Next week's States Meeting
States Assembly
5 December 2025
On Monday 8 December, the next meeting of the States Assembly will commence at 9:30am. The meeting takes place in the States Chamber and is open for the public to attend, as well as being broadcast live on our website and on the States Assembly YouTube channel.Oral Questions
States Members will question Ministers for up to 2 hours and 20 minutes. These oral questions will have been issued to them in advance (i.e. ‘with notice’). Details of next week’s oral questions with notice can be found on page 9 of the Order Paper.
The following Ministers will then answer oral questions which they have not been given in advance of the meeting (i.e., ‘without notice’) for 15 minutes each:
- Minister for the Environment, Deputy Steve Luce
- Minister for External Relations, Deputy Ian Gorst
- Chief Minister, Deputy Lyndon Farnham
The Assembly will then begin the debate on the Government’s draft Budget Plan. These are the proposals for what they intend to spend public money on, and how to raise income, over the next year.
35 amendments have been lodged by Scrutiny panels and individual States members, along with several amendments to amendments. Please note that Amendment 35 was lodged late and so will require Members’ permission to be included in the debate.
Six of the Amendments have been accepted by the Council of Ministers. These are: 6, 9, 10, 12, 16, 24. Those accepted might possibly still be debated if a Member requests a debate.
Below you will see the Amendments listed in numerical order. However, the actual running order will be different as amendments are dealt with based on where they relate to the text of the proposition. Therefore, it is likely that the amendments will be taken in this order, although that could be subject to change: 4, 15, 7, 16, 13, 32, 30, 3, 8, 19, 31, 35, 23, 22, 34, 28, 27, 1, 29, 21, 5, 26, 9, 14, 6, 18, 17, 24, 10, 12, 20, 25, 33, 2, 11.
Public Business
The States Assembly will then begin debating the following:
| Proposition: | More information: |
| P.70 Proposed Budget (Government Plan) 2026-2029 |
The Council of Ministers proposes that the States Assembly approves their Government Budget 2026-2029. This is the Government’s proposals for spending and revenue over the next year. Read more: bit.ly/44vMICk |
| Amendment 1: Development levies |
Deputy Raluca Kovacs is proposing that a feasibility study is funded for the creation of a fair charging mechanism to raise revenue for the States from any significant uplift in the value of land arising from when the land is rezoned or from when planning permission is granted, a principle which was approved in 2023 by the States. The Deputy is asking for £100,000 to be allocated in the Feasibility head of expenditure. Read more: bit.ly/48Ls8At |
| Amendment 2: Health Insurance Fund Contributions |
Deputy Sir Philip Bailhache is proposing an amendment which would increase funding to the Health Insurance Fund, which provides medical and pharmaceutical benefits, in order to meet extra demands such as free GP visits for under 18s etc. The additional funding would come from changing the distribution of contributions between the Social Security Fund and the HIF. Read more: bit.ly/4pJfIyD |
| Amendment 3: Jersey Public Services Ombudsman – Head of Expenditure | The Corporate Services Scrutiny Panel is proposing an amendment to the Budget which would create a new head of expenditure for the Jersey Public Services Ombudsperson and ring-fence funds to establish the Ombudsperson, with detailed proposals reflected in the Budget. Read more: bit.ly/3MaJ2Qh |
| Amendment to Amendment 3 |
The Council of Ministers is proposing an amendment to Amendment 3 which would do away with the proposal to create a separate head of expenditure and instead include the Ombudsperson budget within Cabinet Office expenditure and create a separate service area titled, ‘Jersey Public Services Ombudsperson’, reporting this in the Annex to the Budget. The amendment also explicitly states that this budget cannot be used for any other purpose. Read more: bit.ly/441JxCl |
