Youth Assembly Order Paper 2021

JERSEY YOUTH ASSEMBLY Tuesday 30th March 2021

Prayers will be read by Diana Casegas of Hautlieu

Notre Père, qui es aux cieux, ton nom soit sanctifié. Ton règne vienne. Ta volonté soit faite en la terre comme au ciel. Donne-nous aujourd'hui notre pain quotidien. Et nous pardonne nos offenses, comme nous pardonnons à ceux qui nous ont offensés. Et ne nous induis point en tentation, mais délivre nous du mal. Car à toi est la règne, la puissance et la gloire, aux siècles des siècles, AMEN

1. COMMUNICATIONS BY THE PRESIDENT
2. QUESTIONS

Jem Gurner of Victoria College will ask a question of Deputy Scott Wickenden of St. Helier , Assistant Minister for Children and Education regarding the inclusion of diversity within the primary curriculum.

Matilda Garrood of Jersey College for Girls will ask a question of Deputy Kevin Lewis of St. Saviour , Minister for Infrastructure regarding parking charges.

Archie Willetts of Victoria College will ask a question of Deputy Richard Renouf , Minister for Health and Social Services regarding vaccine passports for travellers to the Island.

Jennifer Rodrigues of Hautlieu will ask a question of question of Deputy Scott Wickenden of St. Helier , Assistant Minister for Children and Education regarding the PSHE curriculum.

Kenan Bryan of De La Salle College will  ask a question of Deputy Trevor Pointon of St. John , Assistant Minister for Health and Social Services regarding mental health support for young people.

Katie Le Saint of Beaulieu will ask a question of Connétable Len Norman of St. Clement , Minister Home Affairs regarding the safety of Jersey's streets.

Olivia Kawala of Jersey College for Girls will ask a question of Deputy Judy Martin of St. Helier , Minister for Social Security regarding period products.

Axel Nixon of De La Salle College will ask a question of Deputy Russell Labey of St. Helier , Minister for Minister for Housing and Communities regarding affordable housing in Jersey.

Diana Casegas of Hautlieu will  ask a question of Deputy Hugh Raymond of Trinity , Assistant Minister for Economic Development, Tourism, Sport and Culture regarding the location of the skateboard park.

Katie Le Saint of Beaulieu will ask a question of Deputy Kevin Lewis of St. Saviour , Minister for Infrastructure regarding reducing cars on Jersey's roads.

3. QUESTIONS TO THE CHIEF MINISTER

Students are invited to pose questions without notice for 15 minutes to Senator John Le Fondré, the Chief Minister.

4. PUBLIC BUSINESS

Scrap GCSEs and replace them with a fairer system Kenan Bryan, De La Salle College

Legalise all recreational drugs in Jersey Henry Devenport, Victoria College

Follow Scotland and make period products freely available for all Ruby Filleul, Jersey College for Girls

Support people getting onto the property ladder Noah Jervis, Hautlieu

Women should be paid more than male colleagues for the same job Claire Le Fondré, Beaulieu Convent School

Jem Gurner of Victoria College will ask the following question of Deputy Scott Wickenden of St. Helier , Assistant Minister for Children and Education -

"Is diversity part of the primary curriculum?" "The simple answer is yes.

Diversity forms part of the Relationships strand of the PSHE Curriculum and students from Key Stages 1 and 2 are taught to respect diversity and equality in relationships.

At a deeper level, there is work to do within the advice or non-statutory elements of the primary and secondary curriculum to ensure traditional biases that may have previously been over- represented by white, western authors, scientists, artists or thinkers are balanced more fairly with those from different backgrounds and starting points."

Matilda Garrood of Jersey College for Girls will ask the following question of Deputy Kevin Lewis of St. Saviour , Minister for Infrastructure -  

"How many elected members and senior civil servants are provided with free car parking?"

"45 elected members when on official duties are provided with a permit by the Department for Infrastructure, Housing & Environment (IHE) for free parking in public carparks administered by IHE.

Government employees are not provided with a permit for free parking in public carparks by IHE. However, parking exists at many Government of Jersey sites across the island for the benefit of employees and visitors to use without charge. IHE does not hold information on which employees can make use of this parking."

