THE government is facing calls to make swift arrangements for a panel set up earlier this year ahead of new housing and work laws coming into force next month.
Corporate Services Scrutiny Panel chair Deputy Lyndsay Feltham said that changes to the law were done “in an effort to create transparency and flexibility” to deal with population measures.
The updated law is intended to simplify and modernise Jersey’s for permanent entitled status from 30 years to 25 years. It also removes the requirement for physical registration cards showing housing and employment status, instead requiring Islanders to hold an “appropriate status”.
One of the other changes is the establishment of a new political panel – the Housing and Work Control Panel – to replace the role of the Housing and Work Advisory Group.
The panel was created to support decision-making on individual applications for housing and work status, along with the Chief Minister. The Assembly unanimously voted in favour, including replacing the Housing and Work Advisory Group with the new panel.
In a letter to Chief Minister Lyndon Farnham, Deputy Feltham called on the government to provide an update on the constitution of the HWCP and its membership, outline the governance mechanisms in place for the panel and the meeting schedule.
She said: “The [Corporate Services Scrutiny] panel also notes that a primary reason for amending the Law was to enable more transparency and flexibility within the legal framework for adopting controls more swiftly through Regulation and Order to align with external circumstances relating to Jersey’s population.
“This was a legacy area of the preceding panel, which heard that further regulations were being considered at that time. As such, the panel wishes to understand whether any consideration is being given to proposing any further changes by regulation and order to further amend the law and, if so, the timeline for these.”
Senator Farnham has been asked to respond to Deputy Feltham’s request by tomorrow.
