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12/04/2013

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130

IC/SC/112

PRIVILEGES AND PROCEDURES COMMITTEE (27th Meeting)

12th April 2013

PART A

All members were present.

Connétable A.S. Crowcroft of St. Helier , Chairman Senator S.C. Ferguson

Senator Sir P.M. Bailhache

Connétable L. Norman of St. Clement

Deputy J.A. Martin

Deputy M. Tadier

Deputy K.L. Moore

In attendance -

M.N. de la Haye, Greffier of the States

A.H. Harris , Deputy Greffier of the States

I. Clarkson, Clerk to the Privileges and Procedures Committee

Note:  The Minutes of this meeting comprise Part A only.

Referendum on  A1.  The Committee, with reference to its Minute No. A2 of 14th March 2013, States Reform:  recalled having endorsed a voter registration and turnout campaign proposal in Minimum  respect of the forthcoming referendum on reform of the States Assembly.

Turnout

Threshold'  The Committee considered the report and proposition entitled: Referendum on (P.39/2013 ).  States Reform: Minimum Turnout Threshold' (P.39/2013 refers), which had been 1240/22/1/10  lodged au Greffe' by Deputy J.M. Maçon of St. Saviour . It further considered an (10)  amendment to P.39/2013 that had been lodged subsequently by Connétable P.J. Rondel of St. John .

The Committee, having noted that the principal proposition and the amendment sought to apply a turnout threshold of 40 per cent and 50 per cent respectively, considered what would, in practice, be achieved by having a such a threshold given–

  1. that the referendum outcome would not bind the Assembly, and
  2. that  Standing  Order  89A  had  already  set  a  higher  bar  for constitutional reform by requiring that a proposition to alter, in any way, the membership of the States of Jersey must be adopted by an absolute majority of Members (rather than a majority of those present for the debate) in order to succeed.

The  Committee  agreed  to  present  to  the  States  a  comment  on  P.39/2013 confirming its opposition to both the principal proposition and the amendment. In this  regard,  it  delegated  to  the  Chairman  the  authority  to  approve  a  suitable comment on the Committee's behalf.

The Committee Clerk was authorised to take the necessary action.