Recorded votes in the States

Last week the Assembly backed a major review of the fiscal regime that will consider new taxes. Currently the States collects taxes equivalent to 21% of GDP and the suggestion is that the figure could be lifted to around 24%, which may mean things like a sales tax or health tax. The review needs to be completed by June 2021.

Voting on the three propositions from P&R, as amended:

FOR: Deputies Lyndon Trott, Paul Le Pelley, Jennifer Merrett, Gavin St Pier, Jane Stephens, Carl Meerveld, Matt Fallaize, Neil Inder, Mary Lowe, Laurie Queripel, Jeremy Smithies, Sarah Hansmann Rouxel, Richard Graham, Chris Green, Barry Paint, Mark Dorey, Jonathan Le Tocq, Al Brouard, Andrea Dudley-Owen, Shane Langlois, Heidi Soulsby, Lindsay de Sausmarez, Peter Roffey, Rob Prow, Victoria Oliver, Jan Kuttelwascher, Dawn Tindall, Barry Brehaut, John Gollop, Charles Parkinson, Lester Queripel, Michelle Le Clerc, Marc Leadbeater and Joe Mooney and Alderney representatives Steve Roberts, Alex Snowdon. 36

AGAINST: Deputies Emilie McSwiggan and David De Lisle. 2.

ABSENT: Deputies Peter Ferbrache, Rhian Tooley.

Included in Policy & Resources call for a fiscal policy review, was a recommendation to change to the minimum amount spent on capital projects each year, which can include buildings but also repairs to the island’s infrastructure such as sea defences.

The States had set itself a target of spending a minimum of 3% of the island’s Gross Domestic Product per annum averaged over four years (which would have been about £98m a year, based on the 2018 GDP of £3.3bn),

P&R wanted to reduce this to 1.5%, but a successful amendment by Deputy Peter Roffey, seconded by Deputy Chris Green, wanted the annual minimum set at 2%, averaged over eight years, which he said was needed to ensure long-term prosperity.

How members voted:

FOR: Deputies Graham, Green, Soulsby, de Sausmarez, Roffey, Prow, Tindall, Brehaut, Gollop, Parkinson, Lester Queripel, Le Clerc, Merrett, Meerveld, Fallaize, Laurie Queripel and Smithies. and Alderney representatives Roberts and Snowdon. Total 19

AGAINST: Deputies Paint, Dorey, Le Tocq, Brouard, Dudley-Owen, De Lisle, Langlois, Oliver, Ferbrache, Kuttelwascher, Leadbeater, Mooney, Trott, St Pier, Stephens, Inder and Lowe. Total 17.

ABSENT: Deputies McSwiggan, Tooley, Le Pelley and Hansmann Rouxel.

More drugs and treatments will be available in Guernsey as the States agreed to phase in all Nice-approved approaches. A review will take place and report back in the first two years with proposals on how it should be funded and just how far it should go in mirroring the UK.

How they voted:

FOR: Deputies Ferbrache, Kuttelwascher, Tindall, Brehaut, Gollop, Parkinson, Lester Queripel, Le Clerc, Leadbeater, Mooney, Trott, Le Pelley, Merrett, St Pier, Stephens, Meerveld, Fallaize, Inder, Lowe, Laurie Queripel, Smithies, Hansmann Rouxel, Graham, Green, Paint, Dorey, Le Tocq, Brouard, Dudley-Owen, McSwiggan, De Lisle, Soulsby, de Sausmarez, Roffey, Prow, Oliver and Alderney representatives Roberts and Snowdon. 38.

AGAINST: Deputy Langlois. 1.

ABSENT: Deputy Tooley.