States Minutes 22nd March 1988

THE STATES assembled on Tuesday, 22nd March, 1988 at 10.15 a.m. under the Presidency of the Bailiff ,

Sir Peter Crill, C.B.E. ____________

All members were present with the exception of –

Senator Reginald Robert Jeune – out of the Island. Senator Anne Baal – ill.

Leonard Picot, Connétable of Trinity – out of the Island.

Margaret Sylvia Rose Beadle, Deputy of St. Brelade – out of the Island.

Cynthia Miriam Horne, Deputy of St. Helier – out of the Island.

____________

Prayers ____________

Subordinate legislation tabled.

The following enactments were laid before the States, namely –

1. Airport  Dues  (Tariff)  (Jersey)  Order,  1988. R & O 7727.
2. Post Office (General Provisions) (Amendment No. 25) (Jersey) Order, 1988. R & O 7728.
3. Post  Office  (Postal  Orders)  (Amendment  No. 11) (Jersey) Order, 1988. R & O 7729.

103   Price : 75p

Jersey Electricity Company Limited – Directors' Report and Accounts for 1987.

The Finance and Economics Committee, by Act dated 22nd February, 1988 presented to the States the Jersey Electricity Company Limited Directors' report and statement of accounts for 1987.

Public Lotteries Report for 1987. R.C.5.

The Gambling Control Committee, by Act dated 9th February, 1988, presented to the States its report on public lotteries promoted and conducted during 1987.

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 7th March, 1988, showing that in pursuance of Standing Orders relating to certain transactions in land, the Committee had approved –

1. as recommended by the Harbours and Airport Committee, the lease to F. Battrick and Sons Limited of storage facilities on the Albert Pier, Portof St. Helier , measuring 1,980 square feet, for a period of three years, commencing 1st April, 1988, at an annual rent of £3,960;
2. as recommended by the Public Works Committee, the purchase from Canillo (Jersey) Limited of5,725 square feet of land required for a proposed improvement scheme at the junction of Samares Lane and St. Clement 's Coast Road, St. Clement , for a consideration of £11,450, with the Committee's being responsible for the cost of accommodation works and the payment of all legal fees;

3. as recommended by the Public Works Committee, the passing of a contrat de transaction between the public of the Island and Positive Securities Limited ratifying the position of seven windows placed on the southern wall of No. 31, The Parade, St. Helier , and other matters associated with the relationship between Cyril Le Marquand House and No. 31, The Parade;
4. as recommended by the Housing Committee, the sale to The Jersey Electricity Company Limited of the site of electricity sub-station No. 322, situated at St. Lawrence Arsenal, St. Lawrence , for a consideration of £10, and to the granting to the company, free of charge, of any servitudes required for high tension cables, with each side being responsible for the payment of its legal fees;
5. as recommended by the Resources Recovery Board, the leasing from Mr. Robert Charles Hamon of the property known as Little Arch', Les Arches, Maufant, St. Saviour , for a period of three years with an option to renew for a further period of two years, with immediate effect, at an annual rent of £8,000, for occupation by the Chief Officer for the duration of his contract.

Matters noted – financial transactions.

THE STATES noted an Act of the Finance and Economics Committee dated 7th March, 1988, showing that in pursuance of Rule 5 of the Public Finances (General) (Jersey) Rules, 1967, as amended, the Committee had noted that –

1. the Education Committee had accepted the lowest of six tenders, namely that submitted by Thatcher Limited, in the sum of £529,750 for the construction of Highlands College "J" Block;
2. the Public Works Committee had accepted the lowest of five tenders, namely that submitted by A.C. Mauger and Son (Sunwin) Limited, in the sum of £2,608,292 in the contract period of77 weeks for the construction of Depôts at La Collette, St. Helier .

Matter lodged.

The following subject was lodged "au Greffe" –

Draft Maincrop Potato Marketing Scheme (Amendment No. 6) (Jersey) Act, 198 . P.30/88.

Presented by the Agriculture and Fisheries Committee. The States decided to take this subject into consideration on 19th April, 1988.

Victoria College/Jersey College for Girls: building development. P.79/87. Withdrawn.

THE STATES noted that the Education Committee had withdrawn the Proposition regarding building development at Victoria College and Jersey College for Girls (lodged on 12th May, 1987).

The price of bakery products. Questions and answers.

Senator Richard Joseph Shenton asked Senator Bernard Thomas Binnington, Vice-President of the Finance and Economics Committee, the following questions –

"1. Can the President give the States details of the relative

prices of the main bakery products in Jersey, Guernsey and the United Kingdom?

2.  Is the President satisfied that the recently announced increase in the price of bread in Jersey is justified?"

The Vice-President of the Finance and Economics Committee replied as follows –

"1.  The following price comparisons have been made for

the leading bread items as at the beginning of March.

