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Education and Home Affairs Scrutiny Panel
Record of Meeting
Date: 15th December 2011 Meeting No: 2
Present | Deputy J. M. Maçon, Chairman Connétable M. P. S. Le Troquer, Vice Chairman Connétable S. W. Pallett |
Apologies |
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Absent |
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In attendance | M. Haden, Scrutiny Officer S. McKee , Scrutiny Officer |
Ref Back | Agenda matter | Action |
| 1. Minutes The Minutes of the meeting held on 28th November 2011 were approved as a true record. |
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| 2. Matters arising Visit to UK Parliament - Members were informed that contact had been made with the Clerk of the Overseas Office at the House of Commons who had been suggested that a visit in March could be accommodated. Members agreed that a joint visit with another Panel would be appropriate. | MH |
| 3. Chairman's Committee The Chairman reported on policy decisions taken at the Chairmen's Committee meeting held on 12th December 2011. |
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| 4. Departmental Briefings Members received copies of the brief provided to the Minister and Assistant Minister for Home Affairs giving an overview of the Home Affairs Executive, an outline of the role of the services provided by the department and the significant issues currently facing the department. Members noted the resourcing pressures faced by the Customs and Immigration Service and requested to be provided with copies of the report published by a previous Education and Home Affairs Panel (SR14/2008) together with the ministerial response in order to review the findings and recommendations of the Panel. Members requested the Scrutiny Officer to arrange an informal introductory meeting with the Minister for Home Affairs in the New Year. Members also received copies of briefing papers prepared by the Scrutiny Officer relating to Education Sport and Culture and noted that the Minister for Education Sport and Culture had agreed to meet the Panel informally after the Christmas recess. | MH |
| 5. Draft States of Jersey Police Force Law 201- (P.182/2011) The Panel considered a briefing paper prepared by the Scrutiny Officer on the draft law which was scheduled for debate in the States on 31st January 2012. Having noted that a previous Panel had undertaken a review of the draft law in 2008, members agreed that it would be appropriate to approach the previous Panel's expert advisers to provide a briefing on the current proposals. Members noted that the position with regard to the role of the Police Authority in relation to the Honorary Police remained to be resolved and that this would be reviewed at a later date once the Police Authority had been functioning for a period of time. It was noted that the two Connétable s on the Panel might be conflicted in terms of scrutinising arrangements for oversight of the Honorary Police. | MH |
| 6. Succession Planning in the States of Jersey Police (SR7/2011) - Ministerial Response Members noted the Ministerial Response which acknowledged the important role of the new Police Authority in monitoring progress in succession planning. Members agreed to seek a progress report from the Minister in due course. |
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| 7. Topic proposal – Surveillance Members considered a topic proposal received from Mr. Dun, having noted that the previous Panel had agreed to conduct a review on this issue but that other work priorities had intervened. Members noted that the issue covered a broad range of activity including electronic surveillance through CCTV through to police surveillance operations. A review could examine whether local regulations and guidelines were sufficient in the light of technological developments in this field, assess how information gathered through surveillance was used in the Island and evaluate whether public expenditure was well spent. Members asked the Scrutiny Officer to prepare a paper defining the scope of a review. | MH |
| 8. Topic proposal – impact of CSR savings on services for young people Members agreed that they wished to undertake a review of the implications of any savings cuts through the Comprehensive Spending Review on the provision of services for young people through the Youth Service and the Community Sports Development activity programme. Members agreed to request information from the ESC Department on any proposed savings prior to developing the scope and formal terms of reference for this review. |
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| 9. Topic proposal – youth unemployment Members agreed that tackling youth unemployment was a matter of critical importance in the current economic climate and noted that the Chief Minister had announced that this was one of his immediate key priorities. Members agreed that the Island's long-term strategies for dealing with this issue should be one of their own priorities for the work programme in 2012. |
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| 7. Future meetings The Panel agreed to defer the meeting scheduled for 9th January 2012 to 24th January due to the absence of one of the members. |
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