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Social Affairs - Approved Panel Minutes - 19 December 2005

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 SOCIAL AFFAIRS SCRUTINY PANEL Meeting held on Monday 19th December at 09:30am

 

Present

Deputy F.J. Hill, B.E.M., Chairman Deputy J.A. Martin, Vice Chairman Deputy D.W. Mezbourian

Deputy A.E. Pryke

Deputy S. Pitman

Apologies

 

Absent

 

In attendance

Mrs. K. Tremellen-Frost, Scrutiny Manager Mr. C. Ahier , Scrutiny Officer

Mr. W. Millow , Scrutiny Officer

Channel Television and Channel 103 [Item 1 only]

 

Item No.

Agenda matter

Action

1.

Chairman's Welcome and Introductions

The Chairman welcomed Panel members who introduced themselves.

 

2.

Discussion of Modus Operandi

The Panel discussed forms of address and agreed that official  forms  should  be  maintained  in  official circumstances.

The Panel agreed future meeting dates and decided that all meetings would start at 9:30am.

The Panel considered its relationship with the media. It was advised that the Draft Code of Practice for Scrutiny Panels  stipulated  that  the  Panel  Chairman  would undertake contact with the media on that Panel's behalf.

The Panel was requested not to use the term chairman' for any Panel member who may be given responsibility for a particular area but to use the term lead member'.

The Chairman requested members to check e-mails at least twice daily.

The Panel agreed that Deputy J.A. Martin would take on the rôle of Vice-Chairman.

The  Panel  was  advised  that  business  should  be conducted  through  the  Chair at meetings and  also at

 

 

 

Public Hearings.

Panel members were requested to give prior notification if they were to be absent from a Panel meeting.

The  Panel  was  advised  that  the  agenda  for  a  Panel meeting would normally be ready one week prior to that meeting.

The Panel noted that the quorum for a meeting was three members.

The  Panel  considered  whether  the  Chairman  had  a casting vote and Scrutiny Officers agreed to clarify this.

The Panel was asked whether it would be able to act as a set of individuals. It was advised that Panel members would be able to act without recourse to the Panel as individual members of the States. The Panel was also advised  that  each  Panel  member  could  do  their  own research before bringing their work back to the Panel in order  to  make  suggestions  regarding  review  topics. However,  if any  work  were  undertaken  independently, there would not be the same access to officer support as that available for the Panel itself.

CA WM

3.

Discussion of Areas of Responsibility

The  Panel  considered  whether  to  designate  areas  of responsibility and how their future work programme might impact on this. It agreed that it would be appropriate to undertake initial reviews as a full Panel rather than to assign  areas  of  responsibility  to  individual  Panel members.

 

4

To consider potential Review Topics

The Panel considered a list of outstanding propositions relevant  to  the  Panel's  remit.  It  was  agreed  that  the following propositions might merit the Panel's attention:

  • Criminal Justice Policy (P.201/2005)
  • Draft Criminal Justice (Miscellaneous Provisions) (No. 2) (Jersey) Law 200- (P.197/2005)
  • Housing  Trading  Organisation:  establishment (P.211/2005)

With  regard  to  Private  hospital  development:  Scrutiny Review (P.221/2005), it was agreed that the Chairman would contact Deputy P.V.F. Le Claire to discuss the

Chair

 

 

current situation regarding the proposition.

The  Panel  considered  correspondence  dated  13th December 2005 from the Minister for Social Security. It was agreed that the matter would be discussed with the Minister during his future attendance on the Panel.

The  Panel  considered  the  recommendations  in  the Scrutiny Report [SR1/2004] entitled "Responding to Drug Use" and whether some follow-up was required. It was agreed  that  the  matter  would  be  discussed  with  the Minister for Home Affairs.

The Panel noted that there had not been a review of the transition  from  primary  to  secondary  care  during  the Shadow Scrutiny Process.

With  regard  to  public  engagement  in  the  scrutiny process, the Panel noted that a booklet which explained the Scrutiny process had been prepared for circulation to the public. This would be considered by the Chairmen's Committee at a future meeting.

 

5.

KTF

CA WM

It  was  suggested  that  each  Panel  member  should determine  whether  there  was  an  issue  of  personal conflict of interest but that it would be appropriate to raise any matter where such a conflict might exist.

Meeting the Relevant Ministers

 

It  was  agreed  that  all  relevant  Ministers  should  be contacted to invite them to attend the next Panel meeting in  order  to  discuss  those  Ministries'  future  work programme. The officers were instructed to prepare a schedule  of  meetings  allowing  forty-five  minutes  per Minister.

The Panel agreed that the Chairman would approach the media once meetings with individual ministers had been

 

 

undertaken and a work programme agreed. Training Feedback

The Panel agreed to complete feedback forms in respect of  the  training  on  Scrutiny  Induction  held  on  15th December 2005 by Frances Taylor , Head of Scrutiny, Cumbria.

Chair

6

Date of Next Meeting

The  next  meeting  would  take  place  on  Monday  9th January 2006.