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Chairmen's Committee
Record of Meeting
Date: 15th September 2015
Present | Deputy J.A.N. Le Fondré, President and Chairman, Corporate Services Scrutiny Panel Deputy L.M.C. Doublet , Vice-President and Chairman, Education and Home Affairs Scrutiny Panel Deputy R. Renouf , Chairman, Health and Social Security Scrutiny Panel Deputy A.D. Lewis , Chairman, Public Accounts Committee Deputy D. Johnson , Vice-Chairman, Environment, Housing and Technical Services Scrutiny Panel |
Apologies | Connétable A.S. Crowcroft , Chairman, Environment, Housing and Technical Services Scrutiny Panel Deputy S.M. Brée, Chairman, Economic Affairs Scrutiny Panel |
Absent |
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In attendance | Mr T. Oldham , Scrutiny Manager |
Ref Back | Agenda matter | Action |
| 1. Records of meetings The Committee approved the records of its meetings held on 7th, 15th and 28th July 2015 and 7th August, which were signed accordingly by the President. |
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07.07.15 Item 2 | 2. Privileges and Procedures Committee: update The Committee considered a briefing paper on the deliberations of the above Committee. |
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| 3. Activity Reports The Committee noted the Panel and Public Accounts Committee activity reports. |
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510/1(52) | 4. Confidential Documentation The Committee recalled its previous agreement that in order for Panels to be more informed as to why a particular document may be classified as confidential, Departments should advise a Panel of the exemption Article number as to why a document was classified as confidential in accordance with the Freedom of Information (Jersey) Law 2011. It was agreed that this matter should be incorporated into the drafting and future Committee consideration of the Code of Practice for engagement, for the purposes of Scrutiny, between elected Members conducting Scrutiny and Ministers and Assistant Ministers. |
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07.07.15 Item 5 513/45 | 5. Medium Term Financial Plan (MTFP): Corporate Services Scrutiny Panel It was noted that the Corporate Services Scrutiny Panel's framework of areas on which it sought to receive information from individual Panels in relation to the Department(s) within their remits, had been used by all Panels with the information helpfully relayed to Corporate |
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| Services. Certain Panels were individually undertaking additional follow up work, including holding Public Hearings with the relevant Ministers and developing possible Amendments. It was again agreed by the Committee that the Council of Ministers' timetable for the MTFP and associated delays in releasing information caused unreasonable timetabling challenges for Scrutiny's work. The matter would be raised by the President at his next scheduled meeting with the Chief Minister. | JLF |
15.07.15 Item 1 510/1(5) | 6. Code of Practice for engagement, for the purposes of Scrutiny, between elected Members conducting Scrutiny and Ministers and Assistant Ministers It was noted by the Committee that advice had been sought to clarify the situation with regard to the protection afforded to witnesses by consequence of the proceedings of Panels being covered by parliamentary privilege through Article 34 of the States of Jersey Law 2005 and the States of Jersey (Powers, privileges and immunities) (Scrutiny Panels, PAC and PPC) (Jersey) Regulations 2006, in comparison to the protection afforded to witnesses appearing before UK Select Committees. Advice had further been sought on the legislative changes that would be required to provide Panels with the ability to place witnesses on oath, possible revisions to sanctions and processes pertinent to breaches of the code, and the differences in powers of access to information between Jersey Committees of Inquiry and Scrutiny Panels. The Committee was informed that a response to the advice sought was awaited. |
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07.07.15 Item 7 510/1(64) | 7. Blackberries/mobile devices The Committee agreed that it would seek further clarification about the maximum monthly allowance that would be available to a Chairman should he or she choose to take up the previously agreed option relating to mobileiron. | TO |
| 8. Future Meeting It was agreed that to avoid a clash with Jersey's hosting of a forthcoming Assemblée Parlementaire de la Francophonie conference during the week of 12th to 16th October, the Committee would re- schedule its next meeting from 13th October 2015 to 21st October 2015, 12.45pm-2.15pm, Le Capelain Room, States Building. |
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