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WQ.397/2019
WRITTEN QUESTION TO THE CHAIR OF THE PRIVILEGES AND PROCEDURES COMMITTEE
BY DEPUTY R.J. WARD OF ST. HELIER ANSWER TO BE TABLED ON TUESDAY 8th OCTOBER 2019
Question
Following the recommendation for increased support for States members and Scrutiny in the two-year review of the Independent Jersey Care Inquiry, what urgent actions, if any, are being taken to enable backbenchers who form these Panels to undertake the role as professionally as required; and how will the comments in Paragraph 68 of the review (regarding the Care of Children Review Panel) be addressed and to what timescale?
Answer
Additional resources for scrutiny panels are included in the financial allocations to the States Assembly, set out on page 137 of the Government Plan 2020-23 (P.71/2019), following a request put to PPC by the former Chairmen's Committee earlier this year. It is proposed that four additional project officers will be added to the scrutiny team and the budget for commissioned research and advice will be more than doubled to £210,000. In addition, it is proposed that a new team of up to four staff will be recruited to provide research and casework support to individual States Members: this team will also be available to assist scrutiny at times of peak demand. Subject to the Assembly's approval of these funding allocations it is envisaged that additional resources will be provided to the scrutiny function during Q1 2020.
In the meantime, the provision of additional research support to the Care of Children Review Panel is a matter for the panel to raise with the Scrutiny Liaison Committee and, if necessary, the Greffier of the States.
A budget is also proposed for training and development for States Members, which could be deployed in this area, for example in relation to training on corporate parenting.