Chairmen's Committee - Approved Committee Minutes - 17 December 2013

Present

Deputy T.A. Vallois, President

Deputy S.G. Luce , Vice-President

Senator S.C. Ferguson

Deputy J.A. Hilton, Acting Chairman, HSSH

Deputy J.H. Young

Deputy M. Tadier (Education and Home Affairs Scrutiny Panel)

Apologies

Deputy J.M. Maçon, Deputy K.L. Moore

Absent

In attendance

Mrs. K. Tremellen-Frost, Scrutiny Manager

Ref Back

Agenda matter

Action

1. Minutes of previous meetings

The  records  of  the  meetings  held  on  12th,  13th,  15th  and  18th November 2013 were approved and signed accordingly.

510/1(74)

2. Remit of Scrutiny Panels

It was agreed that, in order to balance the workload of the HSSH Panel, a proposition  would  be  drafted  to  transfer  Housing  to  the  Environment Scrutiny Panel to be implemented in time for the next term of office.

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3. Chairmen's Committee: powers

The Committee reconsidered its existing powers as set out in Standing Order 143 and agreed that they should remain as is.

511/1(2)

4. Chairmen's Committee: constitution

The Committee considered whether it was appropriate for the Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee to sit on the Chairmen's Committee given the different function of PAC to that of the Scrutiny Panels. It was agreed that there were great benefits for the Chairman of PAC serving on the Committee and that the constitution should remain as at present.

510/1(86)

5. Procedures and Protocols

It was agreed that the Procedures and Protocols which were created at the start of this term of office should be reconsidered early during 2014 with a view to considering whether they should be made mandatory for scrutiny in the future.

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510/1(5)

6. Codes of Practice

The Committee agreed to the principle of redrafting the Code of Practice for Scrutiny Panels and the PAC and to receiving a paper in respect of an outline for a revised Code in the New Year.

It was noted that the President had requested the Executive to prepare a Code of Practice for the Council of Ministers in the future and this was

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supported by the Chairmen's Committee. It also agreed that the Code for Ministers should be approved by the Council of Ministers and not by the States, that the Code for Scrutiny and PAC should be approved by the Chairmen's Committee and that there should be a Code between the Chief Minister and the Chairmen's Committee in respect of interaction between the Executive and Scrutiny.

510/1(87)

7. Ad-hoc Review Panels (Task and Finish Groups)

The Committee, in trying to identify a more flexible structure for Scrutiny and  a  means  of  involving  more  non-Executive  Members,  agreed  to explore in greater detail the possibility of establishing "Task and Finish Groups" (nomenclature to be decided). This would permit the Chairmen's Committee to establish a group of non-Executive Members (be they Panel Members or not) without the requirement for the Chairman to be drawn from a parent Panel. This review group would be constituted to undertake a review into a specific subject in the same manner as a Sub-Panel does in  the  existing  system. It  was  believed  that  this  would  remove  the constraints of forming Sub-Panels for cross-cutting issues which existed at present. The matter would be considered more closely in 2014.

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510/1(71)

8. Legislative Scrutiny

It  was  agreed  that,  in  moving  to  any  revised  system,  it  should  be incumbent  on  Ministers  and  Departments  to  provide  scrutiny  with legislation in a timely fashion and to factor in an agreed minimum amount of time for a review of legislation to be undertaken. It also agreed that the Executive must in future allow a significant period of time after debating policy before bringing related legislation to the States for debate so that the legislation could be reviewed.

6. Panel Activity Reports These were taken as read.

8. Future meetings

The Committee noted the following meeting:-

Chairmen's Committee meeting –-14th January 2014, 9.30am -

11.30am, Le Capelain Room