PPC Sub-Committee: Diversity Forum - 3 February 2025

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Privileges and Procedures Committee Diversity Forum

(14th Meeting)

3rd February 2025

Part A (Non-Exempt)

All members were present, with the exception of Deputies L.K.F. Stephenson of St. Mary , St. Ouen and St. Peter and H.M. Miles of St. Brelade , and Connétable M.O'D Troy of St. Clement , 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

Deputy I. Gardiner of St. Helier North

Deputy M.R. Ferey of St. Saviour

In attendance -

T. Oldham , Assistant Greffier, Committees and Panels

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.

Welcome to  A2. The Sub-Committee, with reference to its Minute No. A2 of 19th September 2024, Deputy M.R.  welcomed Deputy M.R. Ferey of St. Saviour , Assistant Chief Minister to the Diversity Ferey of St.  Forum in his capacity as a representative of Government. It was noted that the Sub- Saviour.  Committee welcomed the prospect of having an Executive member at its meetings.

Common- A3. The Sub-Committee, with reference to its Minute No. A7 of 21st November 2024, wealth  received and noted a draft report, entitled Commonwealth Parliamentary Association Parliamentary  Gender  Sensitive  Parliament  Self-Assessment',  which  had  been  prepared  by  the Association:  Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) in connexion with the progress made Gender  since the Sub-Committee, as previously constituted, had undertaken an internal Gender Sensitive  Audit in 2019.

Parliament

Self- It was recalled that the report had congratulated the States Assembly for the progress Assessment.  made towards becoming a more gender sensitive institution and noted the increased

representation of women in the Assembly. However, the report had also identified pertinent areas for improvement to ensure the establishment and success of a more diverse parliament, including –

- the formalisation of diversity in leadership roles;

- the equality of participation in parliament; and

- the increased support for staff and Members with childcare responsibilities.

Due to the complex and comprehensive list of recommendations outlined in the report,

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it had been requested that a summary and relevant list of recommendations were produced for review and discussion. The Sub-Committee, noting that the CPA required a response to their suggestions, was apprised of this summary and considered the necessary ownership of each action, whether consensus was held to complete the recommendation and the timescale in which to do so. Having considered the summary, the Sub-Committee decided to take ownership of recommendations one, 2, 3, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 18 and 19, as outlined in the report, and it was agreed that the remaining items would be delegated elsewhere.

The following discussions also arose from the report's recommendations- Recommendation One – Diversity amongst the Connétable s

The Sub-Committee was advised that this recommendation had originally requested that the Election Observers Sub-Committee, as a Sub-Committee of the Privileges and Procedures Committee (PPC), hold an inquiry into the diversity of Connétable s in order to identify the mechanisms in place to increase candidate representation for future elections.

Having considered the matter, it was agreed that the Sub-Committee  would  take ownership of this recommendation. It was proposed that the provision of unconscious bias training could encourage diversity amongst the entirety of the Assembly. The provision of such training could also mitigate the extent of further work on subsequent recommendations in the report.

Recommendation 3 – Monitoring of the Plan to Stand Campaign

The Sub-Committee recalled that the Political Awareness and Education PPC Sub- Committee (PAE) held political oversight for the Plan to Stand' Campaign, which was run by the States Greffe's Digital and Public Engagement (DPE) team. It was acknowledged that the recommendation requested that the campaign's activity and engagement be monitored with a particular focus on underrepresented communities. Additionally, a formal commitment to the campaign's continuation in subsequent elections was suggested.

To ensure the progress of this recommendation, the Sub-Committee agreed to invite a representative from the States Greffe to a future meeting to apprise the Sub-Committee of advancements in the implementation of this recommendation.

Recommendation 6 – The Creation of Role Descriptions

The Sub-Committee noted that this recommendation sought to create clearly defined roles for Minister and Assistant Minister positions within Government. Whilst it was acknowledged that political oversight for this matter fell under the remit of the Machinery of Government PPC Sub-Committee (MoG), the Sub-Committee requested to be apprised of the finalised role descriptions once discussions had been concluded. Accordingly, Deputies H.L. Jeune of St. John , St. Lawrence and Trinity , Vice Chair and R.L. Kovacs of St. Saviour agreed to provide an update on these items upon completion, as members of MoG.

