Deputy Mike Higgins has lodged a proposition calling for the rules governing whether or not someone can stand for election as a Senator, Constable or Deputy to be standardised.
If approved, his proposals would also involve the conditions under which the three types of States Member are removed from office being brought into line with each other as well.
Under the current system, a person may not, for example, stand as a Deputy or Senator if they are made bankrupt or if they are detained under mental health laws. The same restrictions do not apply to Constables, however.
The report accompanying the Deputy’s proposition says: ‘At present there is only one provision relating to persons wanting to stand for election as a Constable, and many more relating to those who wish to stand as a Senator or Deputy.
‘There are a number of provisions that will disqualify a sitting Senator
or Deputy from staying in the Assembly, and none that applies to the Constables. This is wholly inequitable, bearing in mind that all States Members have equal status and voting rights.’
If the proposition, which is due to be debated on 17 January, is approved, the minimum period Members are disqualified for if they become bankrupt would also be reduced from five to four years.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Ian Gorst has lodged a proposition to update the disciplinary and complaints process for the legal practice in Jersey.
His proposed reforms include increasing the level of fines the Law Society’s disciplinary committee can impose on practitioners found guilty of misconduct to £10,000.
The maximum time that the Royal Court could suspend a lawyer for would also increase from six to 12 months, if the proposition was approved.
The report says: ‘The draft law amends the
Law Society of Jersey Law 2005 and has two core purposes:
lTo make provision in the 2005 Law for the recognition and disciplinary control of legal services bodies.
lTo revise and improve the procedure in the 2005 Law for dealing with complaints of professional misconduct against advocates, solicitors and legal services bodies.’
The proposition is due
to be debated on 31 January.
Assistant Chief Minister Philip Ozouf has lodged a further two propositions relating to the banking sector, which are due to
be debated on the same date.
If approved, his proposals would reform banking regulations so that in the event of another financial collapse, the maximum cap of compensation payable to depositors, which is currently £100 million, would be removed.
A new framework would also be put in place to allow the government to intervene to keep the financial system running if another bank collapsed.
