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States Greffe
Deputy Kirsten Morel
Minister for Sustainable Economic Development
BY EMAIL
22nd March 2024 Dear Minister,
Jersey Consumer Council Constitution
Thank you for your correspondence of 9th February 2024, and follow on points from Officers, outlining anticipated amendments to the constitution of the Jersey Consumer Council (JCC). The Panel has now had the opportunity to consider the proposed changes and would like to raise the following points and queries for your consideration, prior to agreement of the proposed constitution.
The Panel is generally content with the altered objectives and welcomes the increased consideration of young people, and promotion of their rights, as consumers. The Panel is also pleased to see the specification for consideration of the the availability of choice for consumers within the proposed constitution.
Noting the proposed increase in the maximum tenure of the Chair and Council members from 6 to 9 years, the Panel would highlight that it is essential for the reasoning behind the change to be clarified. The Panel would recommend that it is important to:
• Identify why the 6 years was originally established.
• Question why the increase of 3 years will be beneficial, what would be the consequences of the term staying at 6 years and why this would be a issue for the JCC.
• Explore what safeguards are in place to ensure the JCC does not become “set in its ways”.
• Ascertain if further extension is anticipated and in what circumstances would this take place?
Following provision of an updated copy of the proposed JCC constitution, the Panel understands that under the proposed changes there will be no necessity for the JCC to formally appoint the permanent advisors from the Citizens Advice Bureau, the Chamber of Commerce or the Law Society of Jersey, which is a requirement in the original constitution [R.104/2014]. The Panel would also highlight that the original constitution also allowed for additional advisors to be appointed from time to time, as identified in paragraph 20.2. The Panel would recommend that it is important to:
• Identify why the position of Advisors was included in the original constitution, noting the previous role of organisations as members of the JCC.
• Explore what the benefits are of removing the position of Advisors from the constitution.
• Ascertain what insurances are in place that JCC are looking for, receiving, and acting upon professional advice.
Separately, the Panel would request clarification of what provision for reporting consumer issues is available to the public. For example, are there digital methods, including apps, which allow for reporting of overcharging in stores etc. The Panel would also be interested to know the JCC’s interaction with the Jersey Trading Standards Service, particularly noting that service’s identification within paragraph 20.2 of the original constitution.
We would be grateful if you could respond to us with your findings and consideration of these points in due course. If you have any questions regarding this or our work in general, please do not hesitate to contact me. Please note that unless otherwise stated, all letters will be uploaded to the Scrutiny website as a matter of course.
Yours sincerely,
Deputy Montfort Tadier
Chair
Economic and International Affairs Scrutiny Panel