IMPLEMENTATION of legislation designed to protect those who raise concerns is set to be delayed after the minister responsible said the government had higher priorities at the start of the new political term.
Although States Members voted unanimously in July 2023 for the government to bring forward a whistleblowing law within 12 months, and a draft law was eventually put forward in March of this year, Social Security Minister Elaine Millar said she had concerns about how it would operate.
Senator Millar, who regained the Social Security brief this summer having formerly held it for 18 months after the 2022 election, was asked about the matter during a hearing with the Health and Social Security Scrutiny Panel.
“I have an underlying concern… we we hear a lot from the business community about how difficult it is for them and the level of regulation, and it’s all getting more than everybody can bear,” she said. “I want to be clear that it is something that is really going to deliver, as I have a slight suspicion that it would create a lot more complexity around tribunal claims and a lot more cost for everybody.
“We just need a bit more work, and I think it will not be a priority for next year.”
Senator Millar said she believed that there were already protections in place in many different employment spheres, including the Care Commission, the Jersey Financial Services Commission and the Health and Safety Inspectorate.
The Social Security Minister told the panel that her priorities were work focused on measures to address the impact of the cost-of-living on Islanders, the cost of healthcare and ensuring the Social Security Fund and the Long Term Care Fund were sustainable. She also stressed her enthusiasm for bringing forward a new workplace pension scheme to encourage Islanders to save for a more comfortable retirement.
At the time of bringing forward the draft legislation earlier this year, then Social Security Minister Lyndsay Feltham described it as “an important and significant development in Jersey’s employment legislation”, citing “a clear need for statutory protection for those who know of, or witness, wrongdoing by employers, individuals, organisations, or other bodies”.
