News

States Meeting summary: 18-21 March

Tuesday 18 March

Appointments

This week’s States Meeting began with the appointment of Ali Awan as an unelected member of the Public Accounts Committee.

Skip to 10 minutes into Tuesday morning’s recording to watch the announcement in full.

Question Time

Questions with notice

Ministers then answered States Members’ questions with notice.

Skip to page 10 of the Order Paper to find out which questions were asked and watch from 13 minutes into Tuesday morning’s recording to hear questions with notice in full.

Questions without notice

States Members then asked the Minister for the Environment, Deputy Steve Luce; Minister for External Relations, Deputy Ian Gorst; and the Chief Minister, Deputy Lyndon Farnham, questions without notice for 15 minutes each.

Skip to 2 hours and 33 minutes into Tuesday morning’s recording to watch questions without notice in full.

Urgent Oral Question

Deputy Montfort Tadier asked the Minister for Sustainable Economic Development, Deputy Kirsten Morel, an urgent oral question regarding the Battle of Flowers.

Skip to page 13 of the Order Paper for more details regarding the question.

Watch from the beginning of Tuesday afternoon’s recording to hear the answer in full.

Statements

The Chair of the Hospital Review Panel, Deputy Jonathan Renouf, made a statement following the publication of a report into the Government’s News Healthcare Facilities Programme.

Skip to 16 minutes into Tuesday afternoon’s recording to watch the statement in full.

The Chair of the Public Accounts Committee, Deputy Inna Gardiner, made a statement following the publication of a report into how the Government handles customer feedback and complaints.

Skip to 52 minutes into Tuesday afternoon’s recording to watch the statement in full.

Public Business

P.2 Re-instatement of Senators

Deputy Elaine Millar proposed that the office of Senator, elected on an Island-wide basis, should be introduced in time for the 2026 election, and that it should be achieved by removing one Deputy from each constituency resulting in a total of nine Senators.

A number of amendments were proposed to the proposition which the Deputy did not accept.

Skip to 1 hour and 41 minutes into Tuesday afternoon’s recording to watch the Deputy speech proposing the proposition.

P.2 Re-instatement of Senators - amendment 

Deputy Tom Coles proposed an amendment that the reinstatement of the office of Senator is achieved by removing the role of Connétable from the States Assembly, resulting in a total of 12 Senators.

Under Standing Orders, the amendment will require a minimum of 25 votes for if it is to be adopted.

Skip to 2 hours and 6 minutes into Tuesday afternoon’s recording to watch the Deputy's speech proposing the amendment.

Skip to 2 hours and 53 minutes into Tuesday afternoon's recording to watch the beginning of the debate on the amendment.

P.2 Re-instatement of Senators – amendment to the amendment 

Deputy Kristina Moore proposed an amendment to the amendment which would replace the role of Connétable with eight Senator roles, reducing the number of Members within the States Assembly to 45. 

The States Assembly voted to REJECT the Deputy’s amendment with 6 votes for, 38 votes against and 0 abstentions.

Skip to 2 hours and 16 minutes into Tuesday afternoon’s recording to watch the debate in full.

Wednesday 19 March

Statement
The meeting resumed with a personal statement from Deputy Philip Ozouf.

Go to five minutes into the start of the Wednesday morning's recording to watch the statement in full.

Public Business

The debate into amendments and the Proposition relating to the reinstatement of Senators then resumed from yesterday:

P.2 Re-instatement of Senators

Deputy Elaine Millar proposed, on Tuesday, that the office of Senator, elected on an Island-wide basis, should be introduced in time for the 2026 election, and that it should be achieved by removing one Deputy from each constituency resulting in a total of nine Senators.

A number of amendments were proposed to the Proposition which the Deputy did not accept.

P.2 Re-instatement of Senators - amendment

Deputy Tom Coles proposed an amendment that the reinstatement of the office of Senator be achieved by removing the role of Connétable from the States Assembly, resulting in a total of 12 Senators.

The States Assembly voted to REJECT Deputy Coles’ amendment with 11 votes for, 33 votes against and 1 abstention.

Skip to 8 minutes into the Wednesday morning's recording to watch the continuation of the debate.