Archie Willetts of Victoria College will ask the following question of Deputy Richard Renouf , Minister for Health and Social Services -

"Will the Government implement the requirement of a vaccine passport for travellers to the Island?"

"The Government is currently considering all options in relation to the implementation of vaccine passports. There are motivating factors across all sectors for their implementation. The Government is keen to re-open the economy, while individuals are hopeful for a return to normal life'. Public health experts continue to focus on reducing transmission of coronavirus and protecting the health and wellbeing of Islanders.

Jersey is ahead of many countries in the world with its vaccination programme. Further division between those vaccinated and unvaccinated has the potential to raise political and ethical questions. The success of the vaccination programme requires high population coverage. Linking vaccination to travel may provide an incentive for those who may otherwise be vaccine-hesitant.

However, there are those who may be unable to receive the vaccine and receiving the vaccine is not mandatory. Imposing restrictions to travel based on vaccine status implicitly mandates vaccination, makes it a political issue and may have a negative impact on vaccine uptake. This could have a negative effect on the Island and undermine the success of the COVID-19 vaccination programme.

Vaccine passports require a fine balance between the public health and economic impact of the pandemic. It requires consideration of individual liberties while aiming to achieve protection of the whole population from COVID-19. The Government continues to work on this emerging complex topic."

Jennifer Rodrigues of Hautlieu will ask the following question of Deputy Scott Wickenden of St. Helier , Assistant Minister for Children and Education -  

"Is a review of the PSHE curriculum in the pipeline?"

"There  are  currently no plans to review the  Personal, Social, Health and Economic (PSHE) curriculum at present.

A mapping exercise to compare the developing PSHE curriculum in England was carried out with the Jersey Curriculum Council in March 2019. The draft guidance available as part of the UK developments was examined closely to ensure that our Jersey Curriculum was fit for purpose.

At this meeting it was also agreed to carry out a review of PSHE in the secondary schools. This review was completed at the end of 2019 and as schools are currently working on the recommendations, it would not be appropriate to establish an additional review at this time."

Kenan Bryan of De La Salle will ask the following question of Deputy Trevor Pointon of St John, Assistant Minister for Health and Social Services -

"What specific facilities and support programmes are provided for young people who experience mental health issues?"

"There is a broad spectrum of facilities and support programmes available to young people who experience problems with their mental health:

These range from specialist services such as the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) to many more universal services provided by Government, charities and other 3rd sector organisations.

We have the Youth Enquiry Service (YES), the LGBTQ Youth Project, My Time 4 Young Carers and introduced last year, Kooth, an online counselling and support service for young people that is available 24/7.

We also have services in schools provided by school counsellors and the Psychology and Wellbeing service.

Mind Jersey, Brook, Jersey Hospice, the NSPCC and Dewberry House all provide a range of services for children and young people such as mental health support, bereavement support, sexual health advice and much more.

The Government of Jersey has recently launched the Together we're here for you' campaign to help islanders recognise the signs of poor mental health and where to go for support. Every household will shortly receive information about mental health services."

Katie Le Saint of Beaulieu will ask the following question of Connétable Len Norman of St. Clement , Minister Home Affairs -

"Does the Minister consider that Jersey's streets are safe?" "I do consider that Jersey's streets are safe.

Our law enforcement agencies do an excellent job of ensuring that Jersey is a safe place to live, work and visit, where people are safe and feel safe. Of course, incidents do occur and, although they are thankfully rare, Islanders can be reassured that the States of Jersey Police are well equipped and stand ready to investigate offences and provide appropriate support to victims of crime. 2020 saw the second lowest recorded crime figure since the States of Jersey Police began keeping electronic records – 2913 recorded crimes.

Recorded crime in 2020 was 10% down on the 2017-19 average and Domestic Crime was 2% down on the same period. Sexual offences were 34% down on the 2017-19 average and all offences associated with the night-time economy were 27% down on those recorded in 2019.

Of course, a significant proportion of these reductions in crime are linked to COVID and the closures of the night-time economy. That said, it clearly demonstrates exactly how safe Jersey's streets are at the present time and the challenge now for the States of Jersey Police and its partners is to do all it can to maintain these low levels of crime."

