Livestream of Scrutiny hearings is set to resume
SCRUTINY’S public hearings are back on and will continue to be livestreamed.
The Scrutiny Management Committee has overcome data protection concerns which forced its programme of public hearings with other committees to be suspended nearly four weeks ago.
It has invited Education, Sport & Culture to agree a revised date soon for a two-hour hearing which was postponed less than 24 hours before it was due to start on 5 April.
‘We are now able to resume livestreamed public hearings, and have spoken to ESC inviting it to a rescheduled hearing which will take place as soon as practicable,’ said Scrutiny president Yvonne Burford.
‘We realise that ESC has already undertaken significant preparation work and we are therefore committed to holding this hearing soon.’
Scrutiny suspended public hearings after taking advice from data protection officials at the States who said they had been approached by various committees, concerned about the protection of personal data belonging to witnesses attending hearings livestreamed on YouTube.
At the time, Scrutiny was concerned that it may have been unable to resume public hearings without either restricting online access or seeking a direction from the States Assembly to overcome the data protection concerns.
But discussions led by Deputy Burford appear to have resolved the concerns without the need to change the format of the hearings or online access.
‘We have had a number of discussions, both verbally and by email, with the Office of the Data Protection Authority, States data protection officials and [legal] staff within St James Chambers,’ she said.
‘The committee is updating its [data protection] fair processing notice in line with best practice and we have carried out an initial data protection assessment on livestreaming public hearings, which confirmed that they can re-commence.
‘The committee will also ensure that all participants are fully aware that the proceedings are being livestreamed.’
Concerns raised by officials serving Health & Social Care – which faced a public hearing in March – were a trigger for Scrutiny calling off its public hearing with ESC.
Deputy Burford was advised originally that concerns had been raised by more than one committee, but she does not know which others were involved. The presidents of almost all major committees told the Guernsey Press they backed Scrutiny to continue with livestreamed hearings.
Scrutiny was frustrated at the late postponement of its hearing with ESC, but Deputy Burford has insisted that putting it off was the right decision.
‘Of course, if someone raises concerns with the data protection officials, it is their duty to investigate. Unfortunately, however, the short notice of the communication from data protection staff – 48 hours before the hearing – recommending we cease livestreaming meant that we had no option but to postpone the hearing while we sought legal and other advice and gathered the relevant information to establish the full picture,’ she said.
ESC officials are believed to have had nothing to do with the postponement of the hearing with their committee.
