States Meeting summary: 22 April
States Assembly
22 April 2025
Communications by the Presiding OfficerThe Meeting began with the announcement from the Bailiff that His Majesty The King has approved the appointment of Robert James MacRae, the current Deputy Bailiff, as the Bailiff of Jersey following Sir Timothy Le Cocq’s retirement.
Mr MacRae is expected to take the oath of office of Bailiff on Friday 24 October 2025.
Watch from the beginning of this morning’s recording to watch the announcement in full.
Question Time
Questions with notice
Ministers then answered States Members’ questions with notice.
Due to the Minister for Sustainable Economic Development’s absence from the States Meeting, Oral Question 7 was deferred.
Skip to page 6 of the Order Paper to find out which questions were asked and watch from eight minutes into this morning’s recording to hear questions with notice in full.
Questions without notice
States Members then asked the Minister for Infrastructure, Connétable Andy Jehan; Minister for Housing, Deputy Sam Mézec; and the Chief Minister, Deputy Lyndon Farnham, questions without notice for 15 minutes each.
Skip to one hour and 15 minutes into this morning’s recording to watch questions without notice in full.
Public Business
P.78/2024 Draft Employment and Discrimination (Jersey) Amendment Law 202.
The Minister for Social Security, Deputy Lyndsay Feltham, proposed to amend the Employment (Jersey) Law 2003 and the Discrimination (Jersey) Law 2013 to:
- increase the number of weeks’ pay awarded for breaches of employment rights and levels of compensation for unfair dismissal or employment related discrimination claims;
- Give employees the right to receive a written statement for reasons for dismissal.
Skip to two hours and one minute into this morning’s recording to watch the Minister’s opening statement.
The Minister accepted an amendment from Deputy Sir Philip Bailhache to ensure any future changes to the compensation limits need to be approved by the States Assembly, and not by Ministerial Order.
P.78/2024 Draft Employment and Discrimination (Jersey) Amendment Law 202-: second amendment
Deputy Malcolm Ferey proposed an amendment to the Minister’s proposition to reduce the upper threshold of compensation employers may be liable to pay for breaches of the Employment and Discrimination Law from £50,000 to £30,000.
The States Assembly voted to APPROVE the Deputy’s amendment with 23 votes for, 21 votes against, and one abstention.
Skip to two hours and 29 minutes into this morning’s recording recording to watch the beginning of the debate.
Watch from the beginning of this afternoon’s recording for the conclusion of the debate on the amendment.
The debate on the main proposition then resumed.
The States Assembly voted to APPROVE the Minister’s proposition, as amended, with 42 votes for, no votes against, and no abstentions.
Skip to one hour and four minutes into this afternoon’s recording to watch the resumption of the main debate in full.
P.11 Evidence-Based Energy Strategy
Deputy Hilary Jeune proposed that the Council of Ministers develop an evidence-based strategy that sets out the long-term energy requirements for the Island which balances the need for an affordable, safe, secure, competitive and carbon-neutral sector. If approved, it would be implemented before 31 October 2026.
Deputy Jeune accepted an amendment from the Minister for the Environment, Deputy Steve Luce, which requested that the Council of Ministers develop and ‘start’ implementing the strategy before December 2026, which includes ‘a market that delivers competitive outcomes.’
Skip to one hour and 17 minutes into this afternoon’s recording to watch the debate in full.
P.11 Evidence-Based Energy Strategy: amendment
Deputy Philip Ozouf lodged an amendment to the proposition which would request the Council of Ministers to include within the Energy Strategy a comprehensive review of Jersey’s fuel storage and distribution infrastructure, ensuring it’s aligned with the objectives of affordability, energy security, market competition, and the Island’s transition to net-zero.
Deputy Ozouf ultimately withdrew his amendment.
Skip to one hour and 30 minutes into this afternoon’s recording to watch the debate in full.
The States Assembly then resumed the debate on the main proposition. The Assembly voted to APPROVE the Deputy’s proposition, as amended, with 43 votes for, no votes against, and no abstentions.
Skip to one hour and 55 minutes into this afternoon’s recording to watch the resumption of the main debate.
P.19/2025 Draft Single-Use Plastics etc. (Restrictions) Jersey Amendment No.2 Law 202-
The Minister for Infrastructure, Connétable Andy Jehan, proposed an amendment to the Single-Use Plastics etc. (Restrictions) (Jersey) Law 2021. A first amendment Law, which will bring single use vapes into the scope of the 2021 Law, was agreed by the States Assembly in December 2024. This second Amendment Law is to correct a procedural error in which the Royal Court was referred to instead of the Magistrate’s Court.
The States Assembly voted to APPROVE the Minister’s proposition with 42 votes for, no votes against, and no abstentions.
Skip to two hours and 20 minutes into this afternoon’s recording to watch the debate in full.
P.25 Organ Donation Memorial
Deputy Lucy Stephenson proposed that the Council of Ministers take the necessary steps to ensure that a public memorial to organ donation is provided as part of the planning commitments of the Acute Hospital at Overdale, or any subsequent hospital developments, under the Percentage for Art Scheme.
The States Assembly voted to APPROVE the Deputy’s proposition with 42 votes for, no votes against, and no abstentions.
Skip to two hours and 24 minutes into this afternoon’s recording to watch the resumption of the main debate.
P.26 Increase in Assets and Savings Threshold for the Affordable Housing Gateway
Deputy David Warr proposed that the Minister for Housing increase the qualification criteria for savings and assets allowable to enter the Affordable Housing Gateway, to £200,000 for individuals of pensionable age.
Skip to two hours and 43 minutes into this afternoon’s recording to watch the start of the debate.
Adjournment
The States Assembly then adjourned and will reconvene at 9:30am tomorrow, Wednesday 23 April.
