States meeting tea breaks proposed for deputies

Andrea Dudley-Owen wants to introduce 15-minute breaks at around 11am and 3.45pm on each day the States sits, with the total time for debate maintained by reducing the lunch adjournment from two hours to 90 minutes.

‘For the purposes of occupational health and potential benefits to time management, the amendment seeks to ensure that the comfort breaks are in line with modern working requirements and perhaps may have a consequential effect such that members make optimal use of their time in delivering their speeches so to stay within the debate timings,’ she said.

‘Ad hoc break times due to the lack of scheduled breaks result in missed votes and listening or contribution time in the States.

‘Some members have health conditions which require them to move more frequently and it is also accepted that sitting for long periods of time has a detrimental effect on overall health and is not encouraged in the workplace.’

States meetings would continue to start at 9.30am and the standard finish time each day would still be 5.30pm.

The proposal has been submitted as an amendment to the States Assembly & Constitution Committee’s policy letter reviewing the rules of procedure which is due to be debated by deputies at their meeting which starts on Wednesday.

The amendment has been seconded by Deputy Lester Queripel.

Deputy Dudley-Owen has also submitted a proposal which would require members laying amendments to set out whether they had first consulted the States Greffier and officials serving the committee whose propositions face amendment.

That amendment has been seconded by Deputy Sam Haskins.