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CHAIRMEN'S COMMITTEE
Meeting of Chairmen held on 18th January 2008 Meeting Number 70
Present | Deputy S C Ferguson, President Deputy R G Le Hérissier, Vice-President Deputy R C Duhamel Deputy G P Southern Deputy P J D Ryan [Items 1-3] Deputy J A Martin Deputy J G Reed [Items 3b-10] Deputy S Pitman |
Apologies | Deputy D Mezbourian |
Absent |
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In attendance | Mrs A Harris , Deputy Greffier of the States Mrs D Abbot-McGuire, Finance and Administration Manager [Item 2] Mr W Millow , Scrutiny Officer |
Ref Back | Agenda matter | Action |
| 1. Minutes The minutes of 7th, 12th, 14th and 21st December 2007 were approved and signed. |
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[02/11/07, Item 4] [07/12/07, Item 12] | 2. Financial Matters The Committee received figures outlining the Scrutiny budget and expenditure as of 31st December 2007. The Committee was advised that the Scrutiny budget for 2007 had been £1,138,000 and that £822,447.77 of this sum had been spent as of 31st December 2007. It was further advised that year-end was the end of January 2008 and that some invoices therefore remained to be paid. It was noted that some Panels anticipated that 2008, were it not an election year, would otherwise see them spend their budget for the year. It was noted that, given the surplus that would remain from the 2007 budget, an argument might need to be made for Scrutiny to retain its budget at the current level. Consideration was given to the staffing resources currently available to Scrutiny and whether an increase in these resources would be beneficial, particularly in order to assist the undertaking of legislative scrutiny. It was noted that the employment of two additional Scrutiny Officers would require approximately £100,000 of funding. The Committee considered possible options including whether a person with legal expertise could be appointed on a retained basis or whether engaging someone with specific expertise in financial legislation would be most beneficial. The Deputy Greffier of the States was requested to prepare a paper outlining possible ways forward. Committee Members were requested to forward any ideas they might have to the Deputy Greffier. The Committee recalled its previous consideration regarding the possible early transfer to the Treasury of an underspend in the 2007 States Assembly budget. It was noted that the offer made by the Privileges and Procedures Committee (PPC) to that effect had not been taken up by the Minister for the Treasury and Resources and that the early transfer had not therefore occurred. The Committee was | DGoS |
| advised that the transfer would have come from a variety of sources within the States Assembly budget (including Scrutiny) but would not have incorporated all of Scrutiny's own underspend. It was noted that funding would not have been removed from Panel budgets in such a way that would have prevented them completing their anticipated work programmes and associated expenditure in 2007. |
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| 3. Panel Reports The Committee noted the ongoing work programmes of the Panels and considered the following matters that were not included on the Panel position papers: a) Corporate Services
Following a request from the Chairman, Corporate Services Panel, the Committee considered the way forward in relation to the Migration Policy Review. It was noted that there appeared to be effectively two parts to the review: one relating to the proposed population register and a second part relating to issues arising from Imagine Jersey 2035. The Committee noted that issues arising from Imagine Jersey 2035 were potentially of interest to all Panels and consideration was therefore given to how that part of the review could be addressed. Consideration was given to possible options, including whether all Panels should have a representative on the Migration Sub-Panel or whether the Sub-Panel should merely focus on that part of the review relating to the population register. It was subsequently agreed that the current Sub-Panel should continue work on issues relating to the proposed population register and that in relation to Imagine Jersey 2035 it should merely begin to give consideration to the underlying general principles.
The Committee was advised that the Panel had met the Chairman and Vice-Chairman of PPC on 9th January 2008 to discuss the proposed review of the Freedom of Information Law. At this meeting, the Panel had been advised that the Committee was no longer minded to bring forward a law. The Panel had therefore been asked whether it would review the effectiveness of the Code of Practice on Public Access to Official Information but had advised that such work should in fact be undertaken by PPC. Work on reviewing the resource implications of the Freedom of Information Law was therefore now in abeyance until PPC had decided on its way forward. The Committee agreed with the Panel's view that reviewing the effectiveness of the Code of Practice lay within PPC's remit. It was noted that the President, as a Member of PPC, would raise this matter at PPC's next meeting.
The Committee was advised that a request had been made for a copy of notes from 7th June 2007 of a meeting between the Chairman, Corporate Services Panel, and the States Chief Executive. At this meeting, the Chairman had been advised that a proposition to establish a Jersey Enterprise Board would be lodged within the following two weeks. The Panel had subsequently decided on 12th June 2007 not to undertake a review of the proposition. | SF |
| The Committee considered why the meeting on 7th June 2007 had been held in confidence and whether the Panel Chairman had signed a confidentiality agreement. It was agreed that in future the Chairmen's Committee should be made aware of any confidentiality agreement signed by a Panel Chairman. Consideration was given to the potential significance of Jersey Enterprise Board Limited: Proposed Establishment (P.194/2007) to the remit of other Scrutiny Panels. It was noted that there was a need for Panel Chairmen to communicate with the Committee about matters that spread over the remit of more than one Panel. The Committee was informed that the Panel Chairman would not sit on the Jersey Enterprise Board Sub-Panel (that currently comprised Deputy C.H. Egré as Chairman and Connétable J. Le S. Gallichan, Connétable D.J. Murphy and Deputy J.G. Reed as Members) due to a conflict of interest. The Committee was advised that, in the event of a Panel Chairman being conflicted for a particular review, it would be beneficial for notice to be given to the Chairmen's Committee. It was noted that the Minister for Treasury and Resources had indicated his agreement with the amendment lodged by the Public Accounts Committee to P.194/2007. Consideration was given to the potential effects of the PAC amendment on the main proposition and PAC was requested to reconsider its amendment given that the Corporate Services Panel had indicated it would review the main proposition.
