States Minutes 28th February 1984

THE STATES assembled on Tuesday, 28th  February,  1984  at  10.15 a.m. under  the  Presidency  of  the   Bailiff , Sir Frank Ereaut.

_____

All members were present with the exception of –

Senator Reginald Robert Jeune – out of the Island. Senator Bernard Thomas Binnington – out of the Island. Edgar John Becquet, Deputy of Trinity – out of the Island.

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Prayers read by the Deputy Greffier. _____

Manpower Report 1983. R.C.7.

The Establishment Committee by Act dated 15th February, 1984, presented to the States its Report on Manpower for 1983.

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

Agricultural Loans Report for 1983. R.C.8.

The Agriculture and Fisheries Committee by Act dated 25th January, 1984, presented to the States a Report on the Agricultural Loans and Guarantees Fund for the year ending 31st December, 1983  and  commenting  on  the  operation  during  1983  of  the Agriculture (Loans and Guarantees) (Jersey) Law, 1974 and the Agriculture (Loans) (Jersey) Regulations, 1974, as amended.

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 22nd February, 1984, showing that in pursuance

71   Price : 50p.

of Standing Orders relating to certain transactions in land, the Committee had approved –

1. as recommended by the Public Works Committee, the assignment of the unexpired portion of the lease of the café at Elizabeth Castle from Le Brun's Bakery Limited to Mr. John Patrick Penney and Mrs. Madeleine Ruth Penney, née Houguez, on the same terms and conditions as approved by the States on 17th March, 1981;
2. as recommended by the Island Development Committee, the sale to Clements Motors Limited of 380 square feet of land, situated immediately to the east of 32, Providence Street, St. Helier delineated in blue on Drawing No. 01.154.1 for the sum of £380, subject to that company's erecting a close-boarded wooden gate, not less than 6 feet high, at the southern end of the area at its own expense and without liability on the part of the Committee should any right of way subsequently be claimed that affected the said gate;
3. as recommended by the Housing Committee, in order to establish the boundary between land in public ownership at the Bashfords Nurseries Development and land which had been retained by Bashfords Limited, the ceding, free of charge, by –

1. Bashfords Limited to the public of an area of land adjacent to, and to the east of No. 77 and 84 Bashfords Nurseries Development, measuring 72 square feet approximately;
2. Bashfords Limited to the public of an area of land to the east of No. 85 Bashfords Nurseries Development and to the south and south-west of the main road linking the Bashfords Nurseries Development to Rue des Pres, the Rue de Carteret, measuring 855 square feet approximately;
3. the public to Bashfords Limited of an area of land to the east of No. 84 Bashfords Nurseries Development and to the north-east and east of Rue de Carteret, measuring 1,740 square feet approximately;

4. the public to Bashfords Limited of an area of land in the west and north-west of the Rue de Carteret measuring 326 square feet approximately;

the areas being ceded to the public shown hatched in yellow and the areas being ceded to Bashfords Limited shown cross hatched in blue on Plan No. 235/53A, prepared by David Ruffle Associates, subject to the public's paying Bashfords Limited's legal and surveying fees.

Matters lodged.

The following subject was lodged "au Greffe" –

Draft Insurance Business (Amendment) (Jersey) Law, 198 . P.25/84.

Presented by the Finance and Economics Committee. The States decided to take this subject into consideration on 13th March, 1983.

Island Development Committee – soil and land classification map: Supplementary vote of credit. Deferred supply. P.163/83.

THE STATES acceded to the request of the President of the Finance and Economics Committee that the Island Development Committee – soil and land classification map: Supplementary vote of credit (Deferred supply lodged on 13th December, 1983) be considered on 13th March, 1984.

Liberalisation of telephone equipment. Statement.

The President of the Telecommunications Board made a statement in the following terms –

"The House will recall that on 11th October, 1983, I promised to advise Members on the Board's policy for the liberalisation of telephone equipment.

May I first of all tell the House that in the last few months, Telecoms have opened a new telephone showroom in Minden Place, and have available for sale or rental over 30 different types of telephones, with a choice of colour in many instances. We believe that the public will find our prices and rentals compare favourably with those obtaining on the mainland. Our Sales group have also in stock or available on order a wide range of modern business telephone apparatus.

It is the Board's firm intention to provide the Island with a choice which in relation to our size, will be second to none, and at a reasonable cost.