Jersey  Guernsey  UK  UK

Range

White, sliced packaged 800g

White, unsliced 800g

Brown, sliced, packaged 800g

Brown, sliced, packaged 400g

Brown, unsliced 800g

60  51–60 59  58 67  67 45  45 65  72

46  38–56 58  54–61 59  N/A 44  N/A 58  47–63

List prices for the main national bread manufacturers were  last  raised  in  October  1987  and  prices  are expected  to  remain  static  for  the  short  to  medium term. United Kingdom bread prices tend to be led by the purchasing power of the large retailing multiples. Competition is most intense in sales of white sliced 800g  loaves,  which  explains  the  disparity  between United Kingdom and Jersey prices. This disparity is not so marked for other loaves.

In the United Kingdom there is intense competition at the retail level, reflecting the strong buying power of the national grocery multiples. Large multiples (i.e. Tesco's,  Co-Operative  Wholesale  Society,  ASDA, Sainsburys,  etc.)  account  for  80 per cent  of  United Kingdom  non-specialist  bread  sales  and  receive  a discount of between 30–33 per cent on manufacturer's list price. Certain independent bread producers offer a discount  of  40 per cent  on  bulk  sale  of  main  lines (i.e. large white sliced loaves).

The average manufacturer's list price for white sliced loaves (800g) in the United Kingdom is 55 pence (delivered). A discount of between 30–40 per cent means that large multiples are able to buy in this product at between 33–38.5 pence per loaf and sell it in the superstores and supermarkets at as low as 41 pence.

This situation does not prevail on any of the Channel Islands. Bread producers in Jersey and Guernsey do not benefit from the significant economies of scale enjoyed by the volume producers in the United Kingdom (predominantly RHM and Allied Bakeries) and transport costs add about 11 per cent to the cost of flour. The main producers in Jersey and Guernsey sell white sliced (800g) loaves at a recommended list price of 60 pence. In both cases they give their main customers (i.e. Le Riches, the Besant Group and the Channel Islands Co-Op) a discount, somewhat higher that that offered to small independent grocers.

Price competition between the main retailers in Guernsey has brought the price of large white sliced loaves down to as low as 51 pence in the larger stores in that Island. Until last week there was no evidence of similar, retailer led, price competition on Jersey. However, it is noted that a small independent retail bakery has started to import bread products from an independent bakery in southern England and is retailing this produce at prices significantly below the prices charged for locally produced bread by the main retailers on the Island. If the bakery in question is able to maintain regular supplies at this price it is to be expected that other local retailers will respond.

The price comparisons for brown bread are complicated by the fact that brown bread is not a homogenous product. A variety of different types and grades of flour are used in the production of brown bread and this makes a like for like comparison between prices in Guernsey and Jersey, and between Jersey and the United Kingdom somewhat unreliable. However, it would appear that a large brown loaf made from wholemeal flour by an independent baker costs 65 pence in Jersey compared to a price of 72 pence in Guernsey.

2.  The Finance and Economics Committee does not have the power to investigate the price of bread, or that of any other commodity. However, from the information obtained from a number of sources it is possible to make the following statement.

Over the past three years flour prices have risen by 26.5 per cent, and the Jersey Wages Index has shown an increase of 20.5 per cent. These percentages can be compared to the 25 per cent increase in the price of a large sliced white loaf between March 1985 and March 1988.

Taking the past year, flour prices have increased by some 7 to 10 per cent, wages by some 7 per cent, and the large sliced white loaf has increased in price between March 1987 and March 1988 by 7 per cent.

There is little, if anything, in these comparisons to suggest that the increase in price that has occurred in the price of bread, as charged by the bakers, has been unreasonable."

Pig Arcs adjacent to Jubilee Hill. Questions and answers.

Deputy Corrie Stein of Grouville asked the Connétable of St. John the following question –

"Will the President inform the States why, after Mrs. Didot had been advised by an officer of the Committee on 2nd February, 1987, to place pig arcs on her field at the bottom of Jubilee Hill as they were movable structures and could be used to provide shelter for her two pigs, she was informed one year later that the Committee was not prepared to grant a licence for the arcs to be used on the field in question?"

The President of the Island Development Committee replied as follows –

"Mrs. Didot was not advised by an officer to place pig arcs on her field. She was advised that arcs do not fall within the definition of development' in Article 5 of the Planning Law and so their use on land did not require the Committee's permission. The officer who advised her, however, overlooked the existence of Article 20 of the Law – Movable Structures' – and the Movable Structures Order which requires a person to obtain a licence from the Committee before a movable structure is erected, stationed or used on any part of any land occupied by him'.

When Mrs. Didot's advocate had been informed that a licence was required, he applied for her to use four pig arcs on the land. Following advice from the Public Health Department (the Order obliges the Committee to consult the Public Health Committee) the application was turned down. In reaching its decision the Committee had regard to the appearance of the structures, in a fairly exposed position within the Green Zone, and the recommendations of the Public Health Department.

I have made this reply as short as possible so as to avoid taking up the time of the House with a subject best dealt with at a meeting between me and the Deputy for Grouville . Officers of the department have prepared a detailed written reply to the Deputy 's questions. This reply gives the reasons for the time delay which occurred between the officer's misleading advice and the decision of the Committee, and explains what I intend to do to put the matter right.

