The States of Deliberation meet every three weeks, except in school holidays, to discuss and debate reports, draft legislation and other matters. Information relating to past and forthcoming Meetings can be accessed via this page.
The items for discussion are contained in a publication called a Billet d'État. Information about the Members of the States of Deliberation and the Rules of Procedure for States' Meetings can be found within the Red Book [5Mb].
States Meeting on 5 November 2019 (Budget and Non-contributory benefit rates for 2020)
- The relevant papers for the next States' Meeting can be accessed here. This page contains the agenda for the meeting, the combined PDF of the Billet d'État and links to each individual item lodged.
- The decisions of the States each day ('Resolutions') are published in the 'Downloads' section of this page and the Official Report ('Hansard') will also be uploaded once completed.
Future States Meetings
- Information about the next States' Meetings are added to the relevant pages when items are submitted or the content of the Billet d'État is confirmed:
- A full list of the States' Meeting dates up to May 2020 is available to download
here. [281kb].
Items lodged for future States Meetings
- If an item has been submitted to HM Greffier to be presented to the States but not yet scheduled for a specific States' Meeting, it is listed below.
- These items will be included in the 'Schedule for Future Business' which the Policy & Resources Committee asks the States of Deliberation to approve at the end of each meeting. This schedule determines at which meetings items will be discussed. The items will be moved to the relevant meeting page once the schedule is approved.
Previous States Meetings
- Once a States' Meeting has taken place, the relevant meeting page is added to the States Meeting information index. The most recent meetings are listed below for ease of access:
States' Resolutions: decisions of the States
- After each day of a States' Meeting, a document setting out the decisions of the States of Deliberation that day is produced and published - the States' Resolutions. This is published in the download section of each States' Meeting page.
- The following spreadsheet and PDF provide an index of 2019 States decisions for each proposition considered at a States Meeting, including links to the Resolution documents:
Index of reports, decisions, voting records and Hansard (Excel) [60kb]
- Work is also progressing on a 'resolutions database' where people will be able to monitor the status of resolutions and information on this will be available in due course and a link provided on this page.
Voting and voting records
- Voting is conducted in French with Members being asked to vote 'Pour' a Proposition if they are in favour of it or 'Contre' if they are against. A Member may also call 'Je Ne Vote Pas' if they do not wish to exercise their right to vote on the proposition.
- The majority of votes are held "de vives voix". This means the Presiding Officer asks Members to call out their vote collectively 'Pour' or 'Contre' then announces the decision. No record of which Members voted Pour or Contre, or who is absent or abstaining from the vote, is made but the decision is recorded in the States' Resolutions.
- On request or if a vote held "de vives voix" is too close to call, a vote is held by 'appel nominal' i.e. a recorded vote, where each Member votes in turn by calling out his or her vote. A 'voting record' is then produced and published below the relevant item on the States' Meeting page.
- The following spreadsheet and PDF provides links to the recorded votes taken in 2019.
Statements, Speeches and Hansard (the official record of States' Meetings)
- You can read the statements delivered in the States of Deliberation here.
- After a meeting is concluded, a 'Hansard' i.e. the official report of the proceedings of the States of Deliberation is produced. This is a near verbatim report of the entire proceedings and is produced for each day (usually within a month of the meeting). This is published in the download section of each States' Meeting page.
- The following spreadsheet and PDF provides links to the Hansard of the States' Meetings.
Written questions from States Members to Committees submitted outside States Meetings
- States Members are able to put written questions to Committees under Rule 14 (previously Rule 6) of the Rules of Procedure.
- The relevant Committee is required under the Rules to provide an answer to the question within 15 clear days from receiving it. The question(s) and answer(s) are then published by the Greffe and are available to view online here.
Rules of Procedure of the States of Deliberation and their Committees
- These are the rules which govern how Meetings of the States of Deliberation and their Committees are run and can be read at the following link Rules of Procedure (A4 Version) [1Mb] and in the 'Red Book'.
Constitution of the States of Deliberation and Presiding Officers
- The States of Deliberation comprise:
- A Presiding Officer, who is ex officio the Bailiff (Sir Richard Collas) (or in his absence the Deputy Bailiff (Richard James McMahon), as Deputy Presiding Officer)
- The two Law Officers of the Crown: Her Majesty's Procureur (Attorney-General) (M.M.E. Pullum, Q.C.) and Her Majesty's Comptroller (Solicitor-General)(R.M. Titterington, Q.C.)
- Guernsey People's Deputies and two Representatives of the States of Alderney
- The Bailiff of Guernsey is the ex-officio Presiding Officer. He is also the senior judge of the Bailiwick of Guernsey and the first citizen of the Bailiwick.
- It is the Presiding Officer's duty to maintain order, moderate debate and regulate the conduct of business.
- The Presiding Officer may appoint Members of the States as Acting Presiding Officers. These are normally the most senior Members. The current Acting Presiding Officers are: Deputy Mary M Lowe, Deputy John A B Gollop and Deputy Peter J Roffey.
- The Law Officers of the Crown have seats ex officio: they have a voice but no vote.
- In addition to the Bailiff, Deputy Bailiff and the Law Officers of the Crown who are Crown appointments, Her Majesty The Queen also appoints a Lieutenant Governor, who is her personal representative in the Bailiwick.
