Access cards for States Members for the States Building and Morier House

1240/5(1951)

QUESTION TO BE ASKED OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE ENVIRONMENT AND PUBLIC SERVICES COMMITTEE ON TUESDAY 7th OCTOBER 2003,

BY THE DEPUTY OF ST. JOHN

Question

Would the President inform members –

1. whether access cards will be issued to States members in respect ofMorierHouseand the States Building, and, if so, when?
2. whether the delay in issuing cards to States membersin respect of thesepremises arises from the issue of trust?
3. whether the EnvironmentandPublicServices Committee intends to hand over the management of these premises to the Privileges and ProceduresCommittee, and, if so, when?

Answer

1. Morier House is under the administration of the Environment and Public Services Committee through the Department of Property  Services.  The Facilities  Management Services,  which include  cleaning and maintenance  as  well  as security  arrangements for the building, are  contracted  to  the  Public  Services Department. Currently only staffworkingwithin the building and a smallnumberof States Memberswho require regular accesstothe building on a daily basis are issued with key cards to operate the electronic door system.

T o maintain the strict security that is required by the Crown Officers and other legal department staff working

within the building, the issue of key cards is kept to the absolute minimum to prevent, as far as possible, any unauthorised entry or misuse. States Members who require access for meetings have only to report to the security desk on entry so that a record is kept of who is in the building at any particular time should a fire or other situation arise which requires emergency evacuation. There are currently no plans to issue these cards to each and every States Member who requires only infrequent access to Morier House.

 T  he existing security arrangements at Morier House have been the subject of continual monitoring and

gradual improvement by Property Services in consultation with the Heads of each Department and the building's User Group since the building was first brought into use. The experience gained at Morier House by Property Services and Public Services has been successful and will eventually lead to a greater degree of improved and appropriate security in all States buildings.

T h e newly refurbished States Building is managed by the Public Services Department which, in consultation

with the three principle users and Property Services, will shortly be reviewing the security arrangements for the building and reporting back to the Committee with its recommendations before the end of the year.

2. The trustworthiness ofStatesMembers is notindoubt.Key cards have been issued to thesmallnumberof States Memberswho actually requested anddemonstrated the need for them to gain regular access to their Departments within MorierHouse.Arrangementsfor States Memberswith regard to the StatesBuildings will be finalised with the Privileges and Procedures Committee.
3. Morier House is effectively managed by the Department of Property Services using standard facilities management practice.  If  planned  changes are  implemented to  include  public  access  committee rooms, scrutiny and StatesMembers facilities atgroundfloor level in the future, then the Privileges and Procedures Committee as a tenant will be responsiblefor how those particular facilities areused,together with separate arrangementsforaccessto those facilities. It isimportant that theStates Building andMorierHouseand the efficient departmental use ofthose offices remains within the proposed integrated propertymanagement

function. There are no plans to place that function with the Privileges and Procedures Committee.