| Amendment 4: Grants to States Funds | Deputy Sir Philip Bailhache is proposing an amendment which would reduce by one half the withdrawals from the Social Security Fund and re-base the States Grant at £75million and not £50million. The proposition identifies the Strategic Reserve Fund as the alternative source of funding but is aimed at encouraging Government to review its spending. Read more: bit.ly/48tcBEh |
| Amendment 5: Upper Earnings Limit Note: The Deputy has amended this amendment and it will be read as amended. |
Deputy Tom Coles is proposing an amendment which would abolish the upper earnings limit for Social Security Contributions and Long-Term Care Contributions from the start of 2027. The current upper earnings limit is £317,304 a year. Earnings above this are exempt from Long-Term Care Tax for individuals and from Social Security Contributions for employers. This could raise an additional £6m in revenue a year for the Social Security Fund and £11million a year for the Long-Term Care Fund. The Deputy amended his own proposition to add clarity and this will be read as amended. Read more: bit.ly/445A3pD |
| Amendment 6: Stamp Duty Holiday for Right-Sizing Homes | Deputy Tom Coles is proposing an amendment which would ask the Government to investigate establishing a stamp duty holiday for those who are purchasing properties to down-size, alongside a framework to track these transactions. The purpose is to incentivise right-sizing to increase the supply of family homes, and the requirement will be a new home with fewer bedrooms. Read more: bit.ly/44DRHAX |
| Amendment 7: Emergency Department Fees PLEASE NOTE: If this Amendment is adopted, Amendment 16 will fall away. |
Deputy Beatriz Porée is proposing an amendment to the Budget which would require the Minister for Health and Social Services to seek final approval for the user pays’ charges for health services, once the full details have been developed. Read more: bit.ly/48NvPFS |
| Amendment 8: Sport addition to Jersey Premium | Deputy Lucy Stephenson is proposing that £350,000 is taken from Cabinet Office expenditure and put into Education and Lifelong Learning to support a pilot project for the introduction of an additional sport and Physical Education component within Jersey Premium funding, to run in 2026 with the same amount made available in 2027. Read more: bit.ly/3MaL2rL |
| Amendment 9: Climate Emergency PLEASE NOTE: The CoM are accepting this and so it may not get debated but the Budget will be read ‘as amended’. |
The Environment, Housing and Infrastructure Scrutiny Panel is proposing that Climate Emergency is re-inserted as an Environmental Wellbeing Risk within the Sustainable Wellbeing Risks section of the proposed Budget. Read more: bit.ly/44GZJck |
| Amendment 10: Preventative Health | The Health and Social Security Panel is proposing an amendment which would ask the Minister for Health and Social Services to produce a roadmap for delivering preventative health outcomes through a phased, evidence-led, whole-system approach. The Minister will involve the Wider Determinants of Health Ministerial Group in developing the roadmap to ensure ministerial accountability for the delivery and outcomes of the roadmap. Read more: bit.ly/3Y29K05 |
| Amendment 11: Overpayments of Social Security Contributions | The Health and Social Security Panel is proposing an amendment which would ask the Minister for Social Security to bring forward proposals in the next Budget 2027-2030 to ensure that the issue of overpayments for social security contributions is addressed and a solution provided for the approximately 50 individuals affected. Read more: bit.ly/4px5bqZ |
| Amendment to Amendment 11 |
The Council of Ministers is proposing an amendment to Amendment 11 which would commit the Minister for Social Security to providing information on options for older workers to work flexibly close to pension age, including workers who have achieved a full contribution record prior to reaching pension age to ensure a fair deal for individuals affected and to address the perception of overpayments. Read more: bit.ly/49LZjoB |
| Amendment 12: Women’s Health Strategy | The Health and Social Security Panel is proposing an amendment which would ask the Minister for Health and Social Services to publish a Women’s Health Strategy, which will be informed by the Women’s Health and Wellbeing Joint Strategic Needs Assessment 2024. Read more: bit.ly/4aoiB3t |
