St Ouen Deputy Richard Renouf said that as a backbench politician, he feels he has ‘limited opportunities’ to contribute to formulating policies or making government decisions.
He serves as the chairman of the Health and Social Security Panel, and, writing in the St Ouen parish magazine Le Gris Ventre, said he did not want to see party politics in Jersey but hoped that ‘fruitful discussion’ could ‘lead to positive change’ in the current system.
Jersey switched from a committee system to ministerial government in 2005, but the new system has been criticised by some Members who say they feel left out of decisions. Deputy Judy Martin’s proposal to change back to the committee system was heavily defeated in the States last November.
Major reforms in ministerial government have been mooted in the wake of a damning report into the Jersey Innovation Fund that found that the current system caused confusion among ministers.
Senator Gorst said that the report highlighted problems with the machinery of government, and that he would be proposing a raft of changes including scrapping collective responsibility – whereby all ministers and at least two assistant ministers are required to vote the same way on government decisions.
Deputy Renouf said he welcomed any talk of change.
‘The Chief Minister has recently announced that he plans to bring forward proposals to change the machinery of government, and remove the divide between ministers, assistant ministers and Scrutiny. He has said this would use the talents of States Members who wish to be involved in government,’ said Deputy Renouf.
‘It is suggested, for example, that a Member could serve as an assistant minister in one department and also sit on a Scrutiny Panel examining policies of a different department. This would appear to be similar to the political systems in Guernsey and the Isle of Man.’