Members of the House will know from their own work in Committee that apparently simple cases are often very complex indeed and that, as in this case, there can be many a slip twixt trough and snout'."

Provision of electricity for the future. Statement.

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

"This statement is made to the House to ensure that it is fully aware of the Committee's views in connexion with the provision of electricity for the future.

The Jersey Electricity Company has informed the Committee that it will be making an application for permission to extend the power station at La Collette so that it will be capable of generating electricity to meet the needs of the community into the next century.

The project is an important one. The Company's recommendation that the existing oil-fired boilers (now reaching the end of their lives) be replaced by coal-fired ones, coupled with the need to increase the capacity of the station to meet ever-growing demands for power, will be of interest to everyone.

For this reason, and because the buildings needed will be large and the use of coal can be accepted only if the problems of its delivery and storage can be overcome, the Committee has reaffirmed its decision to commission an independent assessment of the Company's proposals.

This assessment will include study of the products of combustion (gas emission from the chimney and the disposal of ash) as well as a thorough investigation of the proposal's environmental impact.

Consultants of international repute will be given a wide- ranging brief so that every anticipated concern of States Members and members of the public can be addressed."

Disability Allowances (Jersey) Regulations, 1988. P.20/88.

THE STATES, in pursuance of Articles 15 and 17 of the Invalid Care and Disability Allowances (Jersey) Law, 1978, as amended, made Regulations entitled the Disability Allowances (Jersey) Regulations, 1988.

Attendance Allowances (Jersey) Regulations, 1988. P.21/88.

THE STATES, in pursuance of Article 12 of the Attendance Allowances (Jersey) Law, 1973, as amended, made Regulations entitled the Attendance Allowances (Jersey) Regulations, 1988.

Appointment of Directors of the Jersey Electricity Company Limited. P.22/88, P.25/88.

THE STATES considered Propositions of the Finance and Economics Committee and Senator Richard Joseph Shenton regarding the appointment of four States' Members as Directors of the Jersey Electricity Company Limited, and, having proceeded to a ballot, appointed, with effect from 1st April, 1988 in accordance with Article 106 of the Articles of Association of the Company, the following members as Directors –

Senator Reginald Robert Jeune ,

Senator Bernard Thomas Binnington,

Enid Clare Quénault, Connétable of St. Brelade , Derek Ryder Maltwood, Deputy of St. Mary .

Appointment of Directors of the Jersey New Waterworks Company Limited. P.23/88, P.26/88, P.29/88.

THE STATES considered Propositions of the Finance and Economics Committee, Senator Terence John Le Main and Maurice Clement Buesnel, Deputy of St. Helier regarding the appointment of four States Members as Directors of the Jersey New Waterworks Company Limited, and, having proceeded to a ballot, appointed, with effect from 1st April, 1988, in accordance with Article 74(a) of the Articles of Association of the Company the following members as Directors –

Senator John William Ellis

Senator Anne Baal,

Jack Roche, Deputy of St. Saviour , Leonard Norman, Deputy of St. Clement .

Grants for further and higher education. P.24/88.

THE STATES, adopting a Proposition of the Education Committee –

1. approved the following rules for the payment of grants to persons proceeding to universities, agricultural colleges, polytechnics or such other places of specialised further or higher education as may be approved by the Committee –

1. Candidates must provide evidence of having satisfied the entrance requirements of the college or other place of education concerned and must furnish proof that it is willing to accept them as students.
2. Candidates will be required to satisfy the Committee as to their fitness and ability to profit from the desired course before they are accepted for grant aid.

3. Candidates must have been ordinarily resident in the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man or the United Kingdom throughout the three years immediately preceding the commencement of the course, and be ordinarily resident in Jersey on the last day of the month of October, February or June (according as the academic year of the course begins in the spring, the summer or the autumn respectively) preceding the commencement of the course.
4. Except in the case of persons who are treated by the Committee as independent, each parent or guardian will be required to furnish the Committee with a full and confidential statement of income. The amount of the grant will be determined by the ability of the parents to pay.
5. Grants will normally be made to cover the period of training subject to satisfactory reports being received from the authorities concerned.
6. No age limit will be set for candidates.

2. rescinded their Act, dated 31st March, 1949, approving rules for the payment of grants for further education.

Attendance Allowance Board: appointment. P.28/88.

THE STATES, adopting a Proposition of the Social Security Committee –

appointed the undermentioned as members of the Attendance Allowance Board in pursuance of Article 4 of the Attendance Allowances (Jersey) Law, 1973, as amended, for a period of three years commencing 14th March, 1988 –

Mr. St. John Birt, O.B.E. (Chairman) Dr. D. Crill

Dr. S. Milner

Dr. J. Newall

Dr. A.D. Williams

Mrs. M. Rebindaine

Mrs. D. Le Feuvre

THE STATES rose at 12.35 p.m.

E.J.M. POTTER, Greffier of the States.