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20.10.20
23 Senator S.Y. Mézec of the Chair of the Comité des Connétable s regarding Roads
Committee elections (OQ.286/2020):
Question
Given the current restrictions on the number of people allowed to attend a Parish Assembly physically, what measures, if any, will be taken to ensure that the Roads Committee elections that are due to take place at the end of this year will be conducted in a democratic and accessible way?
Answer
I am pleased to re-assure the Senator, and all States members, that the Connétable s have throughout the COVID-19 restrictions been taking advice so that appropriate arrangements can be made to ensure not only that the democratic process for Parish Assembly meetings is not adversely affected, but also to ensure that all the vital services provided by the parishes continue to be delivered.
This advice has, of course, varied as restrictions have changed over the last six months.
There is no limit on the number of persons allowed to attend a Parish Assembly. Rather the public health guidelines limit the number of persons at a single gathering.
The current restrictions on gatherings are based on key public health principles. Those principles are set out in the guidelines published from time to time by the Government.
The key principle is that no more than 40 people can come together, at any time, at a single event or gathering. In addition to the 40 attendees there may be up to 10 customer facing staff/officers.
We have now had confirmation that a Parish Assembly may be held in more than one room concurrently provided we adhere to the guidelines. These include -
· a risk assessment being conducted
· those within each group are kept separate from others in different groups
· physical distance must be observed between persons of different households
· data needs to be recorded and retained for track and trace purposes
· the groups cannot be allowed to mingle outside the building or cross as they enter and exit the building.
Where a meeting is to be held, we will need to ensure that all those attending can hear and be heard so that each is able to participate and to exercise their vote. Each Connétable has considered the arrangements for forthcoming meetings to ensure the democratic process whilst observing public health guidelines.