States Minutes 21st June 1983

THE STATES assembled on Tuesday, 21st June, 1983 at 10.15 a.m. under the Presidency  of  the   Bailiff ,  Sir Frank Ereaut.

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His Excellency the Lieutenant Governor, General Sir Peter Whiteley, G.C.B., O.B.E., was present.

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All members were present with the exception of –

Senator Jane Patricia Sandeman – ill. Senator Anne Baal – out of the Island. Jack Roche, Deputy of St. Saviour – ill.

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Prayers read by Deputy Greffier. _____

Senator J. Le Marquand.

The Bailiff , on behalf of the Members of the States, welcomed Senator John Le Marquand on his return to the House after his illness.

Welcome to Deputy L. Norman of St. Clement .

The Bailiff , on behalf of the Members of the States, welcomed to  the  Assembly  the  newly  elected   Deputy  of   St. Clement , Mr. Leonard Norman.

Subordinate legislation tabled.

The  following  enactments  were  laid  before  the  States, namely –

1. Fire  Service  (General  Provisions)  (Amendment) (Jersey) Order, 1983. R & O 7189.

181  [ Price : 75p.]

2. Gorey Fête (Jersey) Order, 1983. R & O 7190.
3. Road Traffic (Saint Brelade) (Amendment No. 5) (Jersey) Order, 1983. R & O 7191.
4. Road Traffic (Saint Peter) (Amendment No. 2) (Jersey) Order, 1983. R & O 7192.
5. Road Traffic (Public Parking Places) (Amendment No. 14) (Jersey) Order, 1983. R & O 7193.

Harbours and Airport Committee, Social Security Committee and Overseas Aid Committee – appointment of member.

THE STATES appointed Deputy Leonard Norman of St. Clement as a member of the Harbours and Airport Committee, the Social Security Committee and the Overseas Aid Committee.

Advisory Training Council: Report. R.C.15.

The Education Committee by Act dated 8th June, 1983, presented to the States a Report of the Advisory Training Council for the year May, 1982 to April, 1983.

THE STATES ordered that the said Report be printed and distributed.

Matters noted – land transactions.

THE STATES noted an Act of the Finance and Economics Committee dated 14th June, 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 cession of a half share in that part of the wall between Bashford's Nurseries and each of the properties Nos. 9 to 17 inclusive, Miladi Farm, St. Saviour , to the respective owners of those properties as undermentioned subject to the transferees' paying the Committee's legal fees, namely –

Property Owner

No. 9 Mr. Jean Pierre Vernon Falle jnr. No. 10 Mrs. Dawn Collingwood Bence,

née Tyer

No. 11 Mr. Martin James Coleman

No. 12 Mr. Leslie Crill Mallion and

Mrs. Winifred Mary Mallion, née Hoyle, his wife, jointly

No. 13 Mrs. Susan Margaret Kourpa, née L'Amy and others

No. 14 Mr. Alan John Hamon and

Mrs. Lilian Florence Hamon, née Smithers, his wife, jointly

No. 15 Mr. Richard Johnathon Knowles No. 16 Mrs. Helen Mitchell, née Flowers No. 17 Mr. Norman Alfred Luce and

Sheila Macready;

2. as recommended by the Public Works Committee, the leasing to Mrs. Mary Baines, née Sheppard, for a period of three years, with effect from 24th June, 1983, at an annual rent of £1,000;
3. as recommended by the Housing Committee, the granting of a servitude to Vaut Mieux Properties Limited to enable the company to connect into the main sewer in Nicholson Park, Grands Vaux, St. Saviour , from the property Les Vaux, Grands Vaux, St. Saviour , for a consideration of £1,000 subject to the company paying the Committee's legal fees.

Matters lodged.

The following subjects were lodged "au Greffe" –

1. Jersey Wildlife Preservation Trust: loan. P.94/83. Presented by the Finance and Economics Committee. The States decided to take this subject into consideration on 26th July, 1983.
2. Juvenile Unemployment. P.95/83.

Presented by the Education Committee. The States decided to take this subject into consideration on 26th July, 1983.

