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Environment Scrutiny Panel
PUBLIC MEETING Record of Meeting
Date: 18th October 2007. Meeting Number: 61
Present Deputy R.C. Duhamel (Chairman) (RD)
Connétable K. A. Le Brun of St Mary (KB) Connétable A. S. Crowcroft of St Helier (SC) Deputy P. V. F. Le Claire (PLC)
Apologies
Absent
In attendance Mrs C. Le Quesne, Scrutiny Officer
Mr M. Robbins, Scrutiny Officer
Ref Back | Agenda matter | Action |
1 | Minutes The Panel received and approved the Minutes of the meeting of 4th October 2007 and 15th October 2007 (subject to a minor typographical amendment). The Minutes of the 4th October 2007, Private Part B meeting were approved. RD. KLB. SC. PLC. |
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2 | Matters arising from the Panels minutes of the 4th October 2007 - Houses in Malmo The Panel noted that its minute reflecting discussions on uninhabited' homes in Malmo required clarification. Deputy Le Claire advised that the issue that he had sought to raise was that of buy to let' and the fact that the practice did not appear to take place in Malmo as it does in the Island. Whilst not strictly within the realm of the Panel's remit the issue of accommodation lying vacant in Jersey when there was an ever increasing demand for first time buyer homes was one of concern. The key issue of importance to be addressed as a result of the visit to Malmo was in fact the re-use or recycling of waste materials from buildings that had or were being demolished. It was noted that generally at least 50% of the waste arisings were recycled and that it was incumbent upon developers to ensure that |
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environmentally sound waste disposal policies were in place on all projects to ensure the minimum of ultimate waste for landfill or incineration. Deputy Le Claire agreed to prepare a paper for the Panel in this connection.
RD. KLB. SC. PLC.
3 Action updates from previous meetings
Malmo Reports -
The Panel noted that reports on Malmo fact finding and RD/PLC/ conference visit were outstanding from the Chairman, DM Deputy Le Claire and Mr. Mason. The officer was
instructed to pursue obtaining a written report from Mr.
Mason outlining his professional opinion on the developments he had visited on the Study Tour which
formed part of the visit. It was noted that Mr. Mason had
submitted a few photographs.
The Chairman and Deputy Le Claire agreed to have their reports available for the next Panel meeting.
The Panel noted the receipt of the Cycle around Malmo report from its officer.
MR
Waste Meeting with the Council of Ministers rescheduled-
The Panel agreed that it should temporarily postpone its discussion on waste recycling with the Council of Ministers as it was not going to pursue a report and proposition on the issue at this time.
The Panel agreed that prior to discussing the matter with
the Council it should await the outcome of the Planning Minister's decision on the Minister for Transport and Technical Services application for in principle consent to
locate an EFW at the La Collette site. The Panel agreed
that it should attend the public consideration of the item at
South Hill and it requested that an officer also attend that
meeting. MR/CLQ
Water Quality in St Aubin's Bay
The Panel noted that the Minister for Transport and Technical Services would not attend the proposed
meeting to discuss the issues of water quality in St.
Aubin's Bay. The Panel agreed that the meeting should
proceed in order that it could seek the views of the other
Ministers who were involved and to ensure that adequate monitoring and interpretation of data was being RD/CLQ undertaken.
Business Plans
| The Panel noted that the Chairmen's Committee was expecting feedback on its views relating to the States Business Plan process. The Chairman requested views from Panel members. The Chairman provided an oral report on the Chairmen's Committee meeting of the 17th October 2007 which was attended by the Comptroller and Auditor General at which future Business Plan scrutiny was discussed. RD. KLB. SC. PLC. |
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4 05/10/07 Item 12 | Fifth Panel Member The Panel recalled that it had previously discussed extending an invitation to a fifth States member to join its number. The Panel confirmed that Deputy Scott - Warr en should be invited onto the Panel and requested that the States be advised of its decision at the earliest possible opportunity. The officers were directed to take the necessary action. RD. KLB. SC. PLC. | LH/CLQ |
5 | Matters for noting The Panel noted the following -
RD. KLB. SC. PLC. |
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6 | Panel considered its Review processes The Panel considered the administrative processes applied to the project management of its reviews and discussed how these could be improved in the future. It was noted that its last two reports had been challenging to produce due to time restrictions and information for inclusion becoming available during the drafting period. On a related matter the Panel considered the extent to which the distribution of Scrutiny reports was successful or otherwise. The Panel suggested that some work was required to ascertain the volume of Scrutiny reports distributed. The Panel was invited to consider ways in which administrative process might be improved to assist it with the management of its review documents and how | Panel MR/CLQ |
it could improve the flow of documents and responses.
The Panel requested that the item be added to its next agenda.
RD. KLB. SC. PLC.
7 Panel newsletter proposal PLC
The Panel received an outline paper from Deputy Le Claire in connection with his proposal that an appropriate way forward to raise the Panel's profile might be through the distribution of a newsletter.
Deputy Le Claire presented the item and did not participate in any further discussion on the basis that he would be involved in the production of the newsletter under his proposal. The Panel discussed the concept and proposed size of the publication together with the information that might be appropriate for such a venture.
The Panel was concerned that it did not have the resources available to allocate to a newspaper and it remained unconvinced that such an undertaking was the appropriate way forward. The Panel agreed that prior to making a final decision on the proposal it would require more detailed information on costs and distribution.
The Panel discussed the way in which information from Scrutiny in general was disseminated to the public and it agreed that work was required to improve that function. Whilst not provided with sufficient information at this juncture to make a decision the Panel remained open in principle to looking at new avenues by which to engage with the Public.
