Deputies reject ‘rush to the finish line’ overtime proposal
Deputies have turned down the opportunity for some end-of-term overtime.
On Friday night at the close of last week’s States meeting they comprehensively rejected a proposal from the Policy & Resources Committee to extend their next two meetings – the last of the political term – to four or even five days.
And some fired a broadside at the committee for its 'poor handling' of the States agenda and apparent desire to get as much business completed as possible before May.
Deputy Andrea Dudley-Owen said that by piling on extra work the States was ‘slipping into shoddy governance’.
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‘We’ve got not enough time to consider the volume and frequency of policy letters coming forward, and I think it’d be really unfortunate to have a rush to the finish line and actually make some really bad decisions. I think we should be reducing the amount of policy letters coming through, and committees should be accepting that actually they just may not be able to make it over the finish line.’
Deputy Sasha Kazantseva-Miller described proceedings as ‘really bad governance’.
‘This is absolutely terrible government. We already heard today that people are not reading policy letters. It will only get worse. This is a terrible, terrible way of doing democracy.’
Even P&R member Jonathan Le Tocq, who seconded the amendment, showed limited support. He said the amendment was a pragmatic solution but the ‘best solution’ would be for the States to be far more disciplined.
‘We need to look at the way we do this. This is not the best way to do government and it is a terrible indictment on us.’
Deputy Gavin St Pier said that the committee had the power not to promote policy letters brought forward by committees and wondered why it was not doing so.
Deputy Lyndon Trott said that the committee had shown ‘active management’ and reminded the States that in the last political term it had sat for an extra seven days to clear business.
But members voted 18-13 to stick to three-day meetings in April, though another vote could be proposed at the first April meeting in relation to the meeting times at the end of the month.
Deputy Peter Roffey, a member of the States, on and off, since 1982, said afterwards that he was ‘fairly shocked’ by the approach shown.
‘Personally I don’t think it is asking too much,’ he said.
