Policy & Resources Committee - P.2019/40
Scrutiny Management Committee - Letter of Comment [688kb] Amendment 1- Deputy Merrett & Deputy Green [359kb] - Carried Amendment 2 - Deputy Prow & Deputy Merrett [415kb] - Lost Amendment 3 - Deputy Merrett & Deputy Tooley [398kb] - Lost Amendment 4 - Deputy Fallaize & Deputy Tooley [231kb] - Carried Amendment 5 - Deputy Yerby & Deputy Fallaize [276kb] - Carried Amendment 6 - Deputy Soulsby & Deputy Dorey [349kb] - Carried Amendment 7 - Deputy Le Clerc & Deputy Soulsby [277kb] - Carried Amendment 8 - Deputy Merrett & Deputy Yerby [228kb] - Carried Amendment 9 - Deputy Tooley & Deputy de Sausmarez [229kb] - Carried Amendment 10 - Deputy Tindall & Alderney Representative Snowdon [236kb] - Not laid Amendment 11 - Deputy Tindall & Deputy Gollop [302kb] - Lost Amendment 12 - Deputy Soulsby & Deputy Tooley [331kb] - Carried Amendment 13 - Deputy de Sausmarez & Deputy Dudley-Owen [266kb] - Carried Amendment 14 - Deputy Hansmann-Rouxel & Deputy Yerby [245kb] - Lost Amendment 15 - Deputy Le Tocq & Deputy Stephens [390kb] - Proposition 1A & 1B - Carried. Proposition 1C - Lost Amendment 16 - Deputy St Pier & Deputy Trott [247kb] - Lost Amendment 17 - Deputy St Pier & Deputy Le Tocq [321kb] - Lost Amendment 18 - Deputy St Pier & Deputy Le Tocq [267kb] - Lost Amendment 19 - Deputy Le Tocq & Deputy Brouard [242kb] - Not debated under Rule 24(4) Amendment 20 - Deputy Tindall & Deputy Green [236kb] - Lost Amendment 21 - Dpeuty Trott & Deputy Le Tocq [235kb] - Carried Amendment 22 - Deputy Trott & Deputy Le Tocq [226kb] - Carried
The States are asked to decide:-
Whether, after consideration of the Policy & Resource Plan (2018 Review and 2019 Update) Policy Letter dated 20th May 2019 they are of the opinion:-
1. To direct -
a) the Policy & Resources Committee to redraft the Policy & Resource Plan to reflect the
revised policy objectives as set out in appendix 1 to the Policy Letter:
a. 'Access to Secondary Pensions' in place of 'Social Welfare';
b. 'Housing Strategy' in place of 'Housing Supply Policy';
c. 'Meeting Guernsey's Energy Needs' in place of 'Energy Policy';
d. 'The Future Model of Care' to include 'Partnership of Purpose', 'Health and Wellbeing'
and 'Regulation and Support Policy'; and
e. to introduce the priority policy area 'Mitigate climate change';
b) the Policy & Resources Committee to design, in discussion with Committees, political 'policy supervisory boards' with political members who are authorised to discharge relevant functions of those Committees under section 2 of the States (Reform) (Guernsey) Law, 2015, within the context of specific policy objectives resolved by the States;
c) the Committee for Health & Social Care to undertake expeditiously all work associated with revisions and amendments to the Children (Guernsey & Alderney) Law, 2008;
d) the Policy & Resources Committee and the Committee for Home Affairs working in partnership to deliver the Justice Policy and, together with the Committee for Health & Social Care and the Committee for Education, Sport & Culture, to expedite work that removes delay from systems and processes relating to the delivery of services to children and young people in need, and to ensure that such systems and processes are centred on the best interests of the child or young person concerned;
e) the Committee for the Environment & Infrastructure to develop a climate change policy and a 'Climate Change Action Plan' in a policy letter no later than May 2020;
f) that all Committees of the States of Deliberation ensure that, when delivering or overseeing the delivery of their operational functions, they reasonably assess, and where practicable address, the consequential impact on climate change of their actions;
g) that all Committees of the States of Deliberation when laying policy letters before the Assembly should assess therein any consequential impact on climate change of their proposals together with, where appropriate, their adaptation and mitigation actions;
h) the Policy & Resources Committee to review and assess the impact of current initiatives contributing to States of Guernsey's response to in-work poverty, bringing an update in the Policy & Resource (Future Guernsey) policy letter in May 2020;
i) the Policy & Resources Committee, working with the third sector, to undertake preparatory investigations of policies successful in breaking poverty, with a specific focus on generational focus .