| Amendment 13: Fort Regent PLEASE NOTE: If this Amendment is adopted, Amendment 29 will fall away. |
Deputy Sir Philip Bailhache is proposing an amendment which would prevent the Government borrowing the initial £43million needed for the Fort Regent redevelopment, or the phase 2 estimate of £67million. Read more: bit.ly/4oswpxq |
| Amendment 14: Mortgage Interest Tax Relief | Deputy David Warr is proposing an amendment to ask the Minister for Treasury and Resources to reintroduce the policy of Mortgage Interest Tax Relief for personal income tax, with such relief implemented in January 2027. Read more: bit.ly/4rvW7DN |
| Amendment to Amendment 14 | Deputy Catherine Curtis is proposing an amendment to Amendment 14, which would remove tax relief for buy-to-let mortgages, in order that this pays for the loss in revenue from reestablishing mortgage interest relief for owner occupiers. Read more: bit.ly/3KhSjpb |
| Amendment 15: Removal of 3% Stamp Surcharge | Deputy David Warr is proposing an amendment which would remove the current higher rate Stamp Duty surcharge on the sale of second homes in 2026, for one year. Read more: bit.ly/3Ky5eTY |
| Amendment 16: Emergency Department Fee changes PLEASE NOTE: This Amendment will fall away IF Amendment 7 is adopted. |
The Health and Social Security Panel is proposing an amendment which would ensure that Emergency Department fees for Islanders are only introduced once detailed proposals are approved by the States Assembly and that ‘Did not attend’ fees are subject to public communications before their implementation. Read more: bit.ly/48Ka0Hc |
| Amendment 17: Office of the Children’s Commissioner for Jersey – 2026 Savings Allocation | The Corporate Services Scrutiny Panel is proposing an amendment to reinstate funds for the Children’s Commissioner, through the reallocation of £61,000 of departmental expenditure within the Cabinet Office. Read more: bit.ly/49S0Eu8 |
| Amendment 18: Statistics Jersey – Administrative Support Funding | The Corporate Services Scrutiny Panel is proposing an amendment to increase funding for Statistics and Analysis by £80,000 in 2026 and 2027, and £130,000 in 2028 and 2029, by reallocating expenditure from the Cabinet Office. This is to ensure Statistics Jersey can fulfil its requirements under the Statistics and Census (Jersey) Law 2018. Read more: bit.ly/4rwC1cN |
| Amendment 19: Extend Free Primary School Meals | Deputy Louise Doublet is proposing an amendment which would reduce the Cabinet Office expenditure by £250,000 and move that to Education and Lifelong Learning for a pilot scheme to extend free primary school meals to additional households not on income support; with the aim of all primary school children having access to a healthy hot lunch. Read more: bit.ly/4ixn71V |
| Amendment to Amendment 19 |
The Council of Ministers is seeking an amendment to Amendment 19 which would allow the pilot programme for school meals to conclude so that the current criteria can be evaluated, before any changes to eligibility are made. The Minister for Education and Lifelong Learning will then explore the feasibility of expanding the scheme once the data has been assessed. Read more: bit.ly/4pcKPCT |
| Amendment 20: Teaching Jèrriais | The Children, Education and Home Affairs Scrutiny Panel is proposing an amendment which would ring-fence funding of £670,700 for promoting and teaching the language of Jèrriais within the Education and Lifelong Learning budget. Read more: bit.ly/3M4Z26v |
| Amendment 21: Delivering the £500,000 Commitment for Neighbourhood Regeneration in St. Helier. | Deputy Inna Gardiner is proposing that £167,000 be taken from the Infrastructure Rolling Vote and Public Realm budget and allocated to the Neighbourhood Regeneration of St. Helier, for 2026, 2027 and 2028. This would be matched by the Parish of St. Helier and meets the previous decisions by the States Assembly and Council of Ministers’ Common Strategic Policy, to invest in Town. Read more: bit.ly/4oss8da |
| Amendment 22: Victoria Marine Lake – Repair and Maintenance | Deputy Inna Gardiner is proposing to fund the necessary repairs to the Victoria Marine Lake in St Helier, by reducing the expenditure for Economic Development, Arts, Heritage and Culture Budget, by £200,000 and the Infrastructure Rolling Vote and Public Realm by £200,000. The Amendment also requests that the Minister for Treasury and Resources request the States of Jersey Development Company fund a further £200,000. Going forward the Marine Lake should be allocated £60,000 per year from Infrastructure. Read more: bit.ly/4pIZwO4 |
