States Assembly & Constitution Committee

Review procedures in connection with the Island's Constitution and Government

Constituted as a Committee of the States with effect from 1 May 2016.

• Constitution

  • A President and four members who shall be members of the States.

  • President	Deputy Carl Meerveld
    Vice-President	Vacant
    Members	Deputy Simon Fairclough
    	Deputy John Gollop
    	Deputy Liam McKenna
    	Deputy Gavin St Pier
    Principal Officer	Christine Foster

• Duties & Powers

  • To advise the States and to develop and implement policies in relation to:
  • 1. the constitutions of the States of Deliberation and the States of Election;
  • 2. the procedures and practices of the States of Deliberation and committees of the States;
  • 3. the practical functioning of the States of Deliberation and the States of Election;
  • 4. the induction, on-going support and provision of facilities and equipment for States' members;
  • 5. the broadcasting of proceedings of the States of Deliberation and States of Election;
  • 6. elections to the office of People's Deputy;
  • 7. matters concerning the propriety and conduct of States' members.
  • To exercise powers and perform duties conferred on the Committee by extant States' resolutions, including those resolutions or parts of resolutions which relate to matters for the time being within the mandate of the States' Assembly & Constitution Committee and which conferred functions on the former States' Assembly & Constitution Committee which existed until the 30th of April, 2016.
  • To fulfil the responsibilities and operation functions set out below.

• Responsibilities

  • A. General Responsibilities of the Policy & Resources Committee and all Principal Committees
  • 1. to contribute to fulfilling the States' objectives and policy plans, including by supporting and participating in cross-committee work;
  • 2. to monitor and report on policy outcomes in areas relating to its mandate;
  • 3. to ensure that public funds and other resources are used to best advantage, including through co-operative and flexible working practices.
  • B. General Responsibilities of all Committees of the States
  • 1. to exercise powers and perform duties conferred on the committee by extant legislation and by extant States' resolutions;
  • 2. to be accountable to the States for all policies developed, actions taken and services delivered or overseen by the committee;
  • 3. to be accountable to the States for the management and safeguarding of public funds and other resources entrusted to the committee;
  • 4. in any policy letter submitted to the States to set out clearly how the proposals contained therein relate to the duties and powers or the purpose and policy responsibilities of the committee, how the proposals contribute to the States' objectives and policy plans and what joint working or consultation has taken place with other committees;
  • 5. to act in accordance with the Rules of Procedure of the States and their committees;
  • 6. to be aware of the powers, duties and limits of the committee's mandate and to respect and not to undermine the mandates of other committees of the States;
  • 7. to be aware that a committee of the States is in effect an agent of the States of Guernsey exercising functions conferred on it by resolution of, or legislation approved by, the States of Deliberation; and as such to respect that, save in specific circumstances where legislation provides otherwise, the States may at any time they consider it desirable issue directions to a committee and that committee shall be expected to carry into effect any such directions irrespective of whether that committee or any of its individual members agree or disagree with such directions: provided that the rejection by the States of recommendations or advice of a committee shall not ipso facto require the resignation of that committee.
  • C. Reference to Enactments
  • 1. unless otherwise provided, or the context requires otherwise, a reference to an enactment in the mandate of a committee is to be interpreted as a reference to the enactment as from time to time amended, re-enacted with or without modification, extended or applied.

• Operational Functions

  • The States' Assembly & Constitution Committee shall deliver or oversee the delivery of those operational functions which immediately before the 1^st of May, 2016 were delivered by the States' Assembly and Constitution Committee.
     

• Documents published by or relevant to the Committee from October 2020 onwards

  • Date	Type of document	Title/Subject
    11.10.21	Appendix Report	States' Members Induction and Ongoing Development Programme Review [1Mb]
    23.06.21	Policy Letter	States Members Conduct Panel Findings of the Investigation Panel into complaints against Deputy C Le Tissier [742kb]
    27.05.21	Policy Letter	Dates of States' Meetings - 1st September 2024 to 31st August 2025 [423kb]
    10.05.21	Policy Letter	General Election 2020: Reports from the CPA BIMR Election Expert Mission and the Registrar-General of Electors [5Mb]
    24.02.21	Statement (Text)	General Update Statement
    18.02.21	Letter	Resolutions of the States of Deliberation and Question Time (Matters arising from the 1st February Meeting of the States of Deliberation) [587kb]
    07.12.20	External Report	Guernsey General Election - CPA BIMR Election Expert Mission Final Report [3Mb]

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