States Members Attendance In The Spotlight

A few States Members are being criticised for attending a Chamber of Commerce lunch, but not attending the States Chamber in person.

The Assembly is currently debating the Bridging Island Plan - deciding what should be built where in Jersey until 2025.

The debate is into is ninth day and decisions taken so far include setting aside the old Jersey gas site for a new town primary school, developing a masterplan for Five Oaks, agreeing that large developments must include 'affordable homes' and rezoning fields across the island for 375 new homes towards an overall target of 4,300.

Throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, States Members have been able to join parliamentary debates remotely.

Constable Andy Jehan returned to the debate in-person yesterday after isolation and said he was very surprised to see some politicians at the Chamber lunch who hadn't been in the States building.

First day back in #Chamber after my 10 days Isolation. Very surprised to see some @StatesAssembly members at the @jerseychamber #Lunch who haven’t been in the #Assembly all morning. #priorities

— Andy Jehan 🇯🇪 (@AndyJehan) March 23, 2022

The issue was raised with the Deputy Bailiff, Robert McCrae;

" As people outside this Chamber are expected to go to work as usual, then people inside this Chamber will also attend this Chamber unless there is a health or other similar reason not to do so."

Chief Minister Senator John Le Fondre has been joining the current States sitting remotely since it began last Monday (14 March). 

I have no problem if people are ill. Attending online for this makes sense to stop illness spreading & help recovery. But this should not just be conveniece or a chance for ministers to sit with officers in broad street. I said this when we made this original decision.

— 🌈Deputy Rob Ward (Reform Jersey)🌈 (@deputyrobward) March 24, 2022

St Brelade Constable Mike Jackson also took to twitter to condemn 'relaxed attendance rules'.

The relaxed attendance rules have been sadly abused by some States Members. I look forward to some clear direction tomorrow and recorded ‘defaut’ noted for non attendees

— Connétable Mike Jackson (@mikejackson1952) March 23, 2022

Trinity Deputy Hugh Raymond responded on Twitter to say he had been present at the morning session of the States via video conferencing, with the permission of the Greffe as he is recovering from health issues.

He attended the Chamber lunch, and says he was 'caught up' afterwards dealing with a query about the new hospital.

I recently fractured a vertebrae & spent time in hospital. My household, incl me, have just recovered from #Covid. I didn’t stop working. I went to @jerseychamber lunch today & got caught up afterwards. I went back to the Assembly. But not soon enough for some people!

— HughRaymondJsy (@HughRaymondJsy) March 23, 2022

The issue of attendance has been raised again this morning (24 March). Deputy Kirsten Morel asked why some absent members had been marked as 'excusé' (excused) and others  'en défaut' (absent without good reason):

 "We have been proceeding on the footing that those who are listed as joining by link may have some technical difficulty in joining the meeting and on that footing they have been marked as excusé, and that is the practice we have been adopting in relation to those that indicated that they are joining by link.  It is something we can revisit as a practice, but that is what we have been doing." - Robert McCrae, Deputy Bailiff.