Olivia Kawala of Jersey College for Girls will ask the following question of Deputy Judy Martin of St. Helier , Minister for Social Security -

"Will you be making period products free for all?"

"In response to a petition on this subject earlier this year I committed to undertake further work on the issue of period poverty in Jersey so as to understand the extent of the issue and the needs of those affected.

A key part of that work will include hearing directly from women and girls in order to gain their views and experiences.

In addition, it is also necessary to consider the cost implications of providing free period products, both to ensure that the Government makes the most effective use of public resources, and so we can begin to consider how any requirement for free period products might best be funded.

Once this work is completed, an informed decision can be made about the extent of any free provision in Jersey."

Axel Nixon of De La Salle will ask the following question of Deputy Russell Labey of St. Helier , Minister for Minister for Housing and Communities -

"Does the Minister consider it important to ensure there is enough affordable housing available in Jersey?"

"There are a number of important issues which need to be addressed about the current housing situation in Jersey. One of those is affordability and I recognise the importance of creating a product which allows Jersey Residents to buy their own home. I want to ensure that local talent is encouraged to stay on the island and addressing the affordability issue will certainly help and is a priority not only for me but for the Council of Ministers as a whole.

Addressing affordable housing options is a recommendation from the Housing Policy Development Board and has already been incorporated into the Government Plan 2021-2024. Work will commence in 2022 to evaluate a suitable single affordable home ownership product. A sum of £10 million has been held in reserve to deliver this.

Andium Homes already operates its successful Homebuy' affordable home ownership product. Legacy home ownership products will remain in place until the expiry of existing agreements."

Diana Casegas of Hautlieu will ask the following question of Deputy Hugh Raymond of Trinity , Assistant Minister for Economic Development, Tourism, Sport and Culture -

"Why is the skateboard park being proposed in such an inaccessible location?"

"Our overall aim is to improve island-wide availability of skateparks and urban sports facilities. We have therefore submitted planning applications for skateparks at two sites to help us achieve this.

One application has been made for South Hill Gardens in St Helier. This would provide a facility in the centre of the island accessible to all users in town and the surrounding area, easily accessible by foot or short bus ride from most areas. A second application has also been made for Les Quennevais Sports Centre, St Brelade.

This would provide a facility for the west of the island and will be more accessible for people who live in St Brelade and the surrounding parishes. We also hope to provide for the north of the island by making improvements to the existing facility at St John's Recreation Centre and we are seeking a site in the eastern parishes to provide for the east of the island."

Katie Le Saint of Beaulieu will ask the following question of Deputy Kevin Lewis of St. Saviour , Minister for Infrastructure -

"What measures are in place to reduce the number of cars on Jersey's roads?"

"On the 7th December 2020 the Government published an update to the Sustainable Transport Policy (STP). This is available on the States Assembly website and outlines progress to date on the STP and the impact of Covid-19 on this area of Government work.

Part of this work is to undertake policy analysis and development across active travel, bus service development, parking and mobility as a service. These four plans which are currently being commissioned will identify opportunities to decarbonise the transport network as well as raise awareness of alternative modes of transport to reduce the reliance on private vehicles to undertake our journeys."

The Assembly is asked whether it is of opinion –

that GCSEs should be scrapped and replaced with a more well-rounded academic and vocational educational system that provides fairer opportunities for all.

Kenan Bryan

DE LA SALLE COLLEGE

REPORT

Since 1988, GCSE's have been a vital part of young people's lives, which has provided equal education to all. It was introduced to address the major issues at the time. People were leaving school without any qualifications which therefore lead to limited options in terms of what they could achieve in their life. However, the scheme is now outdated and not needed.

We need an education system that provides young people with a broader range of skills to help them enter the world of work. 1/5 children left education without 5 GCSEs in 2019, hindering their chances of entering further education.

16.4% of students say they are highly test anxious, that works out at 22.5% of females and 10.3% of males. But why? This is due to the pressures of their future being defined by 2-3 exams of each subject over a 4-week period. This produces excessive amounts of stress, anxiety and panic.

"I have seen the mentally toughest people crack and it's painful to watch", states one student, "It's quite scary how, as a student I find it normal to see my peers break down in lessons as they are scared of what's going to happen to them in the future if they fail".

So why are we putting young people through these mental pressures in our current mental health epidemic?

