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Privileges and Procedures Committee Machinery of Government Sub-Committee (15th Meeting)
14th March 2025
Part A (Non-Exempt)
All members were present, with the exception of Deputy L.V. Feltham of St. Helier Central , Minister for Social Security, from whom apologies had been received.
Deputy T.A. Coles of St. Helier South , Chair
Deputy H.L. Jeune of St. John , St. Lawrence and Trinity , Vice Chair Connétable K. Shenton-Stone of St. Martin
Deputy R.L. Kovacs of St. Saviour (for a time)
Deputy M.R. Scott of St. Brelade
In attendance –
Y. Fillieul , Assistant Greffier of the States, Chamber and Members' Support
J. Hales , Research and Project Officer, States Greffe
C. Fearn, Secretariat Officer, Specialist Secretariat, States Greffe
C. Tucker, Assistant Secretariat Officer, Specialist Secretariat, States Greffe
Note: The Minutes of this meeting comprise Part A only.
Minutes. A1. The Minutes of the meeting of 14th February 2025, having previously been
circulated, were taken as read and were confirmed.
Lobbying Law A2. The Sub-Committee, with reference to its Minute No. A3 of 14th February 2025, and Register. received and noted a draft comments paper in connexion with the introduction of a
Lobbying Law and Register to enhance transparency between Government and lobbying groups.
It was recalled that it was envisaged that the introduction of a Lobbying Law and Register would increase understanding regarding lobbying procedures amongst States Members, Government, individuals and groups, and could enhance transparency within the States Assembly. Further discussions had been held to consider the presentation of the Law and its impact on monitoring lobbying activity.
The Sub-Committee was advised that a broad code of principles for members of lobbying groups as well as guidance for Ministers, States Members, and Civil Servants could be produced, similar to that of the Lobbying (Scotland) Act 2016, adopted by the Scott ish Parliament. It was noted that the 2016 Act defined and regulated lobbying and provided a lobbying register containing information pertaining to active, inactive, and voluntary registrants.
Having considered the benefits of the proposed Law and Register, it was agreed that the finalised comments paper would be sent to the Privileges and Procedures Committee for consideration.
Ministerial role A3. The Sub-Committee, with reference to its Minute No. A5 of 14th February 2025,
profiles. considered a report entitled Democratic Accountability and Governance Sub-
Committee – Ministerial Roles, Assistant Ministers and Panel/Committee Chairs – Responsibilities and Job Profiles', and welcomed Messrs. P. Bradbury, Head of Ministerial Support, and B. Markwell-Sales, Business and Governance Officer, Cabinet Office, to the meeting.
It was recalled that previous correspondence from Deputy L.J. Farnham of St. Mary , St. Ouen , and St. Peter , Chief Minister, dated 20th December 2024, had outlined the perceived challenges associated with revising the current Ministerial role descriptions. The Chief Minister was largely supportive of the publication of information pertaining to Ministerial roles and the production of a consolidated list of legislation which demonstrated Ministerial responsibilities. The Sub-Committee further recalled that confusion had arisen regarding the role profiles and responsibilities, with particular emphasis on Assistant Minister roles, and clarity had been sought to ascertain the current process for the determination of such.
Mr. Bradbury acknowledged the importance of providing clarity on Ministerial role profiles and suggested that the provision of more robust frameworks and guidance on Government structure would achieve this. Mr. Markwell-Sales emphasised that although information regarding Ministerial Roles was available on the Government of Jersey website, a review of the structuring and presentation of this information would be beneficial in ensuring that all explanations were clear and accessible. It was noted that the provision of clear role descriptions for Assistant Ministers would prove challenging, due to the discretion of Ministers in dictating how they wished to be supported. It was suggested that upon election, Ministers could provide their Assistant Ministers with a letter outlining their role to provide additional clarity.
It was noted that although a book entitled Statute Book Categorised by Ministerial Office' listed the legislation for which each Minister was responsible, it was difficult to maintain due to frequent changes brought to legislation by the States Assembly and the Jersey Legal Information Board (JLIB). It was further highlighted that the maintenance of the statute book was not within Government remit and would be better managed by JLIB. Mr. Markwell-Sales advised that work to improve the current list was required and that work was in progress to produce Master Orders' for Ministers with all relevant legislation listed, which would require approval from the Privileges and Procedures Committee.
On a related matter, the Sub-Committee discussed the ongoing recommendations made by the former Democratic Accountability and Governance Sub-Committee (DAGS), in its report presented to the States Assembly on 18th February 2022 (R.23/2022 refers). A response from the Chief Minister, dated 7th March 2025, which outlined additional comments on the DAGS Recommendations was noted. Recommendation Nos. one, 2, 6, 10, 14, 15 and 24, were considered as closed and no further action was intended for Recommendation No. 7. The following observations were made in this connexion –
Recommendation One
Mr. Bradbury informed the Sub-Committee that all Government departments would have one ultimately responsible Minister where practically and financially feasible, whilst acknowledging that responsibility for some departments would continue to be shared. It was further noted that the Government had recently published an updated organisational chart, which made clear which Ministers were primarily responsible for each department.
Recommendation 5
Mr. Bradbury assured the Sub-Committee that the provision of a structured induction programme for all Ministers and Assistant Ministers was of utmost importance, but required improvement. It was noted that a practical induction of roles and responsibilities could be prioritised, and that private secretaries were kept apprised of necessary procedural guidance and could assist the process. Deputy T.A. Coles of St. Helier South , Chair, suggested that in light of the proposed Lobbying Law and Register, supplementary materials in relation to lobbying also be considered as part of the induction. It was agreed that a more coordinated approach between the States Greffe and the Council of Ministers would enable a smoother induction process and would mitigate the duplication of training and information provision.
The Sub-Committee thanked Messrs. Bradbury and Markwell-Sales for the update, and they withdrew from the meeting.
Work A4. The Sub-Committee, with reference to its Minute No. A4 of 14th February 2025, programme. received and considered its ongoing work programme.
Date of Next A5. The Sub-Committee noted that the next scheduled meeting would be held on Meeting. 4th April 2025, at 11.00am in the Le Capelain Room.