States Minutes 1st March 1983

THE STATES assembled on Tuesday, 1st  March,  1983  at 10.15 a.m. under the Presidency of the Deputy Bailiff , Peter Leslie Crill, Esquire, C.B.E.

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All members were present with the exception of –

Leonard Geoffrey Downer, Connétable of St. Brelade – out of the Island.

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Prayers. _____

Subordinate legislation tabled.

The  following  enactments  were  laid  before  the  States, namely –

1. Airport  Dues  (Tariff) (Jersey)  Order,  1983. R & O 7150.
2. Road  Traffic ( Grouville )  (Amendment  No. 7) (Jersey) Order, 1983. R & O 7151.
3. Road  Traffic (Pedestrian  Crossings)  (Amendment) (Jersey) Order, 1983. R & O 7152.

Agriculture and Fisheries Committee – resignation of member.

THE  STATES  noted  the  resignation  of   Deputy  Hendricus Adolphus Vandervliet of St. Lawrence from the Agriculture and Fisheries Committee.

Defence Committee – appointment of member.

THE  STATES  appointed  Mr. Leonard  James  Norman, Connétable of St. Saviour , as a member of the Defence Committee in the place of the former Connétable of St. Clement , Mr. Ernest Watson.

67  [ Price : 35p.]

Matters noted – land transactions.

THE STATES noted an Act of the Finance and Economics Committee dated 23rd February, 1983, showing that in pursuance of Standing Orders relating to certain transactions in land, the Committee had approved –

1. as recommended by the Housing Committee, the purchase from Mr. Nigel Robert William Pearce and Mrs. Linda Margaret Pearce, née Davis, of 2 Temple Villas, 30 Stopford Road, St. Helier , for a consideration of £47,000 for the realty, for use as States Rental accommodation;
2. as recommended by the Housing Committee, the sale to Mr. Frederick George Le Gros of approximately 98 square feet of land shown coloured red on Plan No. 1/B/3 situated between Mr. Le Gros' property, Sunnydale, Petite Route des Mielles, St. Brelade , and the estate road of Parcq du Pont Marquet, St. Brelade , together with permission to connect into the services at Parcq du Pont Marquet, for a consideration of £750, subject to Mr. Le Gros paying the Committee's legal costs.

Matters lodged.

The following subjects were lodged "au Greffe" –

1. Draft Milk (Sale to Special Classes) (Jersey) Regulations, 198 . P.25/83.

Presented by the Social Security Committee. The States decided to take this subject into consideration on 15th March, 1983.

2. Draft Shell-Fish (Underwater Fishing) (Jersey) Regulations, 198 . P.26/83.

Presented by the Agriculture and Fisheries Committee. The States decided to take this subject into consideration on 15th March, 1983.

3. Draft Agricultural Land (Control of Sales and Leases) (Amendment No. 2) (Jersey) Law, 198 . P.27/83.

Presented by the Agriculture and Fisheries Committee. The States decided to take this subject into consideration on 15th March, 1983.

4. Fort Regent: Privatisation. P.28/83.

Presented by Deputy Maurice Clement Buesnel of St. Helier .

5. Health  Insurance  Exception  Scheme:  extension. P.29/83.

Presented by the Social Security Committee.

Draft Trusts (Jersey) Law, 198 . P.18/83.

THE STATES acceded to the request of the President of the Finance and Economics Committee that consideration of the draft Trusts (Jersey) Law, 198 (lodged on 8th February, 1983) be deferred from 15th March, 1983 to a later date.

Electricity price increase. Question and answer.

Deputy Maurice Clement Buesnel of St. Helier asked Senator Ralph Vibert , President of the Finance and Economics Committee, the following question –

"Will the President inform the House as to whether the decision to increase the price of electricity took into proper account the rapidly falling international value of oil?"

Senator Bernard Thomas Binnington, on behalf of the President of the Finance and Economics Committee, replied as follows –

"The simple answer to the question is Yes. What the Deputy must appreciate is that oil is priced in dollars. Thus, although the dollar price of oil has recently been cut by about 10%, over the period since October 1982 when the Jersey Electricity Company last increased the price of electricity the pound has fallen in value against the dollar by just over 10%, so that the cost of oil in sterling has not fallen at all. Looked at over a longer period, it is worth noting that, since October, 1981, the price of electricity has only increased by 5.8%. Over this same period the Jersey Cost of Living Index has increased by 8.4%, and the value of the pound has fallen against the dollar by 20% with a consequential impact on the cost of oil in sterling terms which is the cost to the J.E.C."

Airport Dues (Tariff) (Jersey) Order, 1983. Statement.

The President of the Harbours and Airport Committee made a statement in the following terms –

"Members will be aware that the Harbours and Airport Committee has today tabled the Airport Dues (Tariff) (Jersey) Order, 1983.

In this connexion my Committee wishes to advise the States that the landing and parking charges for commercial flights, which will apply at Jersey Airport with effect from 1st April, 1983, are, with one possible exception, significantly lower than those which have applied since 1st April, 1982 at any comparable United Kingdom Airport."

Jersey Electricity Co. Ltd. – appointment of Director.

THE STATES, adopting a Proposition of the Finance and Economics Committee, approved the appointment of Senator Reginald Robert Jeune , O.B.E. as a Director of The Jersey Electricity Company Limited under the terms of Article 106 of the Articles of Association of the Company, in the place of the former Connétable of St. Helier , Mr. Peter Gorton Baker.

Dairy Industry – Improvement of productivity.

THE STATES continued consideration of the Proposition of the Agriculture and Fisheries Committee to improve productivity in the dairy industry and rejected paragraph (2) of the Proposition to agree to the principle of importing the semen of the best Jersey bulls overseas in order to improve the local herd.

Member present voted as follows – "Pour" (16)

Senators

Le Marquand, Shenton, Averty, Binnington, de Carteret, Horsfall, Ellis.

Deputies

Perkins(C), Le Gallais(S), Le Brocq(H), St. Martin , Filleul(H), Le Main(H), Rumboll(H), Buesnel(H), Grouville .

"Contre" (32)

Senators

Vibert , Jeune , Sandeman, Baal, Rothwell.

Connétable s

St. Ouen , St. Mary , Grouville , St. John , Trinity , St. Lawrence , St. Martin , St. Peter , St. Helier , St. Clement .

Deputies

Mourant(H), St. Ouen , Morel (S), Le Maistre(H), St. John , Quenault(B), Roche(S), Trinity , Vandervliet(L), St. Peter , Farley(H), Le Fondré(L), St. Mary , Beadle(B), Thorne (B), Wavell(H), Blampied(H).

THE STATES rose at 7.30 p.m.

R.S. GRAY, Deputy Greffier of the States.