Let's not, lets create our own education system that provides our young islanders the best opportunities while keeping their mental health in a good state. We have this unique opportunity to take advantage of being an independent entity and show the world how good Jersey can be.

The Assembly is asked whether it is of opinion –

that all recreational drugs should be legalised in Jersey.

Henry Devenport VICTORIA COLLEGE

REPORT

The war on drugs has been an unmitigated disaster, for both public health and police logistics. It creates a cycle of violence around drug consumption that would not exist if it weren't for the criminalisation of their use. It prevents proper regulations on the quality and quantity of substances finding their way onto the streets, massively increasing the danger they pose to consumers. And worst of all, it fails to even act as the deterrent to drug use that conventional wisdom tells us it will.

With any normal business, you are protected by the police. They are obligated to stop people from stealing from or assaulting you, but the same is not true if you yourself are breaking the law. Drug dealers cannot rely on the police to protect them, and therefore have to seek protection outside the law: gangs. The vast majority of gang violence in the UK surrounds the drug trade, as a direct response to the war on drugs. Ending the criminalisation of drugs would not only stop the reliance on gangs and their violence, but also allow the government to enforce regulations with the police force.

Furthermore, making drugs legal would enable the government to regulate both the quality of drugs people buy, and the volume they buy them in. For the most part, people harm themselves taking drugs in one of two ways: either they overdose, or they take substances that will kill them in the long term. Were the government to oversee the sale of drugs, they would be able to drastically reduce both of these. You can stop people from overdosing by limiting the amount they can buy in one go, thereby stopping them from even being capable of harming themselves, and you can decrease the impact the drugs have on peoples' health by strictly regulating their manufacture.

We propose that the government legalise all drugs, even those considered Class A, given that they then only be purchasable from government institutions. Individuals would need to show identification to be able to purchase them and would only be able to buy as much at a time as their doctor says they can safely take, but ultimately, they would be able to buy whatever they wanted. Not only will this greatly improve public health, but it will provide the government with revenue and grant greater freedom to its citizens.

The Assembly is asked whether it is of opinion –

that Jersey should follow Scotland and make period products freely available for all.

Ruby Filleul

JERSEY COLLEGE FOR GIRLS

REPORT

On Tuesday 24th November 2020 Members of Scott ish Parliament voted unanimously to pass the Period Products (Free Provision) Bill. This bill legally requires authorities to provide period products for free to anyone who needs them. It came about due to a lack of access to period products to those on low incomes. This need was very pressing as, according to data conducted by Plan International UK, about 10% of girls in the UK have been unable to afford period products; 15% have struggled to afford them; and 19% have changed to a less suitable product due to cost.

Sadly period poverty is not only a problem in the U.K. In Jersey, according to the Children's Commissioner's report Our Life in Numbers' in 2014, over 1/5 of families are living on Jersey Premium, which is funding assistance for families on low income, so the Jersey government recognises there is poverty, meaning there is a real need for free provision of sanitary products.

Further reading on the report brings more shocking statistics, stating that 29% of families in Jersey are earning relatively low income, income that is less than £16,300 a year after housing costs have been deducted, and 2079 households are overcrowded, so child poverty is obviously a prevalent issue. However, these figures were taken in 2014 and, since, there has been no up to date figures on child poverty, suggesting that the government do not care about increasing their welfare. This is runs contrary to their claim that they Put Children First'

Finally, the report brought to light the fact that NSPCC designations are not being met for children and young people who have been trafficked, are victims of FGM, are children of prisoners, in workless families, families with substance and alcohol abuse, involved with or vulnerable to gangs and at risk to radicalisation. This lack of information on important statistics implies that there is a complete unawareness on how many children truly are living in poverty and would need extra support in order to afford sanitary products.

No such reports have been taken to determine the level of need for the provision of sanitary products in Jersey. Iit is unlikely that those struggling to afford food for their family will be able to afford sanitary products. In the U.K. it is estimated that 137 thousand girls have missed school due to period poverty. Poverty is not just a problem in the U.K. and we should not treat it as such. We should follow Scotland and make period products freely available for all.

The Assembly is asked whether it is of opinion –

that there should be more financial support offered to help people get on the property ladder in Jersey and house prices should be capped.