It suggested that a short publication with a high visual impact might be a more effective way to go than the current form of report. The Panel agreed that some discussion would be required with the Finance Officer to ensure that such expenditure would be appropriate for the Panel. The Panel noted that it was essential that any expenditure for advertising or promotion did not represent any conflict of interest amongst its membership.
Deputy Le Claire agreed to provide further financial information on the cost of a smaller publication and to include more details and breakdown on the printing and distribution of a publication. It was suggested that the Jersey Evening Post should be approached to obtain the costs of an insert such as that for GST in order for the Panel to have some sort of comparison.
On a related matter the Panel also requested that the costs for radio advertising should be obtained.
| The Panel agreed that it may be appropriate to experiment with report format with a review such as air quality. RD. KLB. SC. PLC. |
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8 | Air quality - Presentation by Mr. P. Chapman. The Panel welcomed Mr. P. Chapman of XMile to the meeting and received a presentation relating to the fuel efficiency improvement package that his company was rolling out. The Panel was provided with a historical overview of the Company's development programme. Mr Chapman advised of his approach to a number of States members and departments and outlined the expertise which he had made available to the officers that he had met at a number of meetings. The Panel was advised that the product was an enzyme product which reacted with fuel and that it had been used by the former Public Services Department who had recently withdrawn support of the product due to unresolved issues over the testing process for the efficiency of the product. Mr Chapman outlined a number of successes with regard to the reduction of vehicle emissions and fuel efficiency achieved in partnership with a number of companies using his product. He outlined his efforts to have the product introduced to the fuel shipped to the islands and the challenges that had been faced whilst endeavouring to achieve this goal. Mr Chapman provided the Panel with a file of comprehensive information and provided referees which the Panel might wish to approach. The Panel agreed that it would receive the information provided on a confidential basis given its commercial nature and that meetings should be arranged with local companies using the product to further discuss its potential. The Panel agreed that the Officer should meet with Mr. Chapman to obtain any necessary information to forward to its advisor for comment. It was agreed that the Head of Health Protection should be invited to comment upon the principle of a fuel additive such as XMile and its potential to reduce harmful emissions. The Panel thanked Mr Chapman for his time and noted that the meeting with the officer would take place at 9 am on Tuesday the 23rd October 2007. RD. KLB. SC. PLC. |
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9 | Meetings with the Minister for Planning and Environment | MR/CLQ |
| The Panel agreed that it would be beneficial to hold quarterly meetings with the Minister for Planning and Environment. The Panel requested that the meetings be arranged on the alternate Thursday to its normal meetings on a quarterly basis. The officers were requested to make the necessary arrangements. RD. KLB. SC. PLC. |
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10 | Compost testing results The Panel noted that following its request for details on testing of the compost produced at La Collette the Transport and Technical Services Department had provided the necessary information. The Panel decided that on the basis that the data was of a technical nature and that the composition of some of the compounds listed was unknown to it, it would seek the view of a professionally qualified individual to provide it with an interpretation. The Panel suggested that Professor Mullet should be approached in this regard as he had previously assisted on a number of occasions. The officers were directed to take the necessary action and to ensure that some of the Panel's budget could be expended for this purpose. RD. KLB. SC. PLC. |
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11 | Bellozanne visiting - The Panel discussed its recent visit to the recycling facility operated by the Transport and Technical Services Department at Bellozanne. The Panel discussed the volume of recycling achieved and considered that it was below what had been anticipated. The Panel was aware that an additional site in the west of the Island had been identified as a recycling site. It was noted that the amount of funding required appeared to be fairly fluid. The Panel requested that it be provided with a detailed cost analysis in this connection. The Panel decided that it would wish to undertake a visit to the recycling site operated in Grouville . The Officer was requested to make the necessary arrangements with the Connétable . RD. KLB. SC. PLC. |
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12 | Waste Plant Review The Panel considered and agreed its terms of reference for its Waste Plant Review. |
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| The Panel agreed that the revised document should be forwarded to the Chairmen's Committee for noting and requested that the draft budget and scoping document be attached for information. The Officer was requested to take the necessary action. RD. KLB. SC. PLC. | MR |
13 | St Aubin's Bay Water Quality The Panel recalled that it had previously requested a round the table meeting with a number of Ministers and officers to discuss issues of concern in relation to the water quality in St Aubin's Bay. The Panel noted that a paper had been submitted from the Minister for Transport and Technical Services in response to the concerns expressed. The Minister had advised that he would not attend the meeting. The Panel noted that the Ministers for Health and Social Services and Planning and Environment would be available to attend. The Panel was mindful that the issue might have implications for the Island's infrastructure and decided to proceed with the meeting without the Transport and Technical Services Minister due to the importance of the subject. The Panel would consider all the issues discussed following the joint meeting and decide whether or not it considered a review was required at that time. RD. KLB. SC. PLC. |
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14 | Lifestyle Exhibition The Panel received the details of the 2008 Lifestyle Exhibition which would take place in November. It recalled that it had participated in the last event and that its attendance and stand had provided a good opportunity to discuss Scrutiny and its own function with a wide cross section of the Public. The Panel decided that it would consider whether it should participate in the 2008 exhibition at its next meeting. RD. KLB. PLC. | MR |
16 | Air quality The Panel noted that four days of hearings were in the process of being arranged from the 22nd to the 27th November 2007. It was accepted that not all members would be available for the whole of the hearings but that | CLQ |
three members would be in attendance at all times.
The Officer was directed to take the necessary action to obtain the information required for the review and to progress the preparation of arrangements for the advisor to attend.
RD. KLB. SC. PLC. 17 Next Meeting
The Panel noted that the date for its next full meeting would be Thursday 1st November 2007 at 9.30 am in the Le Capelain Room.
Signed Date: ..
Chairman Environment Panel