before 1 March 2022, and that a purpose-built rehabilitation unit is delivered as part of the new hospital at Overdale.
The Minister for Health and Social Services, Deputy Richard Renouf, withdrew his amendment to Senator Pallett's proposition, which proposed to instead continue restoring and improving the full suite of stroke and injury rehabilitation services and include a comprehensive rehabilitation suite as part of the new hospital.
The States Assembly voted to APPROVE Senator Steve Pallett's proposal to reinstate the full suite of stroke and injury rehabilitation services at Samarès Ward or another location before 1 March 2022. All 45 present Members voted in favour of the proposition.
Skip to two hours and 45 minutes into the States Meeting to watch the beginning of this debate, which concluded during this afternoon's meeting.
Changes to hospital visitor access
Deputy Montfort Tadier proposed to change hospital visitor access to enable Islanders without Covid-19 to visit patients in hospital and ensure a robust system is put in place to stop those with Covid-19 from visiting patients in hospital.
The States Assembly voted to APPROVE Deputy Montfort Tadier's proposal to change hospital visitor access. 40 States Members voted in favour of the proposition and three voted against.
Skip to seven minutes into the States Meeting to watch the beginning of the debate.
The next States Meeting will take place at 9:30am on Tuesday 8 February.