The Committee was informed that the Panel was finalising its report on the proposed privatisation of Jersey Telecoms and that its review regarding youth employment, to be undertaken by the main Panel, was currently in abeyance. It was further informed that the Panel would not initially look at the Jersey Financial Services Commission (JFSC) as part of its review into the rôle and funding of Jersey Finance Limited.
The Committee was informed that the Panel had received more information on New Directions. It was noted that Deputy J.A. Martin, Chairman of the Income Support Sub-Panel, had made a statement in the States Assembly on 15th January 2008 indicating that Deputy C.J. Scott Warr en had joined the Sub-Panel and that it was hoped a Connétable would also wish to join. The Comité des Connétable s was due to discuss the matter at its meeting on 21st January 2008.
The Committee was advised that work on the Early Years report was ongoing and that the Panel would consider its findings and recommendations for the Policing of Events-User Pays Review at its meeting on 21st January 2008.
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| The Committee was informed that the Panel had approved the rate of payment for BDO Acto Limited as advisors on the Waste Plant Review. The Committee was advised of the work the Panel would undertake in relation to the new Island Plan. Consideration was given to the timescale for work to be undertaken and it was agreed that the Chairman, Environment Panel, would consider with his Panel the possibility of producing a statement or report on work undertaken to date. It was asked whether the Panel would consider the consultation currently being undertaken in connection to buses. It was noted that this consultation might in fact merely constitute the annual consultation process followed by Connex. The Committee further noted that the Panel awaited the Integrated Travel and Transport Plan. f) Public Accounts Committee (PAC) The Committee was advised of potential difficulties facing PAC with regard to staff resources. Panel Chairmen were therefore requested to bear this in mind and consider that Scrutiny Officers could be assigned PAC work in the event that they had spare capacity in their workload and that their work for Panels would not be adversely affected. It was noted that this would be a short-term measure for perhaps two to three months and that it provided further evidence of a need to increase the staffing resources available to Scrutiny and the PAC. In this regard, it was noted that the principle of providing further resources for the review of States expenditure had previously been mooted by the Chief Minister when stating that administrative support would be provided to the group of three Assistant Ministers that had been due to review expenditure. | RD |
[07/12/07, Item 8] | 4. Annual Business Plan The Committee noted the updated programme of work to be undertaken on the 2008 Departmental Business Plans and the Annual Business Plan, including a schedule of meeting dates. It was suggested by the Chairman, Economic Affairs Panel, that consideration be given to working on an eighteen-month to two-year cycle. The Panel Chairman was requested to produce a plan outlining his ideas in this regard. The Committee considered Re-use and Recycling Facilities: Capital and Revenue Funding (P.7/2008), noting that it represented the kind of proposition that would not be expected to be lodged under current arrangements for agreeing States expenditure. | GS |
[07/12/07, Item 4] | 5. Imagine Jersey 2035 The Committee noted correspondence from the States Chief Executive (on behalf of the Chief Minister) regarding the request for an extension to the consultation period for Imagine Jersey 2035. It was noted that the Council of Ministers had agreed to maintain the current consultation process with a view to producing a report at the end of February; however, the overall consultation period would be extended to the end of March to allow Scrutiny time to respond. |
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| 6. Citizenship Programme The Committee noted the update on the Citizenship Programme and that information would shortly be forthcoming on arrangements for the next session. It was noted that Senator B.E. Shenton, Minister for |
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| Health and Social Services, would possibly be the Minister involved in the next session. |
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[07/12/07, Item 11] | 7. Home Lifestyle Exhibition The Committee recalled its previous agreement to operate a stand at the Home Lifestyle Exhibition devoted to Scrutiny in general and the five Panels and PAC. It was noted that the Environment Panel would be willing to participate jointly provided that it would have use of the same amount of space as it had originally foreseen when planning for its own stand. The Committee further noted that issues of space could be resolved closer to the time of the Exhibition although it was recognised that the Exhibition was perhaps more pertinent to the Environment Panel's remit than to that of other Panels. |
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[12/12/07, Item 1] | 8. Machinery of Government Review (MOGR) The Committee noted that an MOGR seminar on What is Scrutiny?' would be held on 6th February 2008 at Highlands College. All Scrutiny Panel and Sub-Panel Members were encouraged to attend. It was noted that a questionnaire had been sent to States Members (for which the deadline was 18th January 2008) and that 26 Members had to date responded to the invitation to the seminar. The Committee recalled the correspondence received from PPC regarding those recommendations from Machinery of Government Review (R.105/2007) that fell within the Committee's purview. It was noted that the Chairman and Vice-Chairman of PPC would wish to meet the Committee to consider the actions taken as a result of PPC's correspondence. It was noted that such a meeting would not be feasible on 22nd February 2008. It was further noted that in response to the Committee's request to Panels to consider Recommendations 19 and 20 of R.105/2007, comments had been received from the Environment Panel. |
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[07/12/07, Item 2] | 9. Internal Review into Working Practices The Committee considered the recommendations of the internal review into working practices undertaken by Deputies R.G. Le Hérissier and J.G. Reed. Thanks were extended to the Deputies for their work. It was noted that some recommendations would require further discussion and Panel Chairmen were therefore requested to read the recommendations and identify any comments they would wish to make. |
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| 10. Future Meeting Dates The Panel noted that its next scheduled meeting would take place on 22nd February 2008. |
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Signed Date: ..
President, Chairmen's Committee