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Environment Scrutiny Panel
Meeting No. 21a
13th July 2006
Le Capelain Room, States Building
Part A (Open)
Present Deputy R.C. Duhamel (Chairman)
Deputy G.C.L. Baudains (Vice Chairman) (for a time) Connétable K. A. Le Brun of St Mary
Deputy S. Power
Apologies Deputy R.G. Le Hérissier
Absent
In attendance I. Clarkson, Scrutiny Officer
M. Robbins, Scrutiny Officer
Ref Back | Agenda matter | Action |
1 | Minutes The Minutes of the meetings held on 26th and 29th June 2006, having been circulated previously, were taken as read and were confirmed. | None |
2 | Matters Arising There were no matters arising from the Minutes of the meetings held on 26th and 29th June 2006. | None |
3 (Item 1 (B) 13/07/06) | Transport Policy – Taxis The Panel welcomed a delegation consisting of Mr. B. Vibert and Mr. R. Le Fustec, representing the Federation of Controlled Taxi Drivers. Mr. Vibert and Mr. Le Fustec advised that they had sought a meeting with the Panel because their association disagreed with remarks attributed to Deputy G.W.J. de Faye, Minister for Transport and Technical Services, to the effect that the existing taxi and cab services in the Island were a shambles'. They further expressed reservations regarding the Minister's approach towards reform of the taxi and cab industry in general. It was suggested that the Minister had instigated an inappropriate policy of deterring the practice of drivers sharing a licensed taxi (known as double- shifting') and that the current policy was being applied in an inconsistent manner. It was further suggested that the Jersey Taxi Drivers Association was receiving preferential treatment from the Minister and his department. The Panel invited Mr. Vibert and Mr. Le Fustec to make a written submission to the Panel within 7 days summarizing the issues that the Federation of Controlled Taxi Drivers wished to see reviewed. Mr. Vibert and Mr. Le Fustec, having been thanked by the Panel for their attendance, withdrew from the meeting. The Panel subsequently welcomed Mr. D. Warr en, Mr D. Le Corre and Mr. K. McCreery, representing the Jersey Taxi Drivers Association (JTDA). The Panel was advised that the JTDA also held concerns regarding the approach of the Minister for Transport and Technical Service to | None |
| taxi and cab reform. It was suggested that the Minister was dictating to the Association through his officers and that a proposed policy of introducing a single telephone number, through which customers could secure the services of a taxi, was flawed. The JTDA considered that the service provided by its members was of high quality and that its charges were generally 30 per cent cheaper than those levied by cab drivers. Moreover, it contended that research undertaken by the publication Private Hire and Taxi Monthly' showed that the rates charged by Jersey taxi drivers were lower than 65 of the 111 councils or regions surveyed across the British Isles, despite the comparatively high cost of living in the Island. Finally, it was contended that the alleged support of the Federation of Controlled Taxi Drivers for double-shifting of licensed taxis was encouraging abuse of the licensing system. The Panel invited the JTDA representatives to make a written submission to the Panel within 7 days summarizing the issues that the Association wished to see reviewed. In the event that a submission was received, Deputy R.C. Duhamel advised that the Panel would be prepared in the first instance to invite the Minister for Transport and Technical Services to a Panel meeting with a view to brokering a suitable agreement on policy. Mr. D. Warr en, Mr D. Le Corre and Mr. K. McCreery, having been thanked by the Panel for their attendance, withdrew from the meeting. The Panel held a further discussion in private session on issues affecting the taxi and cab industry. It subsequently deferred further consideration of the matter until such time as the requested submissions had been received. |
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4 | Items to Note The Panel noted the following items –
| None |
5. (Item 4 29/06/06) | Work Programme – Design of Homes The Panel received an oral update from Deputy S. Power concerning progress made on the Design of Homes review. Deputy Power advised that he wished to secure dedicated officer time in the week beginning 31st July 2006. He suggested that recent public hearings held as part of the Planning Process review had in fact yielded a significant amount of evidence for the Design of Homes review. Having considered the evidence obtained so far, Deputy Power suggested to the Panel that the scope of the review should expand to allow for analysis of –
He added that the review should cover context, internal design matters and external design issues in detail. Deputy R.C. Duhamel commented that the original purpose of the review had been to consider minimum room sizes and policies |
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governing use of space within homes, as well as to review the policy on residential parking standards. He suggested that the revised scope of the review as proposed by Deputy Power was significantly larger than the original review proposal.