2. To amend the Rules of Procedure of the States of Deliberation and their Committees as follows -
(a) by substituting paragraph (1) of Rule 23 with the following paragraph -
"(1) Committees of the States must contribute to the formulation and, once agreed by
the States, the application of the States' Policy & Resource Plan to be known as 'The Future
Guernsey Plan'.";
(b) by substituting throughout Rule 23 "The Policy & Resource Plan" with "The Future
Guernsey Plan";
(c) by substituting paragraph (3) of Rule 23 with the following paragraph -
"(3) The Future Guernsey Plan shall be formulated according to the following timetable
and in conformity with the following actions from 2020 and in every year thereafter in
which a term of the States comes to an end:
(a) March / April - all Committees shall produce a handover report to apprise their
successors of what are considered to be the main policy and operational challenges
facing the Committee in the next term outside the priority areas of the current Plan.
Committees may also use this report to identify important policy issues and extant
resolutions that Committees either did not complete or could not prioritise during the
term, but which they believe should be considered in the forthcoming term by their
successor Committees. Reports will be transmitted to the Policy & Resources
Committee and published as an appendix to its policy letter;
(b) At the last meeting of the States of Deliberation before a General Election of
People's Deputies, the Policy & Resources Committee shall lay a policy letter
setting out or including:
a. High level commentary on the Future Guernsey Plan;
b. Progress against extant States' Resolutions which remain outstanding;
c. An order of priority for the drafting of significant items of legislation for the year ahead;
and d. The handover reports transmitted to it under the preceding sub-paragraph."
(d) by substituting paragraph (4) of Rule 23 with the following paragraph -
"(4) Future Guernsey Plan Phase 1
(a) July-October - the new Policy & Resources Committee develops a statement of
policy objectives for the medium term (four years) in connection with issues of strategic
importance to the Island and the overall policy objectives for the long term established
in the Future Guernsey Plan (2018-38), with recommendations for the areas of focus
e.g. fiscal and economic affairs, social affairs, the environment, population and external
relations;
(b) November - the States debate and resolve their overall policy objectives and areas of
focus for the political term."
(e) by substituting paragraph (5) of Rule 23 with the following paragraph -
"(5) Future Guernsey Plan Phase 2
(a) Each Principal Committee develops its own four year Medium Term Committee Policy
Plan setting out its contribution to the development and implementation of the priorities
of the States as established by the Assembly through the Future Guernsey Plan; its
other policy priorities for the political term to fulfil its purpose as set out in its mandate;
and action required to discharge extant resolutions;
(b) The Policy & Resources Committee develops a Medium Term Financial Plan for the
States which sets out a fiscal plan covering the medium term designed to ensure the
finances of the States can support the delivery of the outcomes set out in the Future
Guernsey Plan and provide a framework for budget setting over the period;
(c) Alongside the work described in the preceding sub-paragraph, the Policy & Resources
Committee works with Principal Committees to embed governance arrangements
for political supervisory boards, with political members who are authorised to discharge
relevant Committee functions under section 2 of the States (Reform) (Guernsey) Law,
2015, providing political oversight to 'areas of focus' identified in the Future Guernsey Plan;
(d) The States debate and make resolutions on work streams in their 'areas of focus'
(sub-paragraph (4b) refers) to meet and prioritise their strategic objectives and ultimately
finalise the content of the Future Guernsey Plan Phase 1 and Phase 2 which will inform
the Budget debate;
(e) Every 12 months the Policy & Resources Committee submits to the States a
commentary on overall progress on delivery of the Future Guernsey Plan including
annual performance reports from the political supervisory boards referred to in
sub-paragraph (c) and any proposals to amend the Future Guernsey Plan which
are considered necessary; and
(f) The Policy & Resources Committee:
(i) advises the States in its annual update on the Future Guernsey Plan on progress
against extant States' Resolutions which remain outstanding; and
(ii) lays before the States an order of priority for the drafting of significant items of
legislation for the year ahead."
(f) by inserting paragraph (6) in Rule 23 -
"(6) Notwithstanding the foregoing, a special Meeting of the States shall be convened
on Tuesday 5th May 2020 to consider the [Policy & Resource Plan]/[Future Guernsey Plan]."
3. To rescind or transfer accountability for the resolutions of the States of Deliberation as set out in Appendix 5 of the 'Policy & Resource Plan (2018 Review and 2019 Update) Policy Letter dated 20th May 2019'.
The above Propositions have been submitted to Her Majesty's Procureur for advice on any legal or constitutional implications in accordance with Rule 4(1) of the Rules of Procedure of the States of Deliberation and their Committees.