Recommendation 7 – Scrutiny Panel Membership

Recommendation 7 sought to include a commitment to equality and diversity in the membership of Scrutiny Panels, and it was envisaged that this suggestion would aid with the induction process for Members who had taken on the role of Chair without having previously been a member of the Panel. Having considered the importance of

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this matter, it was agreed that further unconscious bias training would be provided during the 2026 post-Election induction period. Moreover, the Sub-Committee hoped that this training would encourage the consideration of diversity when appointing Panel Members, without becoming overly prescriptive.

Recommendation 9 – Establish a Designated Family Room to Support Breastfeeding and other Caregiving Needs

The Sub-Committee was advised that a designated room for such purposes was available in the States Building on request. Additionally, it was suggested that further awareness of the room was required to remind prospective users of the facilities available to them.

On a related matter, the Sub-Committee noted a series of informal conversations with the States Greffe regarding the installation of baby changing facilities in the ground floor accessible toilet, to further support users of the family room. Deputy L.M.C. Doublet of St. Saviour , Vice Chair, requested that Deputy L.K.F. Stephenson of St. Mary , St. Ouen and St. Peter , Chair, be notified of these developments owing to her upcoming return to work following parental leave.

Recommendation 10 – Review of Parental Leave

The Sub-Committee was advised that recommendation 10 suggested that PPC conduct a review of parental leave, including the possible provision of proxy voting and return to work experiences, to formalise procedures for States Members. The Sub-Committee acknowledged the importance of a formalised return to work procedure to ensure familial support in the workplace, and concerns were raised regarding the lack of support amongst States Members to establish proxy voting to allow Members absent from the Assembly to nominate colleagues to vote on their behalf. Having noted the complexities of this matter, it was agreed that, in addition to any work undertaken by PPC, this recommendation be addressed for further consideration in the Legacy Report for the succeeding members of the Sub-Committee, following the 2026 Election.

Recommendation 12 – Security of the Chambers Building  

The Sub-Committee recalled that recommendation 12 had proposed the establishment of a Chamber Buildings Steering Group, comprised of States Assembly and Courts staff, to coordinate on the uses and security of the States Building. Although it was advised that a Steering Group had already been established, concerns were raised regarding what provisions were in place in the instance of a security threat. The Sub- Committee undertook to discuss security matters further at its next meeting and to subsequently invite the Greffier of the States, in the first instance, to a future meeting for additional consideration.

Recommendation 16 – Review of Social Media Processes

The Sub-Committee was advised that the report had recommended further reviews into social media use, including identifying best practices, and the experiences of States Members, staff, and members of the public when interacting with social media outlets. To provide further clarity on the monitoring of comments on the States Assembly social media pages, it was requested that an invite be extended to the Greffier of the States to attend a future meeting of the Sub-Committee to discuss the matter.

Recommendation 17 – Public Access to States Members' Addresses

The Sub-Committee was informed that this recommendation sought to remove the

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personal addresses of Members from the States Assembly website, in favour of a default address located at Morier House, to enhance security for States Members. Whilst it was noted that this option was already available to Members, the Sub-Committee concurred that further clarity was required to address disparity amongst Members who chose to share personal details and those who preferred not to. Additionally, the Sub-Committee considered the option of providing all States Members with transferrable work phone numbers to enable public communication with representatives via non-personal contact details. It was agreed that further discussions were required with States Members and the Greffier of the States to determine the feasibility of this suggestion.

Recommendation  19  –  Complete  the  CPA  Course  on  Effective  Women's Parliamentary Caucuses'

The Sub-Committee recalled that all States Members identifying as female had been invited to participate in a group training session in connexion with establishing a Jersey Women's Caucus, held on 8th January 2025. It was recalled that the training, delivered by the CPA, consisted of 8 modules, took 4-8 hours in total to complete and offered an introduction into the methods used to establish and run effective women's parliamentary caucuses.

Deputy  L.M.C   Doublet  of  St.  Saviour,  Vice  Chair,  noted  that  due  to  technical difficulties, some Members had been unable to complete the course. Consequently, it was proposed that officers write to States Members to establish whether a further group session was required.

Due  to  time  constrictions,  the  Sub-Committee  agreed  to  consider  the  remaining recommendations at its next meeting.

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Next meeting.  A4. The Sub-Committee noted that its next meeting would be held on 13th February

2025 at 10.00 am in the Blampied Room.