The Panel agreed to defer further consideration of the revised SP / RD /KLB / scope of the review to a future meeting. It further noted that the IC / MR
Design of Homes Working Group would consider proposed
revisions to the scope of the review at its next meeting on 17th July
2006.
Turning to the matter of a series of proposed fact finding visits to the U.K., Austria and Sweden, the Panel was advised that officers had begun to investigate the cost of the visits. Preliminary indications were that the cost of taking the Panel, Mr. D. Mason and one officer was likely to exceed £18,500. In the event that only the 3 Design of Homes Working Group members attended with Mr. Mason and one officer, the cost was still very likely to exceed £13,800. It was clarified that the Panel's budget for 2006 could currently accommodate a series of visits costing less than £20,000; however, the financial position might change significantly in the event that the Panel chose to launch any further reviews during the current year or to modify the planned programme of work on existing reviews. The Panel was reminded that £10,000 of its budget for 2006 had been used to provide funding for the Public Accounts Committee. Moreover, the Chairmen's Committee Public Engagement Group was likely to request funding from each Panel IC to support its ongoing work to raise the profile of Scrutiny.
The Panel noted the position. It agreed that it remained committed to the principle of undertaking the series of site visits and, further, that Senator F.E. Cohen, Minister of Planning and Environment, and Senator T.J. Le Main, Minister of Housing, should be formally invited to accompany the Panel on the visits, on the understanding that any costs arising from the attendance of the Ministers should be incurred by the Ministers' own departments. It then deferred further consideration of the matter pending receipt of a detailed itinerary, and a further presentation, from Mr. D. Mason.
Finally, Deputy Duhamel reported that the Planning and Environment Department had invited the Panel to sponsor Architecture Week', which was due to take place in the week beginning 2nd October 2006. He advised that the Panel was requested to provide funding in the sum of £5,000. In return for that sponsorship, Panel members would be invited to speak at several events, take part in discussion groups and set out a display or a series of displays in containers to be laid out in the Royal Square.
Officers advised the Panel that a formal written invitation concerning Architecture Week had not yet been received by the IC
Scrutiny Office. Accordingly the full terms and conditions of the sponsorship offer were unclear.
The Panel agreed to defer further consideration of the matter until such time as formal correspondence had been received. In the intervening period, officers were instructed to make further enquiries of the Planning and Environment Department regarding detailed plans for the event.
Deputy G.C.L. Baudains was not present for this item. 6 Work Programme – Waste Recycling
(Item 6 The Panel received an oral update from Deputy R.C. Duhamel 29/06/06) concerning progress made on the Waste Recycling review. He reported that preliminary work on the St. Helier Zero Waste Trial
| had now commenced and that the actual trial would commence in the week beginning 17th July 2006. Deputy Duhamel subsequently reported on his efforts, in his capacity as a private member, to assist Deputy P.V.F. Le Claire in the matter of investigating alternative composting solutions. He advised that approximately 8 people, including Mr. T. Binet of Jersey Royal (Potato Marketing) Limited, had now been identified as being more than willing to assist in providing an alternative method of processing green waste. Also on the matter of composting, Deputy Duhamel informed the Panel that he had instructed the Scrutiny Office to begin organizing a composting technology exhibition, to be held in September 2006. He advised that a series of companies were to be invited to display their composting products at the exhibition. Finally, Deputy Duhamel advised that he had invited Mr. A. Haden- Taylor to address the Waste Working Group at its meeting on 14th July 2006. Deputy G.C.L. Baudains was not present for this item. | MR |
7 | Composting facilities at La Collette, St. Helier : cessation (P.76/2006) The Panel recalled that P.76/2006, as lodged by Deputy G.C.L. Baudains, had been listed for debate on 18th July 2006. Consideration was given to the necessity of debating the proposition, given that the working party chaired by Deputy P.V.F. Le Claire was expected to propose a viable alternative composting solution in early course. The Panel declined to comment formally on the proposition. Deputy G.C.L. Baudains was not present for this item. | None |
8 | Time and date of next meeting. The Panel agreed to meet at 9.30am on Thursday 27th July 2006 in Le Capelain Room, States Building. |
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Signed Date
.. Chairman, Environment Panel