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1240/5(7231)
WRITTEN QUESTION TO THE CHAIRMAN OF THE ELECTORAL COMMISSION BY DEPUTY T.M. PITMAN OF ST. HELIER
ANSWER TO BE TABLED ON TUESDAY 20th NOVEMBER 2012
Question
Given that the table contained within the Electoral Commission's interim report sent to all households relating to the second option of a reformed States Assembly (namely one containing 30 Deputies and 12 Constables) could be seen as being misleading as it does not provide the ratio figures for the number of electors per large constituency set against both Deputies and Constables in each, will the Chairman agree to publish a table showing the statistics for each of the six large constituencies with the Constables per constituency included, so that the public can easily understand the Commission's statement in the leaflet that retaining the Constables would make "inequality of representation even worse than under the present system?'
Answer
The Commission wishes to make it clear that, under its provisional recommendations, if the Constables were to remain in the States they would be elected by their individual parishes and would not represent the proposed districts in any way.
The Constables would be elected on an entirely separate basis to those representing the large districts and would not form part of the district system. In District 5 the Constable of St. Ouen , for example, would not represent the people of St. Lawrence , St. John or St. Mary . The Constable of St. Ouen would be solely elected by, and representative of, the parishioners of St. Ouen .
In the same way, all voters in St. Helier would elect and be represented by a whole' Constable, not half of a Constable. The fact that the parish would be divided into two districts for the Deputies elections would have no bearing upon the election, or representation, of the Constable. Under the present system, for example, there is no misconception that the electorate in St. Saviour District No. 3 is only represented by one third of a Constable. They are represented by the Constable of St. Saviour and their elected Deputy .
To publish a calculation with the number of electors divided by the total number of Deputies and Constables in each proposed district would therefore be misleading.