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WRITTEN QUESTION TO THE CHAIRMAN OF PRIVILEGES AND PROCEDURES COMMITTEE BY DEPUTY G.C.L. BAUDAINS OF ST. CLEMENT
ANSWER TO BE TABLED ON TUESDAY 23rd OCTOBER 2012
Question
Does the Chairman consider that dispensing with members' lunches on States meeting days has been a retrograde step and, if so, would he advise what action, if any, the Committee will take towards reinstating them to allow members to get together and resolve issues that otherwise could take days or weeks?
Answer
The Committee will be addressing this matter as part of its broader review of States Members' facilities.
PPC commissioned an ambitious programme of work for 2012. Although reviews of the machinery of government, of Standing Orders and internal procedures, the Code of Conduct for Elected Members and of public elections legislation were given a high priority, PPC was clear that it should conduct a broad review of States Members' facilities also. Work on the highest priority matters is now well advanced, to the extent that PPC expects to have capacity to focus on its facilities review at the end of this year.
The position regarding Members' lunches was changed by the States on 24th September 2009 when it adopted the tenth amendment to the Business Plan. Free lunches for States members on meeting days and free sandwiches lunches during all meetings of Scrutiny panels, the Public Accounts Committee and the Privileges and Procedures Committee were discontinued in accordance with that decision. PPC's facilities review will revisit the issue. If it finds that dispensing with lunches has been counterproductive, the Committee will bring suitable proposals to the States in due course.