3. Rezoning of land in Grouville for residential development. P.96/83.

Presented by the Island Development Committee. The States having rejected a proposition of the President of the Island Development Committee that this subject be taken into consideration on 26th July, 1983, adopted a proposition of Senator Richard Joseph Shenton that the subject be deferred until the next Session.

4. Recording of States' Meetings. P.97/83.

Presented by Deputy Robin Ernest Richard Rumboll of St. Helier .

Education of under-fives. Statement.

Senator Reginald Robert Jeune , President of the Education Committee, made a statement in the following terms –

"1. For the past two years the Education Committee has been investigating the possibility of introducing some measures of Pre-school Education. Members of

the Committee have visited Nursery Classes in the United Kingdom and Ecoles Maternelles in France as well as the local voluntary groups. The principles and practices of Nursery Education have been discussed with Local Education Authority Advisers, with Her Majesty's Inspectors of Schools and with the local Teachers' Organisations.

2. The Education Committee has concluded that it would not be sensible to embark on the development of a system of Nursery Education at this time. It believes that for the immediate future the priority of development must rest in Further Education and Training, an area which is especially costly in terms of manpower and equipment and where there is an absolute necessity for development if the Island is to maintain its economic health through the 1980s into the next decade. To meet that need the Committee has sought major capital votes to improve the facilities of Highlands College and has requested considerable sums in its annual budget to support the work of the Advisory Training Council.
3. The introduction of a system of Nursery Education throughout the Island would require a considerable number of extra staff and training at a substantial cost. While a small pilot scheme has its attractions it must lead either, if successful, to expansion or, if unsuccessful, to closure and abandonment. The Committee does not think it right to embark upon a pilot scheme affecting very small children if it cannot accept the commitment to further expansion as a consequence of success. In addition there is, at the present time, a significant percentage of young children in the Nursery and Playgroups operating in the Island.
4. Nevertheless, the Committee believes that it should undertake some initiatives in promoting more effective education for under-fives. It is therefore planning within its establishment to second an experienced Infant/Nursery trained teacher to the Education Department for an initial period of three years, to work with the numerous Pre-school Playgroups and Nurseries which it licenses under the Children (Jersey) Law. The teacher will have two main objectives; to promote closer links between those Playgroups and Nurseries and the Infant Departments of the Primary Schools and to assist the organisers of the Playgroups and Nurseries in developing more effective educational programmes for the children for whom they provide and to assist the schools in working with younger children.

5. In addition, the Committee has revised its policy on the admission of infant children into school as from September 1984. From that date children will be able to begin full-time attendance at school at the beginning of the term before that in which they become five years old. This will have the effect of admitting children to full-time schooling on a voluntary basis a full term earlier than at the present time. Thus a child whose fifth birthday falls in May will be able to begin full-time schooling in the preceding April. To make this possible in-service education programmes will be mounted during the coming school year to ensure that the schools are able to provide appropriate education for these younger children. The present arrangements under which Headteachers have discretion to admit children on a part-time basis for a term before they qualify as full-time pupils will be maintained."

Seismic activity in Jersey. Statement.

Deputy Donald George Filleul of St. Helier , President of the Public Works Committee, made a Statement in the following terms –

"The Public Works Committee was astonished to hear the statement presented to the House last Tuesday by the President of the Island Development Committee and considers the action taken by that Committee in issuing such a statement without prior consultation with the Public Works Committee, which is the authority responsible to this House for water supply, as irresponsible and discourteous.

The Committee cannot understand how the Island Development Committee could have met with the Consultants on 15th April last, showed their satisfaction by issuing a full development permission for the Queen's Valley project three days later, yet delayed for two months before making a statement the motive for which remains unclear though the degree of public concern and doubt must have been anticipated.

The Consultants' letter of 4th November, 1981, was circulated to the House at the time of the debate and I refute totally any suggestion that I or any Member of my Committee attempted to mislead the House in any way. A further copy of that letter has been circulated to Members together with a further communication received yesterday, 20th June, 1983, from the same Consultant. It will be seen that his views and recommendations are in respect of their findings identical with those propounded in 1981; an accompanying letter from the Chairman of the Jersey New Waterworks Company also circulated today reveals that there has been continued seismic activity at Val de la Mare in the last two months.

