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Education and Home Affairs - Approved Panel Minutes - 23 July 2008

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Education & Home Affairs Scrutiny Panel

PUBLIC MEETING

The records of the Panel meeting include Public and Private minutes in accordance with the Code of Practice on Public Access to Official Information

Record of Meeting

Date: 23rd July 2008 Meeting 83

 

Present

Deputy D.W. Mezbourian , Chairman

Deputy J. Gallichan, Vice-Chairman [Item 2a for a time] Connétable G.F. Butcher

Deputy S. Pitman

Apologies

 

Absent

 

In attendance

Mr. W. Millow , Scrutiny Officer

 

Ref Back

Agenda matter

Action

[14/07/08, Item 6]

1. Annual Business Plan

The Panel noted that a briefing would be held on 24th July 2008 at which  each  Minister  would  present  his  or  her  departmental  key objectives  as  outlined  in  Draft  2009  Annual  Business  Plan (P.113/2008). The Officer was requested to clarify and advise the Panel of the order in which Ministers would make their presentations and of the location of the briefing.

The Panel was advised that correspondence had been received from Senator  M.E.   Vibert ,  Minister  for  Education,  Sport  and  Culture,  in response to the report the Panel had produced on the draft proposals and provisional cash limits for the 2009 Annual Business Plan. It was noted that the correspondence would be circulated to the Panel.

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[22/07/08, Item 2]

2. Police Force Law

  1. Advisor

The  Panel  held  an  interview  with  a  prospective  candidate  for  the position of expert advisor. This part of the meeting was held in private session under Articles 3.2.1(a)(i), 3.2.1(a)(xii) and 3.2.1(a)(xiii) of Code of Practice on Public Access to Official Information. Subsequent to the interview, the Panel considered all the interviews it had held and agreed the appointment of an expert advisor.

  1. General Matters

Subsequent  to  its  appointment  of  an  expert  advisor,  the  Panel considered the next stages in its review of Draft Police Force (States) (Jersey) Law 200-. It was agreed that each interviewee  would be advised of the Panel's decisions. It was noted that a contract and terms of engagement would be drafted and subsequently agreed that the Chairman would oversee this matter. It was further noted that the contract would ultimately be forwarded to the Chairmen's Committee.

The Panel agreed that, subsequent to agreement of the contract, its expert advisor would be asked for input into the finalisation of Terms of

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Reference for the review. It was noted that the Terms of Reference would be forwarded in due course to Senator W. Kinnard, Minister for Home Affairs.

The Panel recalled its agreement that the week beginning 11th August 2008 would be most suitable for Public Hearings to be held. It was noted that advice had been received from the Department of Home Affairs that the week might be feasible from the Minister's perspective. The Officer was requested to make the necessary arrangements for a Hearing to be held on 11th August 2008. The Panel was requested to keep 12th August 2008 free in the event that the Panel would need to meet that day.

The Panel considered the production of a call for public submissions. The Officer was requested to begin drafting a call for evidence. It was agreed that Deputy J. Gallichan would oversee the production of the call for evidence whilst other Panel Members were away during the week beginning 28th July 2008. The Panel considered whether it would be feasible to produce a call for evidence before the draft law had been made publicly accessible; the Officer was requested to liaise with the Department of Home Affairs to discuss the matter.

The Panel agreed that it would meet its advisor on either 7th or 8th August 2008.

Consideration was given to the provisions of Standing Order 72 and whether a draft law or draft regulations could be referred to a Scrutiny Panel  if  that  Panel  had  already  produced  a  report  on  the  item  of legislation in question. It was agreed that clarification of the matter would be beneficial.

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[22/07/08, Item 1]

3. Customs and Immigration

Noting the advice that had been received in relation to the availability of the Minister for Home Affairs, the Panel agreed that it would seek to hold a Public Hearing on the Customs and Immigration Review on 11th August  2008. The  Officer  was  requested  to  make  the  necessary arrangements.

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[14/07/08, Item 5]

4. Firearms Law

The  Panel  recalled  its agreement  to  identify  potential questions for submission  to  the  Minister  for  Home  Affairs  and  to  forward  these questions to the lead officer by 25th July 2008.