P.2 Re-instatement of Senators – second amendment

Deputy Sam Mezéc proposed an amendment to the proposition that would have seen the office of Senator reinstated without reducing the number of Deputies. It also asked to establish an Independent Boundaries Commission to analyse the impact that reintroducing the role will have on voter equity, and requested its findings be presented to the Assembly before any legislative amendments are lodged.
 
The States Assembly voted to REJECT Deputy Mezec’s amendment with 19 votes for, 25 votes against and two abstentions.

Skip to 2 hours into the Wednesday morning's recording to watch the start of the debate.

Go to the start of the Wednesday afternoon's recording to watch the continuation of this debate.

P.2 Re-instatement of Senators – fourth amendment

Deputy Kristina Moore proposed an amendment to the proposition which sought to replace nine Deputy roles with seven Senator roles, therefore reducing the number of Members within the States Assembly to 47. The amendment also proposed that those elected to the role of Senator should form the entire Council of Ministers. 

The States Assembly voted on Deputy Moore’s amendment in parts:
 
Part A - The States Assembly voted to REJECT the amendment which called for seven Senators rather than nine with eight votes for, 36 votes against, and no abstentions.

Part B – Which requested that the salaries saved from reducing the number of Members by distributed among the Senators fell away due to the rejection of Part A.

Part C - The States Assembly voted to REJECT the amendment that Senators form the entire Council of Ministers, with three votes for, 42 votes against and no abstentions.

Skip to 40 minutes into the Wednesday afternoon's recording to watch the start of the debate.

P.2 Re-instatement of Senators – fifth amendment

Deputy Montfort Tadier proposed an amendment to the proposition which requested a separate election be held for Senators, and that it be done so in advance of the nomination deadline for candidates wishing to stand for either the office of Deputy or Connétable. It also proposed that any amendments be brought forward in time for the 2030 election.

The States Assembly voted to REJECT the Deputy’s amendment with 22 votes for, 24 votes against and no abstentions.

Skip to one hour and 45 minutes into the Wednesday afternoon's recording to watch the start of the debate.


Thursday 21 March

Statement 

The meeting resumed with a statement from Deputy Montfort Tadier as President of the Jersey Section of the Assemblée Parlementaire de la Francophonie to mark Journée internationale de la Francophonie or International Francophonie Day. 

A translation of the statement can be found on our website. 

Skip to 5 minutes into the start of this morning’s recording to watch the statement in full. 

Public Business 

The debate into amendments and the Proposition relating to the reinstatement of Senators then resumed: 

Deputy Elaine Millar proposed, on Tuesday, that the office of Senator, elected on an Island-wide basis, should be introduced in time for the 2026 election, and that it should be achieved by removing one Deputy from each constituency resulting in a total of nine Senators.  
 

P.2 Re-instatement of Senators – third amendment 

The Privileges and Procedures Committee proposed an amendment to the proposition to delay the reintroduction of the office of Senator until the 2030 election.  

The States Assembly voted to REJECT the Privileges and Procedure Committee’s amendment with 23 votes for, 24 votes against and 1 abstention. 

Skip to 34 minutes into the start of this morning’s recording to watch the debate in full. 

P.2 Re-instatement of Senators  

The debate into Deputy Elaine Millar’s main Proposition, that the office of Senator, elected on an Island-wide basis, should be introduced in time for the 2026 election, and that it should be achieved by removing one Deputy from each constituency resulting in a total of nine Senators, then resumed. 

Skip to 2 hours and 54 minutes into the start of this morning’s recording to watch the beginning of the debate. 

Watch from the beginning of this afternoon’s recording to watch the continuation of the debate.  

Please note: Under Standing Orders, as Proposition 2 sought to alter the membership of the States Assembly it required a majority (minimum of 25 votes for) to be adopted.  

The States Assembly voted to APPROVE the Deputy’s proposition with 25 votes for, 20 votes against and 1 abstention. 


Adjournment

The States Assembly then adjourned and will reconvene at 9:30am tomorrow, Friday 21 March 2025.

Friday 21 March
Public Business

The Meeting resumed on Friday morning following the conclusion of Deputy Elaine Millar’s proposition that the office of Senator, elected on an Island-wide basis, be introduced in time for the 2026 election.