| Amendment 23: Increased Police Funding | The Children, Education and Home Affairs Scrutiny Panel is proposing an amendment to the Budget which would reduce Health and Care Jersey expenditure by £240,000, and increase States of Jersey Police expenditure by the same amount, to assist with their cost pressures. Read more: bit.ly/4pNfkzu |
| Amendment 24: Violence against Women and Girls legislation and reporting | The Connétable of St. Martin is proposing an amendment to the Budget to identify which recommendations made by the Violence Against Women and Girls Taskforce have yet to be completed and what funding will be required in 2027. Therefore, a draft proposal for expenditure along with a progress report, should be published in advance of April 2026. Read more: bit.ly/3Ks39Jg |
| Amendment 25: Funding for maintenance of Parish Churches | The Connétable of St. Martin is proposing an amendment to the Budget which will establish a funding model allocating £50,000 per annum to each of the twelve Parish Churches, until 2031. This is to exclusively support their structural integrity and maintenance and will be developed under the arts, culture and heritage budget to a maximum of £600,000 per year. Read more: bit.ly/4p8nGlb |
| Amendment 26: Inflation adjustment to apprenticeship grants | Deputy Inna Gardiner is proposing that additional funding be allocated to increase apprenticeship grants, from the current rate of £1,852 to a maximum of £2,350 per student, to factor in inflation for 2026. This should be allocated from the Better Business Support Package to maintain vocational training. Read more: bit.ly/4iyqQMp |
| Amendment 27: Childcare funding rate | Deputy Inna Gardiner is proposing that the External Relations budget relating to Competitiveness be decreased by £137,000 and that funding instead be allocated to Nursery education for 2-3 year olds. This is in addition to the £3 million allocated to fund the 2-3 year old offer and would increase the hourly rate offered to nursery care providers from £11 to £11.50. Read more: bit.ly/4pMKczX |
| Amendment 28: Funding for respite care PLEASE NOTE: The CoM are accepting this and so it may not get debated but the Budget will be read ‘as amended’. |
Deputy Karen Wilson is proposing that the monies detailed in the Health and Care Budget for growth funding of Assisted dying be removed and instead put towards Respite Care to improve palliative services. This relates to: £525,000 in 2026, £727,000 in 2027, £688,000 in 2028 and £718,000 in 2029. Read more: bit.ly/4pIH5sI |
| Amendment 29: Le Squez PLEASE NOTE: This Amendment will fall away IF Amendment 13 is adopted |
Deputy Karen Wilson is proposing an amendment to the Budget to bring forward the redevelopment of Le Squez Youth Facility in St Clement into 2026 and 2027, rather than 2028 and 2029. The Deputy wants the reallocation of monies from within the Capital Investment Fund to undertake the redevelopment, which has been pushed back. Read more: bit.ly/48vwZEH |
| Amendment 30: No Agricultural Loans for Cannabis-based products | Deputy Karen Wilson is proposing an amendment to the Budget which will remove any possibility that the Agricultural Loans Scheme could be used to provide publicly funded financial assistance to growers of medicinal cannabis in Jersey. Read more: bit.ly/4oy27cC |
| Amendment to Amendment 30 | The Council of Ministers is proposing an amendment to Amendment 30 which would limit the amount of the Agricultural Loans Scheme being used for growers of medicinal cannabis to no more than 10% of the total funding, and would therefore not exclude them. Read more: bit.ly/48ey0SP |
| Amendment 31: Empty residential properties | The Environment, Housing and Infrastructure Scrutiny Panel is proposing an amendment to the Budget which would reserve £250,000 of the Cabinet Office Head of Expenditure for the development of a policy to tackle empty residential properties and reduce long-term housing pressures. Read more: bit.ly/48vZan6 |
