Draft Telecommunications Law (Jersey) Amendment Regulations 202- (P.62/2025) – Children’s Rights Impact Assessment

1)  Name and brief description of the proposed decision

The subject of your CRIA may be a proposed law, policy or proposition and in accordance with the Law is referred to in this template as the decision'

• What is the problem or issue the decision is trying to address?

• Do children experience this problem differently from adults?

The States Assembly are being asked to adopt Amendment Regulations, to amend the Telecommunications (Jersey) Law 2002 in relation to telephone numbers in Jersey.

Telecommunications providers in Jersey have long used UK telephone numbers and are part of the UK National Telephone Numbering Plan (NTNP). Since 2003, OFCOM (the UK communications regulator) has been responsible for the allocation of numbers in Jersey and telecommunications providers with a telecommunications licence in Jersey, have applied directly to OFCOM for any number allocation.

However, OFCOM discovered that there was no legal basis for its long-standing practice  of  allocating  numbers  in  Jersey  (and  the  other  Crown  Dependencies). OFCOM made clear that OFCOM is unable to further allocate numbers in Jersey until this legal basis is put in place.

The Amendment Regulations address this issue by providing OFCOM and the Jersey Competition and Regulatory Authority (JCRA) with the necessary functions in relation to telephone numbers in Jersey.

2)  Which groups of children and young people are likely to be affected?

Groups of children could include early years, primary or secondary education; young adults; children with additional learning needs; disabled children; children living in poverty; children from particular ethnic backgrounds; migrants; refugees; care experienced children and LGBTQ+ children

The Amendment Regulations are not likely to affect children or young people, as the Amendment Regulations simply seek to put what is a matter of custom and practice into law. The Amendment Regulations simply seek to provide OFCOM and the JCRA with the necessary functions in relation to telephone numbers in Jersey.

3)  What is the likely impact of the proposed decision on children and on their rights?

• Identify any potential positive OR negative impacts and include indirect impacts on children and their rights as described in the UNCRC

• Will different groups of children be affected differently by this decision?

The  Amendment  Regulations  are  not  likely  to  impact  children's  rights,  as  the Amendment Regulations simply seek to put what is a matter of custom and practice into law. The Amendment Regulations simply seek to provide OFCOM and the JCRA with the necessary functions in relation to telephone numbers in Jersey.

4)  Is a full Children's Rights Impact Assessment required?

If you have identified impacts on children and their rights, a full CRIA should be completed. If no impacts are identified then a Full CRIA is not required, but please explain your rationale and how you reached this conclusion

A full CRIA is not considered to be required. The Amendment Regulations simply seek to put what is a matter of custom and practice into law.