Chairmen's Committee - Approved Committee Minutes - 10 October 2012

Present

Deputy T.A. Vallois, President Deputy S.G. Luce , Vice-President Senator S.C. Ferguson

Deputy J.M. Maçon

Deputy J.H. Young

Deputy K.L. Moore

Apologies

Absent

Deputy G. Baudains

In attendance

Connétable of St. Ouen

Connétable of St. Brelade

Connétable of St. John

Connétable of Grouville

Connétable of St. Martin

Deputy S. Power

Deputy J. Hilton

Deputy J. Reed

Deputy R. Rondel

Mrs. K. Tremellen-Frost, Scrutiny Manager

Ref Back

Agenda matter

Action

510/1(61)

1. Scrutiny  Report  recommendations:  follow-up  on implementation of accepted recommendations.

The  meeting  agreed  to  the  importance  of  following  up  accepted recommendations  and  that  all  Panels  would  follow-up  on  the implementation, or otherwise, of accepted recommendations.

Consideration  was  given  to  the  importance  of  ensuring  that  the Minister  had  completed  a  target  date  for  each  accepted recommendation  on  the  Ministerial  Response  Template  to  assist Panels with timely follow-up.

Consideration was also given to the use of written, oral and questions without notice in the States although it was recognised that there had been previous criticism of Members using the States Assembly to carry out Scrutiny business.

The  meeting  was  apprised  of  the  modus  operandi  of  the  Public Accounts Committee in monitoring accepted recommendations and that some of the recommendations may be referred to Scrutiny Panels when the progressing the matter fell more within Scrutiny's remit than within PAC.

08.10.12 Item 1

2. Medium Term Financial Plan [MTFP]

513/35

The meeting noted that the Corporate Services Scrutiny Sub-Panel was nearing completion of its report and that it was currently with stakeholders  for  factual  checking.  However,  findings  and recommendations have not been finalised yet. The Sub-Panel was minded to prepare two amendments to the MTFP but these had yet to be determined and agreed.

Consideration was given to the difficulty of tracking and monitoring the implementation of the MTFP, the lack of flexibility within the Plan, especially during 2014 and 2015, which made the Plan financially binding with insufficient flexibility.

The meeting considered an away-morning for Scrutiny Members to discuss any amendments and other issues relating to the MTFP, but decided that a preferable way forward was for the draft report of the Corporate  Services  Sub-Panel  to  be  circulated  to  all  Scrutiny Members.

It was noted that the individual Panel reports would be presented prior to the Sub-Panel's report and hopefully these would also be able to inform Members prior to the debate.

It was also noted that there may be a few amendments from Scrutiny and a few more from Members in an individual, independent capacity.

465/1(169)

3. Electronic Devices: use in Scrutiny Hearings

The meeting considered whether Panel Members and witnesses at Scrutiny Hearings should be permitted to use electronic devices such as iPads and laptops. It was also considered whether members of the public should be permitted to use such devices but it was agreed that this was inappropriate.

As there was currently a trial of using electronic devices in the States Assembly which was optional for Members, the meeting agreed that in principle,  a  similar  trial  should  operate  within  Scrutiny  Hearings. Consideration  was  given  to  individual  Panels  making  their  own decisions about whether to permit this but there was a strong feeling that there must be a standardized approach.

It was agreed that Panel Chairmen should discuss the matter with their individual Panels and revert back to the Chairmen's Committee.

Chairm en

510/1(45)

4. Microphones in Blampied and Le Capelain Rooms

The meeting considered fixing additional microphones to the tables in the Blampied and Le Capelain Rooms as when there are a large number of witnesses some have to sit away from a microphone.

The meeting was advised that information on undertaking this work had been requested.

KTF

1240/9/1 (89)

5. Lunches for Scrutiny meetings

The meeting was advised that the Health, Social Security and Housing Scrutiny Panel had employed an adviser working on a voluntary basis and were concerned that there was no possibility to use the Scrutiny budget to provide the adviser with lunch when at all day meetings.

The  meeting,  recalling  that  the  Chairman  of  the  Privileges  and

Procedures Committee had commented in the States Assembly at the start of the year that he was going to investigate the possibility of reinstating lunches for States meetings and Scrutiny, requested the representative of the Committee on PPC to look into the matter.

KM

510/1(75)

6. Reimbursements for parking charges

The  meeting  noted  that  the  Health,  Social  Security  and  Housing Scrutiny Panel had not been able to reimburse an adviser working voluntarily on behalf of the Panel for costs incurred for parking.

The meeting was advised that a decision had been made at the outset of that review that if evidence of parking charges were provided to the Scrutiny Office, these could be reimbursed.

Furthermore  the  possibility  of  using  States  Members  car  parking spaces  for  such  advisers  on  non-States  meeting  dates  had  been explored but this had been unsuccessful.

510/1(74)

7. Health,  Social  Security  and  Housing  Scrutiny  Panel  [HSSH]: remit

The Chairmen's Committee was requested to consider the current structure of the Scrutiny Panels in terms of the exceedingly heavy workload of the HSSH Panel. It was suggested that consideration could be given to moving Housing to join up with Environment.

CC

04.10.12 Item A1(a)

Joint meeting of Chairmen' s Committee and Council  of Ministers

511/1(33)

8. Green and White Papers

The meeting was advised that at the joint meeting of the Chairmen's Committee and the Council of Ministers, the Chief Minister agreed to produce a procedure note for Ministers in respect of Green and White Papers.

This could be particularly useful from the point of view of factoring Scrutiny  into  Ministerial  planning  of  policies.  It  was  noted  that  if Scrutiny had to work around scheduled debates which couldn't be moved,  frustrations  would  occur  within  Scrutiny  which  could  have detrimental results.

The President undertook to discuss this with the Chief Minister at her next formal meeting with him.

TV