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Education and Home Affairs Scrutiny Panel
Record of Meeting
Date: 24th November 2014 Meeting No: 1
Present | Deputy L. M. C. Doublet , Chairman Deputy J. M. Maçon, Vice-Chairman Deputy S. Y. Mezec Deputy S. M. Wickenden. |
Apologies |
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Absent |
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In attendance | Mr M. Robbins, Scrutiny Officer |
Ref Back | Agenda matter | Action |
| 1. Welcome The Chairman welcomed all Members to the Panel's first meeting. |
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| 2. Vice-Chairman The Panel appointed Deputy J. M. Maçon as Vice-Chairman in accordance with Standing Order 135(5). |
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| 3. Meetings of the Panel The Panel agreed that it was to meet on 4th December, immediately following the training days provided for Scrutiny. From then on, it was to meet monthly on a Monday morning on weeks that the States were not sitting. It was further agreed that Monday mornings, approximately two weeks after the meetings, were to be pencilled into diaries as possible additional meeting dates. These meetings would only go ahead where there was specific scrutiny work to be undertaken such as quarterly Public Hearings with Ministers. | MR |
| 4. Meetings: conduct The Panel noted Standing Order 138 regarding the need to be quorate and that it required two Members to be present for it to meet the criteria. The Panel also noted that Standing Order 138 also stipulated the voting process, co-option and observation of Panel meetings. |
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| 5. Meetings: Public / Private The Panel noted arrangements agreed by previous Scrutiny Panels and the Chairmen's Committee, that all Scrutiny meetings were to be closed to the public under Standing Order 138(6). The Members disagreed on the way forward on this matter and a suggestion that all meetings should be open to the public was discussed. The Panel held a vote which resulted in two for and two against. There was, therefore, to be |
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| no change in the way they operated, in that meetings would remain closed to the public. However it was decided that this matter should be put to the Chairmen's Committee for renewed consideration. | MR |
| 6. Communication The Panel agreed that communication was the key to success of the work the Panel was to undertake. It agreed that it was a necessity that all communication was channelled through the Scrutiny Office. Communication with outside agencies and Departments regarding Scrutiny work was to be through the Office. The Panel further agreed the need for an officer to be present at all meetings involving scrutiny work. The Chairman was responsible for all Panel matters relating to the media. | MR |
| 7. Minutes The Panel noted that minutes of meetings would be taken by the Officer which were then provided to the Panel for approval and signing by the Chairman once so approved. They were then published on the Scrutiny website. | MR |
| 8. Conflicts of Interest The Panel noted that Deputy S. Wickenden was a member of the Police Authority and that he was also assisting Senator Ozouf within his function in the Executive in work on technology and economic growth. Following discussion on those areas, the Panel left it to Deputy Wickendon to decide whether he felt the conflict was such as to make his role untenable within Scrutiny. He was to discuss the matter with the Greffier of the States and the Chief Minister and report back to the Panel. Deputy Doublet , Chairman, declared that her fiancée was a serving Police Officer which may create conflict for her in some areas of Home Affairs work. Deputy Mezec wished it to be recorded that he was the Chairman of a political party in Jersey but that he intended to leave personal and party politics at the door when he entered the Scrutiny forum, as the Scrutiny function was a fact based process. It was decided that this was to be an agenda item at every meeting to ensure that it was at the forefront of Members' minds when they were discussing their work programme. | SW MR |
| 9. Training The Panel noted that Scrutiny Training was to be provided for all Scrutiny, Public Accounts Committee and non-executive States Members relating to the Scrutiny Review Process, on 2nd and 3rd December 2014 at the Hotel De France. The Panel further noted that all of its Members had agreed to attend the training that was provided. |
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| 10. Visit to Westminster The Panel noted an option to attend Westminster to observe a Select Committee in action and hopefully to be able to discuss Westminster arrangements with a Select Committee Chairman. . All Members were enthusiastic about such a visit, agreeing its educational benefit, particularly to the newer members. It was decided that all members should attend and that mid-January would be an appropriate time. All Members were flexible in the dates, considering an instructional visit to Westminster took precedence on anything currently in their diary. It was also agreed that it would be preferable to be able to de-brief the events of the day at a hotel during the evening if that were possible. | MR |
| 11. Work Programme The Panel noted the legacy report compiled by the previous Panel. It considered subjects that were of interest and decided that each Member was to give consideration to areas the Panel may like to review, both from within the legacy report and otherwise. Members were to send these into the Scrutiny Office and the full list was to be considered at the next meeting. | Panel / MR |