The Public Works Committee is therefore in no doubt that the decision of the States in November 1981 was the right one and that the element of concern about seismicity at Val de la Mare has been configured by recent evidence.

However the Committee concedes that there has been a degree of ambiguity in the statements made by the Consultants and will therefore take an early opportunity to meet with them to clarify that issue.

The House will of course be advised of the outcome."

Supplementary and Additional Votes of Credit.

THE STATES considered an Act of the Finance and Economics Committee dated 14th June, 1983, presenting Acts of the undermentioned Committees and, acceding to the requests contained therein, granted to the said Committees Supplementary (S) and Additional (A) votes of credit out of the General Reserve as follows –

(C) denotes capital votes of credit

S  A

£ £

Finance and Economics Committee

Establishment of H.E.

The Lieutenant-

Governor

0702  Premises  500 0705  Administration  1,100 Total Request  1,600

Public Works Committee

Department of Public

Building & Works

2001  Staff  71,000 Coast Protection

2021  Staff  1,000

Maintenance of Roads –

Resurfacing, etc.

2051  Staff  11,200 Public Buildings

2081  Staff  2,800 Public Gardens

2091  Staff  6,600 Public Markets

2101  Staff  1,200

Consumer Advice and

Protection

2201  Staff  1,600 Weights and Measures

2301  Staff  3,500

C0354  Temporary accommodation for

Magistrate's Courts   45,000 Total request £143,900  98,900  45,000

S  A

£ £

Harbours and Airport Committee

C0232  Harbours – Repairs to

La Platte Beacon  70,000

Housing Committee

Administration

5401  Staff  34,700 5403  Supplies and Services  4,800 5425  Maufant Vineries –

Offsite drainage

costs   7,000 46,500

Prison Board

5501  Staff  86,000 Constitution Committee

5600  Investigations and

discussions   2,000 Gambling Control Committee

5800  General expenses   4,000

The  total  requests  granted  for  the  June  Supply  Day amounted to £354,000.

St. Agatha, La Rue de la Côte, St. Martin .

THE STATES, adopting a Proposition of the Housing Committee –

1. agreed  to  cancel  the existing lease to Dr. Har Paul Ahluwalia and Dr. Jennifer Ahluwalia, née Haley,  of  St. Agatha,  La  Rue  de  la  Côte, St. Martin , with effect from 8th July, 1983;
2. approved the lease to Dr. Har Paul Ahluwalia and Dr. Jennifer Ahluwalia, née Haley, of St. Agatha, La Rue de la Côte, St. Martin , for a period of twenty-one years from 8th July, 1983, with an option to renew for a further period of twenty-one years subject to –

1. the lessees being responsible for all repairs and maintenance to the property; and
2. a commencing rent of £3,000 a year, subject to review in line with market rentals at intervals of every five years; and
3. an area of approximately 4,037 square feet of land, as delineated on drawing No. SCL/1/39G, being omitted from the new lease;

3. approved the lease to the Jersey Electricity Company Limited, for a period of ninety-nine years, of an area of approximately 4,037 square feet of land dependant upon St. Agatha, La Rue de la Côte, St. Martin , as shown coloured pink on drawing No. SCL/1/39G, subject to –

1. the payment of a premium of £10,000, and
2. the payment of a yearly ground rent of £500, subject to review every five years in line with the increase, or decrease, in the Jersey Cost of Living Index;

4. agreed that in both cases the parties to the leases would be responsible for the payment of their own legal fees;
5. authorised the Attorney General and the Greffier of the States to pass the necessary contracts;
6. authorised the Treasurer of the States to receive the monies as they became due.

Removal of Connétable s from the States and increase in number of Senators.

THE STATES rejected a Proposition of Senator Richard Joseph Shenton that the Legislation Committee be instructed to amend the appropriate legislation so that –

1. the Connétable s of the twelve Parishes of the Island would cease to be members of the States by virtue of their office; and
2. the number of Senators would be increased by twelve.

Members present voted as follows –

"Pour" (1) Senator

Shenton.