Noah Jervis HAUTLIEU

REPORT

Taking into consideration the continuously increasing living wage of the island and the ever-growing housing prices compared to the tardily increasing wages of our society - we propose that the government create a more supportive housing scheme which isn't so selective and allows more people to get on the property ladder.

Furthermore, we propose that house prices be capped depending on their sector – what features they include, how many bedrooms, etc. It is barbaric for a four bedroom house – an average family home - to now have a mean "value" of over a million pounds.

If you compare that to the average price of four-bedroom houses SOLD which was 895,000, you can distinctly see that people aren't willing to pay so much for their homes and in the majority of cases require help to pay off their mortgage. So, to allow working individuals to get into the housing market, we propose that prices are capped and monitored so that our community isn't paying ridiculous prices for average prices.

The Assembly is asked whether it is of opinion –

that all women in Jersey should be paid 18.3% more than male colleagues doing the same job, to compensate for the gender pay gap which has historically favoured men and still exists in Jersey today.

Claire Le Fondré

BEAULIEU CONVENT SCHOOL

REPORT

Should all women in Jersey be paid an extra 18.3% than men in the same job as them to compensate for the prejudice they have experienced throughout history in relation to their salaries?

In Jersey women are faced with an average 18.3% pay gap which is apparent also within the states today. This percentage was published by The Government of Jersey in October 2019, showing the difference between average men and women salaries. This then has damaging and long-lasting effects on women due to smaller percentages being added to pensions and savings resulting, in later life, women being seen as second-class citizens due a limited amount of money to live off. In addition, this means they have less disposable income which directly impacts the local economy as women are more likely to support local industries (arts/crafts/jewellery/etc). The European Commission declares that because of the significant difference in the pay gap, women will suffer when they are of pension receiving age. Because women earn on average 18.3% less than their male counterpart, they obviously would have a smaller pension. As a result of this, elder women are more likely to be subject to poverty within their later life, and 22% of women aged 65 or over are at risk of poverty, compared to a much smaller 16% of men.

Under the status quo the gender pay gap is expected to close by 2059 - 38 years from now. Which is when most of us would be 55 years old. This is 38 years too long and something we strongly believe needs to change and by then would add up to around 88 years of salary prejudice against women. We obviously understand that the money to pay women the 18.3% on top of their current wage is unrealistic for the government and companies to be able to afford. We propose this to be done by a scheme which involves men and women having their salaries swapped so women are receiving the extra 18.3% that men do instead for the next 60 years (due to the fact that women started being prejudiced against regarding salaries around 60 years ago when their rapid increase into workforce began) to cover the discrimination faced. After this there should be a discussion to find a middle ground where both genders earn the same amount for the same job. Surely the States of Jersey, who have been pushing for inclusion and equality see that it is only fair to acknowledge the struggle which has been faced by their Island as well as their colleagues? Surely they want change for their wives, children, friends and co-workers?

When you pay money back to a bank you pay interest to compensate for the amount you borrowed, but why should women not receive compensation for the prejudice they have received regarding the gender pay gap? You borrow money from the bank but give more back whereas women work just as hard as men but are receiving less in return.

Worldwide there are 5.6 million children currently living in poverty, yet 2.5 million would be removed from this if the gender pay gap closed. The cost of living in Jersey is extremely high so many people struggle to maintain the cost of living without entering into debt and therefore plunge themselves into poverty and limit themselves and their families due to the underpayment of women in the workplace.

We know that private companies wouldn't have to stick to this rule as they make up a private entity, however as all government run companies would be paying their female staff more, private companies would feel obligated to change their pay otherwise they may lose staff and customers to companies that are implementing the new 18.3% rise for women and showing support for the new, more fair pay scheme. Private companies tend to pay better anyway compared to the state, however, there still is a gap to be filled, and pay to be made up for.

After all, in the 2019 gender pay gap report published by the States of Jersey, according to John Le Fondré One of the Government's aims is to be a good and fair employer, with a diverse and inclusive workforce, which reflects the people we serve.' so why would the Government of Jersey challenge this proposal, let alone deny it. And yes, the next 60 years would be slightly unequal but in the long term would achieve full equality and have compensated for the salary prejudice against women in Jersey.