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WRITTEN QUESTION TO THE CHIEF MINISTER BY DEPUTY R.G. LE HÉRISSIER OF ST. SAVIOUR
ANSWER TO BE TABLED ON TUESDAY 19th JUNE 2007
Question
Would the Chief Minister confirm that all Departments now abide by the system of Green and White Papers and, if not, why?
Answer
I can confirm that all Departments now abide by the system of Green and White Papers. As noted in my response to Deputy Le Hérissier on 5th June 2007, there were 25 consultations in 2006, and there have been seven consultations to date in 2007, with more in the pipeline.
The system of Green and White papers came into effect in December 2005 with the introduction of ministerial government, and a number of improvements were made in late 2006. These included the following changes -
• the change of names to Green' and White' papers to make the system more easily recognisable;
• the adoption of revised principles to reflect the feedback received from the public in a survey of consultees; and
• the publication of improved guidelines, particularly for ensuring the publication of a summary of submissions received.
It is recognised that this is a relatively new process, and there have been a number of occasions on which departments have overlooked the requirement to go through a two-stage consultation process. However, these instances have been identified and acted upon, and the new arrangements are already proving their worth in terms of securing greater engagement from the public.
To maintain the momentum there will be further training later this year for States employees who are involved in running consultations. In addition, the system will be promoted more widely in the community so that everyone has the chance to express their views.