Law Revision Board - appointment of members

STATES OF JERSEY

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LAW REVISION BOARD: APPOINTMENT OF MEMBERS

Lodged au Greffe on 9th February 2006 by the Minister for Treasury and Resources

STATES GREFFE

PROPOSITION

THE STATES are asked to decide whether they are of opinion

in a c cordance with Article  2(1)(a) of the Law Revision (Jersey) Law 2003, to appoint the Deputy of

St. Martin and Deputy Gerard Clifford Lemmens Baudains of St. Clement as members of the Law Revision Board.

MINISTER FOR TREASURY AND RESOURCES

REPORT

The Law Revision Board was established by the Law Revision (Jersey) Law 2003 to oversee the preparation and publication of revised editions of the laws of Jersey. Article  2 of the Law specifies that the Board shall comprise 2  members of the States, appointed by the States, together with the Attorney General, the Greffier of the States and the Law Draftsman.

In 2005, after a project taking some 2½ years, the Law Revision Board brought into force the first Revised Edition of the Laws of Jersey which was published in hard copy and on the Jersey Legal Information Board website (www.jerseylegalinfo.je). The Revised Edition is a statement of the law in force at the revision date and enables users to find the current version of each piece of legislation, taking account of the various amendments and repeals that might have changed the original enactment. In addition, through the use of the law revision powers in the Law, the Board was able to ensure that references in the legislation to matters such as the names of bodies or office holders were updated and the text was made gender neutral. The Revised Edition is undoubtedly an invaluable tool, not only for professionals such as lawyers and those working in the finance industry, but also for members of the public who need to consult local legislation. Its publication has clearly put Jersey at the forefront of comparable jurisdictions in terms of the accessibility of up to date legislation.

In order to keep the Revised Edition up to date the Law Revision Board announced last year that it hoped to produce annual updates. These will be prepared in house' by the Law Draftsman's Office and will ensure that the Revised Edition remains current. It is anticipated that the first update, showing the law at 1st January 2006, will be brought into force at the end of March 2006 and this update will, importantly, reflect the substantial changes made to Jersey legislation as a result of the machinery of government changes.

On 22nd July 2003 the States appointed Deputies Jerry Dorey and Gerard Baudains as members of the Law Revision Board. With the departure of Deputy Dorey from the States it is necessary to appoint a replacement member to serve alongside Deputy Baudains who has kindly offered to put his name forward for re-appointment. I wrote to all members about the vacant position and the Deputy of St.  Martin has put his name forward to serve as a member of the Board. It is not anticipated that the Board will need to meet more than once or twice a year although there may occasionally be written material from the Law Draftsman's Office for Board members to comment on. The role of the 2 States members is principally to be satisfied, at a political level, that the revised edition prepared by the Law Draftsman's Office is ready to be brought into force although, in practice they will need to rely largely on the legally qualified members of the Board to give the necessary assurance about the contents of the updates.

I am extremely grateful to both Deputies for agreeing to be nominated for membership of the Board. Both are known for their interest in legislation and have a reputation for scrutinising new laws and Regulations being brought forward carefully. I have no hesitation in recommending them for this position.

Financial and manpower implications

There are no additional financial or manpower implications arising from this proposition.