"Contre" (46)

Senators

Vibert , Le Marquand, Jeune , Averty, Binnington, de Carteret, Ellis, Rothwell.

Connétable s

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

Deputies

Mourant(H), St. Ouen , Morel (S), Le Maistre(H), Quenault(B), Perkins(C), Le Gallais(S), Le Brocq(H), Le Quesne(S), St. Martin , Filleul(H), Vanderliet(L), St. Peter , Le Main(H), Farley(H), Le Fondré(L), Rumboll(H), Buesnel(H), Grouville , St. Mary , Beadle(B), Thorne (B), Wavell(H), Blampied(H), Billot(S), Norman(C).

Airport Fire Service Foam Tender.

THE STATES, adopting a Proposition of the Harbours and Airport Committee, approved, in principle, the proposal of that Committee to purchase in 1984 a new major Foam Tender vehicle for the Airport Fire Service to replace the existing Pyrene Foam Tender vehicle.

Air Traffic Control Equipment.

THE STATES, adopting a Proposition of the Harbours and Airport Committee approved, in principle, the proposal of that Committee to purchase in two Phases – Phase I in 1984 and Phase II in 1985 – the necessary electronic and associated equipment to automate the transfer and distribution of aircraft information between the Jersey Air Traffic Services Unit and the London Air Traffic Control Centre.

Telecommunications Board: capital proposals for 1984 to 1988.

THE STATES, adopting a Proposition of the Telecommunications Board, approved, in principle, the capital proposals for the Telecommunications Board for 1984 to 1988 as follows –

1. the replacement of an extensions to existing exchanges;
2. the continuation of the underground cable development;
3. the provision of additional and replacement customer apparatus;
4. supporting expenditure.

Georgetown district – surface water drainage and flood alleviation.

THE STATES, adopting a Proposition of the Resources Recovery Board –

1. approved the works detailed in the Report and comprising –

1. the construction of a flood

retarding basin in Longueville

Marsh at an estimated cost of £26,000

2. the enlargement of La Becquetterie Impounding

Reservoir £70,000

3. the  reconstruction  of approximately  160 metres  of the  Baudrette  Brook  culvert downstream of Mascot Motors  £125,000
4. the  construction  of  a  new

culvert from Georgetown to the

Baudrette  Brook  culvert  at

Mascot Motors  £150,000

5. re-directing  the  local  road

drainage to the new system of

culverts  £40,000

6. uprating  the  equipment  at

Baudrette  Brook  Pumping

Station  £20,000 £431,000

2. approved  the use of funds from the vote  "C0453 –  Surface  Water Drainage –  Miscellaneous Improvements", in order to allow the works to be executed.

Resources Recovery Board – Works Progress and Capital Estimates for 1984.

THE STATES, adopting a Proposition of the Resources Recovery Board, approved in principle –

1. the  continuation  of  the  repair,  relining  and reconstruction of defective or inadequate sewers in accordance with priorities to be determined from  a  continuing  review  of  the  system  of sewers;
2. the extension of the system of main sewers to areas  which  have  been  identified  as  being  in greatest need;
3. the  construction  of  surface  water  drainage improvement works under the heading "Surface

Water Drainage – Miscellaneous Improvements."

Canning of mid potatoes by Jersey Exporters Limited: Interest subsidy.

THE STATES, adopting a Proposition of the Agriculture and Fisheries Committee –

1. approved a scheme to provide an interest subsidy to Jersey Exporters Limited to assist the Company to finance the canning of mid potatoes during the 1983 early potato season, the level of the subsidy to be the difference between 6.5 per cent and the effective rate charged by Kleinwort Benson (C.I.) Limited;
2. authorised the Treasurer of the States to pay the subsidy out of the vote of credit granted to the Agriculture and Fisheries Committee under the heading "Growers – Interest Subsidy Scheme 4143".

Social Security Reciprocal Agreement with the United States of America.

THE STATES, adopting a Proposition of the Social Security Committee, requested the Bailiff to inform the Secretary of State that it is the wish of the Assembly that the Agreement on Social Security between the Government of the United States of America and the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland should apply to Jersey.

THE STATES rose at 5.30 p.m.

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