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WQ.366/2021
WRITTEN QUESTION TO THE CHIEF MINISTER
BY THE CONNÉTABLE OF ST. BRELADE QUESTION SUBMITTED ON MONDAY 20th SEPTEMBER 2021 ANSWER TO BE TABLED ON TUESDAY 28th SEPTEMBER 2021
Question
Will the Chief Minister outline what plans, if any, he has to conduct a debrief for States members and officials in relation to the Covid-19 pandemic outbreak, in order to ensure that the Government is better prepared to protect both the health and economic wellbeing of Islanders arising from any future pandemics or similarly disruptive events?
Answer
The Chief Minister and the Minister for Health and Social Services are committed to regular and transparent States Members' briefings on COVID-19 matters. States Members' briefings are held on a regular basis and encompass both the decisions reached and the supporting evidence for those decisions. In addition, a range of scrutiny panels are briefed regularly but also carry out research on key topics which encompass public hearings and public reports. These briefings and processes supplement the vital role States Members play in raising questions with Ministers and participating in relevant Assembly debates.
Provided the Island remains in a good position and comes through the winter period, we would of course arrange a debrief for States Members probably in March / April. However, at this time the Government of Jersey continues to treat COVID-19 as a Pandemic Emergency. It is therefore important, especially in a community of our limited size, that scarce resources of the government are devoted largely to the ongoing threat posed by COVID-19, which is considerable. A range of capabilities within Government including health services, public health, emergency planning and our test and trace teams continue to incorporate learning and feedback, including from States Members, into the ongoing management of their functions.
As previously confirmed, the Government of Jersey intends to work with the Bailiwick of Guernsey to review emergency planning and preparedness for a pandemic on a pan-Island basis, at a stage when the current pandemic is formally declared as concluded.