P.4 Draft Shipping (Jersey) Amendment Law 202-.
 
The Minister for Sustainable Economic Development, Deputy Kirsten Morel, proposed an amendment to the Shipping Law (2002), to expand the definition of a 'ship' to include small watercraft used for leisure activities. The amendment would enhance safety and the responsibilities of all watercraft users. It will also include up-to-date provisions for the investigation of marine accidents involving Jersey ships, or ships in Jersey water.
 
The States Assembly voted to APPROVE the Minister's proposition with 40 votes for, no votes against and one abstention.

Skip to 6 minutes into the start of this morning’s recording to watch the debate in full.


P.6 A National Day for Jersey
 
The Minister for International Development, Deputy Carolyn Labey, proposed that Liberation Day should be adopted as Jersey’s official National Day.

Skip to 36 minutes into this morning’s recording to the debate in full.


P.6 A National Day for Jersey – amendment
 
Deputy Montfort Tadier proposed an amendment to the proposition that the 28 September should be adopted as a second National Day and that ‘Man bieau p’tit Jèrri’ or ‘Beautiful Jersey’ should be adopted as the Island’s official anthem.
 
The States Assembly voted on the Deputy's amendment in parts:

Part A: That 28 September should be adopted as a second National Day was REJECTED with 17 votes for, 27 votes against and no abstentions

Part B:  That ‘Man bieau p’tit Jèrri’ or ‘Beautiful Jersey’ should be adopted as the Island’s official anthem was APPROVED with 33 votes for, nine votes against and two abstentions.

Skip to 45 minutes into the start of this morning’s recording to the debate on the amendment in full.

P.6 A National Day for Jersey
The Assembly then resumed the debate on Deputy Labey’s proposition, as amended.

The States Assembly voted to APPROVE the Minister’s proposition with 34 votes for, seven votes against, and one abstention.

Skip to 2 hours and 32 minutes into this morning’s recording to watch the continuation of the debate.

P.7 Rate Appeal Board: Appointment of Members

The Minister for Treasury and Resources, Deputy Elaine Millar proposed to re-appoint Messrs John Refault, Barry Le Beuvant and Scott Hollywood as members of the Rate Appeal Board for a further three-year term, and Miss Christine Vibert and Mr Ron Treby as members for a further one-year term. The Minister also proposed the appointments of Mrs Marilyn Wetherall and Mr Mark Dawson as members for an initial three-year term.

The States Assembly voted to APPROVE the Minister's proposition with 40 votes for, no votes against and no abstentions.

Skip to 3 hours and 1 minute into this morning’s recording to watch the debate in full.


P.12 Social Security Tribunal: Re-appointment of Panel Members

The Minister for Social Security, Deputy Lyndsay Feltham, proposed the appointments of Mr Robert Douglas, Ms June Summers-Shaw and Mrs Susan Cuming as members of the Social Security Tribunal Panel for a period of four years.

The States Assembly voted to APPROVE the Minister's proposition via a standing vote.

Skip to 3 hours and 7 minutes into this morning’s recording to watch the debate in full.

P.13 Income Support Medical Appeal Tribunal: Re-appointment of Panel Members

The Minister for Social Security, Deputy Lyndsay Feltham proposed the appointments of Mr Robert Douglas and Ms June Summers-Shaw as lay-members of the Income Support Medical Appeal Tribunal Panel for a period of four years.

The States Assembly voted to APPROVE the Minister's proposition with 41 votes for, no votes against and no abstentions.

Skip to 3 hours and 16 minutes into this morning’s recording to watch the debate in full.

P.14 Jersey Police Complaints Authority: Appointment of Member

The Minister for Justice and Home Affairs, Deputy Mary Le Hegarat, proposed the appointment of Mr David Porter as a member of the Jersey Police Complaints Authority for a period of three years.

The States Assembly voted to APPROVE the Minister's proposition via a standing vote.

Skip to 3 hours and 21 minutes into this morning’s recording to watch the debate in full.

Adjournment

The States Assembly then adjourned and will reconvene at 9:30am on Tuesday 1 April 2025.