On the question of competitive supply – or liberalisation as it is known – the Board believes that it is in the Island's best interest to allow the sale of telephone equipment by private businesses.

At this point, I must add a word of warning. The Jersey telephone network is an expensive and complicated collection of cables and electronic equipment, connected to an even more complicated United Kingdom and International network.

It is of the utmost importance that nothing is connected to it that will endanger its efficiency and it is the Board's intention, and indeed first duty, to protect it. The Board, therefore, will insist that all apparatus connected to the telephone system, must be approved by Jersey Telecoms. The Board will not, however, raise unnecessary difficulties in the way of private enterprise, and a sufficiently wide range of apparatus will be approved to allow fair and effective competition.

It is the Board's intention to publicize a list of the types of apparatus to be approved and we will invite local retailers to a seminar where they will be free to ask questions and raise any problems they may have.

The Board will reserve the right to withdraw approval for items of equipment which prove unsatisfactory, or to add items as they see fit.

List of approved telephones

Ace XL 768 Ambassador

Apartment or Dawn Candlestick

CRP 100

Dial Wall Phone

Eiger

Empress

Florentine

Genie

Mickey Mouse

Milano

Penthouse or Contempra Pillo

Provencale

Pupon

PBT 100

PBT 200

PBT 600

Rhapsody

Roma

Sceptre

Snoopy

Statesman

Studio

Versatel

Viscount or Electron Wanderer

(Ace)

(B.T.)

(G.E.C.) (Conversation Pieces) (Fidelity) (Conversation Pieces) (B.T.)

(B.T.)

(Astral)

(B.T.)

(B.T.)

(Astral)

(G.E.C.)

(Astral)

(Astral)

(Astral)

(Plessey)

(Plessey)

(Plessey)

(G.T.E.)

(Astral)

(Dennis Ferranti) (B.T.)

(G.E.C. or (B.T.) (G.E.C.)

(B.T. or Krone)

(B.T. or S.T.C.) (Fidelity)

No telephones marked with a red triangle will be approved. All wiring of premises to be carried out by Jersey Telecoms. This list is subject to alteration at any time.

Equipment which will be approved on request

Answering machines and associated equipment. Call information logging equipment. Centralised dictation systems.

Facsimile equipment.

Modems.

Recording machines. Telex machines.

Equipment that will not be approved

P.A.B.X.'s

Keysystems.

P.M.B.X.'s

Dealer Boards.

Any equipment with switching capability Voice or Data. Coin boxes."

States Rental increases. Statement.

The President of the Housing Committee made a statement in the following terms –

"The purpose of this statement is to clarify that which the House  approved  following  the  recent  debate regarding maximum rents.

Previous to the debate, maximum rents were increased annually by the full increase in the Cost of Living Index, until they equated with the true rental value of the property.

Following the approval of Deputy Robin Rumboll's amendment, maximum rents will, in future, be increased by the full increase in the Cost of Living Index, plus a sum of £2.00 per week, until they equate with the true rental value of the property.

The true rental values of properties, or fair rents' as they were referred to in the debate, are increased annually by half the increase in the Cost of Living Index, subject to a review every three years by comparison with the private sector rentals."

Rue des Pres Trading Estate: Transfer of administration of roads, footpaths and verges.

THE STATES, adopting a Proposition of the Island Development Committee, approved the transfer to the Public Works Committee from the Island Development Committee of the administration of the internal roads, footpaths, and landscaped verges at the Rue des Pres Trading Estate, Longueville, St. Saviour as shown coloured red on Drawing No. 02.144.2.

Health Insurance (Medical Benefit) (Amendment No. 23) (Jersey) Regulations, 1984.

THE STATES, in pursuance of Articles 18 and 46 of the Health Insurance (Jersey) Law, 1967, as amended, made Regulations entitled the Health Insurance (Medical Benefit) (Amendment No. 23) (Jersey) Regulations, 1984.

Tourism: Public Relations Consultants and office accommodation.

THE STATES, adopting a Proposition of the Tourism Committee, confirmed the action of that Committee in –

1. appointing Wordsmith Marketing and Public Relations as its Public Relations Consultants;
2. requiring suitable office accommodation to be provided in London.

Members present voted as follows – "Pour" (44)

Senators

Vibert , Le Marquand, Averty, Horsfall, Ellis, Baal, Rothwell.

Connétable s

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

Deputies

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

"Contre" (1)

Senator

Sandeman.

THE STATES rose at 12.15 p.m.

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