Work is under way on a requete which is expected to propose reducing the number of seats on most States committees from five to three, but adding a sixth member to Policy & Resources and significantly enlarging the Scrutiny Management Committee, while also preventing any deputy from sitting on more than one major committee.
A second phase of reform could include stripping some powers from P&R, including finance, and reintroducing a separate Treasury Committee.
The incipient requete, led by Garry Collins, is likely to provoke a much wider debate, with a small group of States members known to be looking for opportunities to revive previously unsuccessful proposals to cut the number of deputies’ seats or replace the island’s committee system with ministerial or cabinet government.
‘Some members want to reduce the number of deputies and create a more executive style of government, but I thought my compromise was a good idea,’ said Deputy Collins.
‘I know the States Assembly & Constitution Committee is working on plans to bring a policy letter to the Assembly, but that is likely to be nearer the end of the term, whereas this reset could happen more quickly.
‘We need more urgent focus within the structure we have.
‘There has been little progress with policy letters from committees so far this term, and I fear that there will be no change unless deputies push for change. ‘This is an easy and quick fix and could be a real chance to progress more quickly.’
Deputy Collins wrote a first draft of the requete in May and has continued to refine his ideas following conversations with other States members.
He was confident of securing the seven signatories necessary to submit a requete for debate, but accepted it ‘might be a challenge’ to win a majority of votes in the Assembly for his proposals to be put into effect in the next few months.
‘I have managed to get a number of deputies to support me in bringing a motion to the Assembly, but we agreed to hold off until after the tax debate, as it might have been seen as a vote of no confidence in P&R, and I totally agree that the focus this term must be to address the major issues of housing and tax,’ said Deputy Collins.
‘I will wait for the outcome of the tax debate and then push ahead with planned changes.’
Deputy Collins claimed that too many States members had taken on too many responsibilities by sitting on more than one major committee and that this was slowing down policy development.
The changes he favoured would see a total of 27 States members holding one major seat only, either on P&R, the senior committee, or one of the seven principal committees, leaving the other 13 members with more time to sit on or assist Scrutiny.
A ministerial or cabinet system would create an even more distinct division between members in a smaller decision-making executive and those outside in scrutiny roles.
Former P&R vice-president Mark Helyar has reiterated to the Guernsey Press his view that the island ‘needs executive government’, but said he ‘suspected this P&R is against any form of government reform which would take us in that direction’.
In the previous political term, Deputy Helyar suggested holding a referendum on machinery of government reform, after the States rejected his proposal to reduce the number of deputies’ seats by 10.
Several Assemblies have rejected moving to executive government, including in 2002, 2010 and 2014, and P&R president Deputy Lindsay de Sausmarez said earlier this year that problems and failings in other places showed that their models of ministerial or cabinet government were no better, and often worse, than Guernsey’s traditional committee system.
Deputy Collins said he did not want to see a more powerful executive at the centre of government and suggested that the creation of P&R a decade ago was already a step too far in that direction.
‘It’s clearly not working having too much power in the hands of one senior committee. They have full control over corporate services. Who is checking their homework?’ said Deputy Collins.
‘The old model of having a separate treasury worked much better. At present, P&R has far too much work to be done to focus on the finance side.’
The review being carried out by Sacc is more focused on the number of deputies required and the island’s electoral system.
Parish officials were recently invited to add their views to Sacc’s review, and the Vale douzaine said it would use the opportunity to push for a return to parochial representation in the Assembly.