States meeting to be staged at St James

Wednesday 18 March 2020

A Tribunal of Inquiry into a controversial Education appointment and the approval of emergency proxy voting at States meetings will be discussed at this week's meeting.

The meeting will go ahead after several precautions were put in place to allay corona virus concerns.

In the light of the guidance issued by the Director of Public Health, the debate will be staged at St James instead of the States Chamber, where there is sufficient space for social distancing between members. 

States meetings have only been convened in a venue other than the Royal Court chamber in exceptional circumstances - previous examples of this happening are the Aurigny purchase debate at Beau Sejour and when debates had to be moved to the new court building during the 2004-2008 States term while alterations were being made to the Royal Court. 

Several Deputies are understood to be in self-isolation and will not be able to attend this meeting. 

Those who do will first be asked to approve extended the current proxy voting regulations so that the presiding officer, in special circumstances and upon the advice of the Civil Contingencies Authority, can allow members unable to attend to arrange for their vote to be cast by a States colleague who is attending it in person. 

around 2003 at Beau Sejour, i remember the machinery of Government debate we had a host of amendments!
We also had a period, about a year possibly, when we held our States meeting in what was the ‘new’ extension in the Court building whilst alterations made to the Royal Court https://t.co/AvfOM3vbR7

— Deputy Mary Lowe (@DeputyMaryLowe) March 17, 2020

Pictured: Mother of the House Mary Lowe said it had been a long time since the States last held a meeting at a venue other than the usual States chamber. 

If approved, it would mean that proxy voting could be used in emergency situations, such as the Covid-19 crisis.

As an example, Deputies forced to self-isolate could then appoint a fellow States member to vote on their behalf. 

Once that is dealt with, business carried over from the previous States meeting will be debated.

After months of being stymied in its pursuit of an independent review into a controversial Education appointment of a new Head of Curriculum and Standards, Scrutiny is seeking the funds for a Tribunal of Inquiry, which would be an investigation into Education's conduct in that process backed by full legal powers.

Pictured: Scrutiny President Chris Green said the only way to get to the bottom of the Head of Curriculum and Standards recruitment process is a Tribunal of Inquiry, which is projected to cost around £150,000.

Next, Deputies unhappy that a debate on the future of 5G was taken off the table by Economic Development want an assurance that the States will get the chance to discuss and approve what EcoDev propose. 

That will be followed by a requête calling for a halt to plans to remove part of the L'Ancresse anti-tank wall, three years after deputies agreed it should come down.

Other matters on the agenda include questions around the cost of Aurigny to taxpayers and free TV licenses for over-75s, updates to Income Tax and Contributions Services and Education's request for clarity on how the States-directed pause and review will work in practice. 

Deputy Fallaize's committee has set out which models of education it believes should be reviewed as alternatives to its preferred one school over two sites model.

Debate starts at 09:30 as usual.