| Amendment to Amendment 31 | Deputy Alex Curtis is proposing an amendment to Amendment 31 which would reduce the ring-fenced money from £250k to £25k, with an empty homes policy to be developed in-house with existing resources, and a small budget for external input if required. Read more: bit.ly/4rwkjpJ |
| Second Amendment to Amendment 31 PLEASE NOTE: If the amendment to Amendment 31 from Deputy Coles is adopted, then this one falls away. |
The Council of Ministers is proposing a second amendment to Amendment 31, stating that ring-fenced money is not required to develop a policy on empty homes as existing resources and expertise can be used until such time as a clear plan has been developed, after which additional resources can then be sought if needed. Read more: bit.ly/4rsDjFL |
| Amendment 32: Environment Department funding | The Environment, Housing and Infrastructure Scrutiny Panel is proposing an amendment to the Budget which would restore the Environment Department’s Budget to its 2025 levels and not subject it to a cut of £656,000 for 2026. The Amendment also proposes that this is funded through a transfer from the Strategic Reserve Fund to prevent an immediate threat to public health and safety and the environment, if the cut goes ahead. Read more: bit.ly/4rv6VCa |
| Amendment 33: Arts, Culture and Heritage funding | Deputy Montfort Tadier is proposing an amendment to the Budget which would ensure that the 1% of Government’s overall revenue spending allocated to Arts, Culture and Heritage, should not be distributed to the wider definition in the current Budget which includes libraries, the Jersey Music Service and the Jèrriais teaching service. This would limit the oversight of this spending to the department for Sustainable Economic Development and prevent existing spending from other departments being included and reducing spending on the original core ACH organisations. Read more: bit.ly/4pc6Bqm |
| Amendment 34: 2026 election budget | The Comité des Connétables is proposing an amendment to the Budget to allow for £130,000 of the States Assembly budget to be ring-fenced for the increased election administrative costs associated with a Sunday election date on 7 June 2026. Read more: bit.ly/48bK1Z6 |
| Amendment 35: Reduction in Public Expenditure *NOTE: this was lodged late and so Deputy Moore needs the permission of the States for this to be debated. |
Deputy Kristina Moore is proposing an amendment which would cut the Government’s proposed expenditure by more than £89 million, keeping it at 2025 levels. This would mean a cut in the proposed budget for Health and Care Jersey expenditure of £57.2m, Economic Development, Tourism, Sport & Culture by £5.7m, and Treasury and Exchequer by £26.6million. Read more: bit.ly/48JEcCi |
| P.92 Draft Social Security Law (Jersey) Amendment Regulations 202- | The Minister for Social Security, Deputy Lyndsay Feltham, is proposing to reduce the States grants from the Consolidated Fund to the Social Security Fund for the years 2025 to 2029. This is in line with the measures outlined in the proposed Budget and is subject to its approval. Read more: bit.ly/4hyeCmH |
| Amendment to P.92 NOTE: This is only relevant if Budget Amendment 2 gets approved. |
Deputy Sir Philip Bailhache is proposing this amendment to give legislative effect to his second amendment to the Proposed Budget, should that get approved. This amendment would increase the proportion of contributions by employers and employees to the Health Insurance Fund, from 2% to 2.5%. This does not increase the rates payable. Read more: bit.ly/48Oyor6 |
| P.93 Draft Finance (2026 Budget) (Jersey) Law 202- | The Minister for Treasury and Resources, Deputy Elaine Millar, is proposing to introduce the Draft Finance (2026 Budget) (Jersey) Law, which would amend existing tax laws to give effect to the revenue measures set out in the proposed Budget 2026-2029. It would also provide for the administrative and technical tax amendments required. Read more: bit.ly/4qoBlpb |
| Amendment to P.93 | The Minister for Treasury and Resources is proposing an Amendment which would ensure that parents and carers are not over-compensated by receiving tax relief on any monies paid directly to them by the Government, for the delivery of universal 2-3 year-old childcare. Any amount paid will be deducted for the purposes of calculating childcare tax relief in Income Tax assessments. Read more: bit.ly/3XxmmMv |
