Jersey Data Protection Authority – re-appointment of voting member

STATES OF JERSEY

JERSEY DATA PROTECTION AUTHORITY – REAPPOINTMENT OF VOTING MEMBER

Presented to the States on 5th June 2025

by the Minister for Sustainable Economic Development

STATES GREFFE

2025  R.85

REPORT

Background

The Minister for Sustainable Economic Development is presenting this Report to the States Assembly in line with the Data Protection Authority (Jersey) Law 2018 (the "2018 Law") to give notice of his intention to reappoint Mr Paul Routier MBE as a Voting Member of the Jersey Data Protection Authority.

The Data Protection Authority is established under Article 3 of the 2018 Law, which states –

"3  Constitution of Authority

1. The Authority consists of –
   1. the Chairman;
   2. no fewer than 3 and no more than 8 other voting members; and
   3. the Commissioner as an ex officio and non-voting member.
2. Subject to paragraph (4), the Chairman and the other voting members are appointed by the Minister who must have particular regard to the need to ensure that voting members of the Authority –
   1. have the qualifications, experience and skills necessary to exercise and perform the functions of a member, in particular relating to the protection of personal data;
   2. have a strong sense of integrity; and
   3. are able to maintain confidentiality.
3. Before appointing any individual under this Article, the Minister may require the individual to provide, or to authorize the Minister to obtain, any information and references that the Minister reasonably requires to ascertain the individual's suitability for appointment as a voting member.
4. At least 2 weeks before making an appointment under this Article the Minister must present to the States a notice of the Minister's intention to make the appointment.
5. Each voting member is appointed for a term of 5 years or such shorter period as the Minister thinks fit in a particular case and is eligible for reappointment up to a maximum period of service of 9 years.
6. An individual is ineligible to be a voting member if the individual –

1. is, or has at any time during the preceding 12 months been, a member of the States of Jersey;
2. is a States' employee or is otherwise under the direction and control of the States; or
3. is engaged in any employment, occupation (whether or not remunerated) or business, or receives any benefits, that is incompatible  with  the  functions  of  a  member  of  the Authority."

Matters relating to appointment  

Article 3 of the 2018 Law requires the Minister to appoint Voting Members of the Authority and states the maximum period of service for such members is 9 years.

3

Mr Routier was initially appointed as a Voting Member of the Authority on 1st August 2019 for 3 years. In August 2022 his appointment was extended for a further 3 years until August 2025. To support the newly appointed Chair of the Authority, the Minister is to extend Mr Routier's appointment from 1st August 2025 by a further 18 months, until 1st February 2027. This will bring Mr Routier's period of service with the Authority to 7 years 6 months.

Since the appointment of the new Chair in October 2024, there have been a number of changes within the Data Protection Authority, with the number of Voting Members being reduced from 6 to down to 5 and the planned retirement of the only other Jersey based Voting Member in July 2025. Mr Routier is currently chair of the Authority's HR and  Remuneration  Committee,  providing  governance  oversight  and  guidance  and continues to provide a valuable contribution to the Authority in this role.

The continuation of his appointment for 18 months will assist in maintaining a mix of experienced and new Authority Members along with a balance of international and local appointments. His political insight, together with his public sector knowledge and retail business sector experience, will assist in the development and delivery of the strategic plan for the Authority and for the Jersey Office of the Information Commissioner.

Mr Routier does not currently sit on any other Boards of significant government grant supported bodies.

The Minister is not aware of any circumstances that would make Mr Routier ineligible for re-appointment as a Voting Member.

Biographical details: Mr Paul Routier MBE

Mr Routier MBE served as an elected as a member of the States of Jersey for nearly 25 years. During this time, he was Jersey's Minister for Employment and Social Security and latterly appointed as Assistant Minister to the Chief Minister. During his term in office, he championed debates in data protection, leading the establishment of Jersey's own data protection legislative framework, which included the formation of the Data Protection Authority.

Mr Routier has made significant contributions to the Jersey Data Protection Authority, including as Chair of the HR and Remuneration Committee and he will continue to help the Authority drive data protection enforcement and development of a new 3 year strategic delivery plan.

Beyond data protection, Mr Routier is supportive of local charities which help to improve  lives  and  celebrate  successes  of  adults  and  young  people  with  learning disabilities. He is currently Chair of the Les Amis' Board of Directors and Trustees.

Financial and manpower implications

Article 7(1) of the 2018 Law states –

"7  Remuneration and resources

(1)  The voting members of the Authority are entitled to –

R.85/2025

1. such  fees,  allowances  and  other  emoluments  as expenses as the Minister determines in consultation with the Authority and publishes; and
2. if the Minister so determines, reasonable out-of-pocket or other expenses occasioned in the course of carrying out the Authority's duties."

Fees payable to Voting Members of the Data Protection Authority are sourced from the annual grant made to the Authority to administer the Data Protection (Jersey) Law 2018 and the Data Protection Authority (Jersey) Law 2018, as well as revenue raised from the annual data protection registration fee. Authority member remuneration and time commitments  are  reported  each  year  in  the  Jersey  Office  of  the  Information Commissioner's  Annual  Report,  available  at:  Jersey  Office  of  the  Information Commissioner - Annual Reports1

There are no other financial or staffing implications for the States of Jersey.

1 https://jerseyoic.org/governance/annual-reports/