JERSEY’S law drafting office has faced an “exceptionally busy year”, with demands rising so sharply that some reforms were pushed aside and external consultants drafted in to cope.
The Legislative Drafting Office’s annual report revealed that a total of 66 propositions were lodged in 2025.
Among them was the Assisted Dying Law – a vast piece of legislation running to more than 100 articles – alongside major reforms covering cyber security, alcohol licensing and residential tenancy.
“We had never been so busy, though the pressure only increased early in 2026 due to the need to have everything lodged in time to debate before the start of the pre-election period,” the annual report said.
“As well as the lodged propositions, a series of Ministerial Orders on a wide variety of subjects were also drafted and made.”
The report acknowledged that the sheer scale of work meant other priorities were forced onto “a temporary back seat,” including long-planned updates to drafting style and a new Interpretation Law.
Drafting hours surged by 34% compared to 2024, reflecting an intense push to deliver the government’s legislative programme before the election deadline.
Ministers initially demanded 59 programme items – already described as “a tall order” – yet the total rose to 61 by the deadline, with some projects delayed “through late instructions or late responses to drafts”.
Despite the strain, the Legislative Drafting Office insisted it “delivered”, crediting a “dedicated team of drafters and the equally dedicated editorial and technology team”.
However, additional drafting resources were needed to cope with the pressures.
“We enjoyed the services of two consultant drafters working for us part-time as a backfill for the drafter working on the violence against women and girls project,” the report said.
“Such was the pressure of work in this pre-election year that the two consultant drafters plus two other ad hoc consultant drafters were also engaged on drafting projects, particularly in the field of financial services.
“A further drafter is on long-term secondment to work on roads and traffic matters.”
The report warned that delays often stem from departments failing to provide timely instructions or feedback, prompting plans for a new cross-government working group.
“We know what can be delivered with the resources available in any given year and would like to play a part in moving on legislative projects that stall due to lack of instructions or delay in responding to drafts,” the report said.
“To that end, we plan to set up a working group with colleagues from other departments that will make representations to the Council of Ministers about reform of the process.”
The report also highlighted ongoing work to improve how legislation is produced and accessed, including projects to expand online access to laws and a review of drafting systems.
A project on computer-readable legislation was presented in February 2026, with findings shared internationally among legislative drafting offices and technology experts.