| P.89 Draft Trusts (Jersey) Amendment Law 202- | The Minister for External Relations is proposing amendments to the Trusts (Jersey) Law 1984, on the recommendation of the Trusts Law Working Group. It includes: clarifying that a sole trustee cannot resign without a successor trustee being in place, and the circumstances in which beneficiaries of a trust can call for the trust to come to an end; and to confirm the priority of a secured lender's interest in or over trust property in relation to a trustee's debts. Read more: bit.ly/48fqWp0 |
| P.90 Draft Policing of Parks (Jersey) Amendment Regulations 202- | The Minister for Infrastructure, Connétable Andy Jehan, is proposing to re-designate Springfield Sports Ground under the Policing of Parks (Jersey) Regulations 2005 to lift the current blanket ban on dogs within its boundaries. If approved, owners will be permitted to walk dogs on leads along the established paths within the sports ground. Read more: bit.ly/4qzlBzW |
| P.94 - Management and Maintenance of the Havre des Pas site |
Deputy David Warr is requesting the Minister for Infrastructure to, by the end of January 2026: • Terminate all ongoing negotiations and any associated tender processes relating to the management, occupation or letting of the Havre des Pas Bathing Pool • Arrange for the management and maintenance of the site to be transferred to the future charitable body ‘Love Our Lido’ • Implement a formal management and funding agreement which allows the Government to retain full ownership of the structure and insure it; accordingly, give the ‘Love Our Lido’ group responsibility for managing the site and its day-to-day maintenance; and commit the Government to providing a £170k per year contribution for use of the site • Establish an operational partnership framework between the Government and the ‘Love Our Lido’ group to ensure regular reporting to the publicly elected ‘Lido Steering Group’ and to include the community in all major decisions. Read more: bit.ly/4okZKL0 |
| Amendment to P.94 | The Minister for Infrastructure, Constable Andy Jehan, is proposing an amendment to the proposition that would not require a framework to be established with ‘Love Our Lido’ but which would allow time for the independent review into the tendering process to take place. Read more: bit.ly/4a8fahf |
| Amendment 2 to P.94 |
Deputy David Warr is proposing an amendment that would allow the current tenant’s licence to be extended and would establish a maximum Government contribution. Read more: bit.ly/44qwKJJ |
| P.99 Draft Taxation (international Tax Compliance) (Crypto-Asset Reporting Framework) (Jersey) Regulations 202- *NOTE: the Minister needs the permission of the States for this to be debated as the minimum lodging period will need to be reduced. |
The Minister for External Relations, Deputy Ian Gorst, is proposing to implement the Crypto-Asset Reporting Framework (CARF). This would require Reporting Crypto-Asset Service Providers (RCASPs) to undertake due diligence, collect client and transaction information, and report annually on relevant crypto-asset exchanges and transfers. Read more: bit.ly/3XlRJcT |
| P.100 Draft taxation (Implementation) (International Tax Compliance) (Common Reporting Standard) (Jersey) Amendment Regulations 202- *NOTE: the Minister needs the permission of the States for this to be debated as the minimum lodging period will need to be reduced. |
The Minister for External Relations, Deputy Ian Gorst, is proposing to implement an update to the Common Reporting Standard (CRS) on International Tax Compliance. This, alongside P.99, would ensure that Jersey’s legislation remains fully compliant with international standards ahead of the first reporting period commencing on 1 January 2026. Read more: bit.ly/4pfeSKv |
A notification when each debate begins, a summary of the Proposition and the results of each debate will be shared on the States Assembly X page (formerly Twitter) throughout the meeting.
A summary of the meeting will be shared at the end of each day on the news section of the States Assembly website. A summary of the voting for each individual Member and Proposition is also available on our votes page.
