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STATES OF JERSEY
STATES MEMBERS' TRAINING
Lodged au Greffe on 8th March 2011 by Deputy M. Tadier of St. Brelade
STATES GREFFE
2011 Price code: A P.34
PROPOSITION
THE STATES are asked to decide whether they are of opinion
to request the Privileges and Procedures Committee to establish a training programme which will be available to all States Members, with at least one session per year, to provide ongoing skills training in relation to delivering speeches, general debating skill and any other areas that the Committee deems might be of benefit to local parliamentarians, that are not already covered elsewhere.
DEPUTY M. TADIER OF ST. BRELADE
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P.34/2011
REPORT
On 3rd March 2011, following a proposition by Senator P.F. Routier (P.1/2011), the States decided by the narrowest of margins to introduce maximum time limits for speeches.
Senator Routier identified something that he saw as a problem, and whilst the States rejected the idea for his proposed time limits of 45, 30 and 15 minutes for various debates, it did pass an in principle decision to limit speeches.
Whether this decision was correct or not, it seems to me that this proposition seeks to solve a (perceived) symptom rather than address the underlying issue(s), such as a lack of transparency in Government; a lack of resources for backbenchers (compared to other jurisdictions – some of which do have time limits) and a lack of ongoing support for private members, in the form of ongoing skills training.
Given some of the comments raised during the debate on P.1/2011, which alleged that some members did not have the requisite skills to be able to give compelling or concise speeches, for various reasons, it seems only reasonable that we should pursue the path of (additional) training, and will lead to a corresponding increase in the effectiveness of members and therefore the States as a whole.
Note: In order to save money, I have not included training related to the asking and answering of questions, as this is already covered by existing training for Scrutiny members; it should hopefully already exist for Ministers and the Council of Ministers.
Financial and manpower implications
Following advice, a realistic cost for this would be in the region of £5,000 – £7,500. This is based on the typical cost of trainers of £2,000 – £2,500 per day, over 2 or 3 days (to cater for up to 53 members).
It may well be that in the long term this would bring about a subsequent saving, as members become better at delivering more concise speeches, with a corresponding sum saved on the production of Hansard.
This proposition is seconded by the following members –
Deputy R.C. Duhamel of St. Saviour Deputy S. Pitman of St. Helier Deputy M.R. Higgins of St. Helier .
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P.34/2011