PPC Sub-Committee: Diversity Forum - 18 September 2025

Privileges and Procedures Committee Diversity Forum

(1st Meeting)

18th September 2025

Part A (Non-Exempt)

All members were present, with the exception of Connétable M.O.'D Troy of St. Clement and Deputy P.F.C. Ozouf of St. Saviour , from whom apologies had been received.

Deputy L.K.F. Stephenson of St. Mary , St. Ouen and St. Peter , Chair Deputy L.M.C. Doublet of St. Saviour , Co-Vice Chair

Deputy H.L. Jeune of St. John , St. Lawrence and Trinity , Co-Vice Chair Deputy M.R. Ferey of St. Saviour (present for item Nos. A1-A5) Deputy R.L Kovacs of St. Saviour (present for item Nos. A5-A12) Deputy H.M. Miles of St. Brelade

Deputy I. Gardiner of St. Helier North

In attendance -

E. Patterson, Secretariat Officer, Specialist Secretariat, States Greffe

C. Tucker, Secretariat Officer, Specialist Secretariat, States Greffe

  Note: The Minutes of this meeting comprise Part A only.

Minutes. A1. The Minutes of the meeting held on 12th June 2025, of the Sub-Committee as

previously constituted, having previously been circulated, were taken as read and were confirmed.

Deputy L.M.C. Doublet of St. Saviour , Co-Vice Chair, disagreed with the views of the Privileges and Procedures Committee (PPC) regarding the establishment of a Women's Parliamentary Caucus. However, it was agreed that the Minutes accurately reflected the concerns of the PPC, without attributing any comments to the Sub-Committee.

Welcome. A2. Members were welcomed to the inaugural meeting of the newly constituted Diversity

Forum (DF) Sub-Committee.

It was noted that Deputy L.K.F. Stephenson of St. Mary , St. Ouen and St. Peter had been re-appointed  as Chair of the  DF Sub-Committee by the  Privileges  and Procedures Committee on 15th July 2025 and had subsequently opted to re-appoint all existing members of the Sub-Committee, as previously constituted.

On a related matter, it was noted that the declarations of interest for Members remained unchanged, as per the details available on States Members' profiles on the States Assembly website.

Appoint- A3. The Sub-Committee, with reference to Minute No. A3 of 25th April 2024, of the ment of  Sub-Committee as previously constituted, agreed to appoint 2 Vice Chairs to ensure that Vice  all workstreams were monitored effectively. Consequently, Deputies L.M.C. Doublet of Chair.   St. Saviour and H.L. Jeune of St. John , St. Lawrence and Trinity were re-appointed as

Co-Vice Chairs.

Govern- A4. The Sub-Committee, with reference to Minute No. A4 of 15th May 2025, of the Sub- ment  Committee as previously constituted, received an oral update from Deputy M.R. Ferey of Diversity,  St.  Saviour,  Assistant  Chief Minister, in connexion  with  the  ongoing  work of  the Equity  Government of Jersey (GoJ), in relation to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI).

and

Inclusion:  The following outcomes were noted –

update.

- sexual harassment training was now live on the Connect People platform and was mandatory for all GoJ employees. It was suggested that focus groups be conducted in order to obtain feedback from employees with regard to the DEI training available;

- DEI performance objectives were now in place for all Executive Leaders to ensure a continued commitment to inclusion. It was clarified that these objectives would be monitored via assessments during the appraisal process;

- in connexion with the Gender Pay Gap report published by Statistics Jersey on 12th March 2025, the main GoJ Departments affected were Children, Young People, Education and Skills (CYPES), Economy and Non-Ministerial Departments. It was noted that structured and transparent pay scales and increased flexibility for working parents were in place to ensure equitable opportunities and pay for all genders;

- following the publication of a misleading media article, which stated that children were not permitted in the Union Street Building, further communication to clarify the position had been issued via electronic mail and intranet updates to all GoJ employees on  21st  July  2025.  These  communications  outlined  that  whilst  children  were permitted in specific areas within the Union Street Building, confidentiality and health and safety concerns meant that it was inappropriate for children to be present in some offices;

- the  Community Transport Scheme (the scheme),  in accordance with the  wider Disability  Strategy,  was  now  in  place.  The  scheme  provided  shared  use  of  2 minibuses to interested charities to transport clients around the Island. It was noted that charities paid a monthly fee for the use of a shared minibus, avoiding the high costs associated with purchasing a mini-bus that would be under-utilised;

- blue badge mapping had now been completed creating a central portal for information on accessible parking arrangements; and,

- 668 public sector employees had completed a hidden disabilities awareness course.

It was recalled Deputy Ferey would provide regular updates to the Sub-Committee, to ensure that it was kept abreast of any initiatives employed by the GoJ in connexion with ongoing DEI work.

Deputy H.L. Jeune of St. John , St. Lawrence and Trinity advised that she had received correspondence in relation to a pilot programme for targeted internships within the GoJ for individuals with disabilities, neurodiversity or long-term health conditions. Deputy Jeune agreed to share details of the programme.

1st Meeting 18.09.2025

The  Sub-Committee  was  pleased  to  note  the  ongoing  work  by  Government  in championing DEI initiatives.

States  A5. The Sub-Committee, with reference to Minute No. A2 of 12th June 2025, of the Sub- Building:  Committee  as  previously  constituted,  welcomed  Mr.  L.  Richardson,  Property access- Maintenance Project Officer, Jersey Property Holdings (JPH), in connexion with the ibility.  accessibility of the States Assembly Building.

It  was  recalled  that, following  a  meeting  with  the  Sub-Committee,  JPH  had  been requested to produce a report highlighting the recommendations from the 2018 Access Audit and the 2020 Accessibility Audit undertaken by Liberate (Minute No. A5 of 13th February 2025, of the Sub-Committee as previously constituted, refers). An informal response had been received from Mr. T. Daniels, Director, JPH, in connexion with the issues raised in the audits and the absence of funding had been highlighted. The Sub- Committee had subsequently been advised that work on producing a traffic light system for the prioritisation of work was ongoing and responsibility for actions would be assigned to either JPH, as the landlord or the tenant. It was agreed that this document should be shared with the Sub-Committee.

Mr. Richardson advised that he had attended several meetings in connexion with the accessibility of the States Assembly Building, to include a walk-through' with the Maintenance Officer and Historic Environment Team on 26th March 2025. It was noted that the main issue was accessibility for wheelchair users. The Sub-Committee was concerned that barriers to access would deter disabled Islanders from standing for election which, in turn, had a negative effect on the diversity of the States Assembly. Mr. Richardson confirmed that improvements to the building, such as the replacement of doors and the modernisation of existing lifts would be considered. In doing so, he emphasised the limited budget available.

A further lighting survey had been commissioned by JPH with costings provided for the instalment of Light Emitting Diode (LED) bulbs and the possibility of individualised lighting solutions in the Chamber. It was envisaged that this would reduce light induced migraines and negative sensory implications for neurodivergent individuals.

The Sub-Committee thanked Mr. Richardson for attending and he withdrew from the meeting.

Deputy L.K.F. Stephenson of St. Ouen , St. Martin and St. Peter , Chair suggested that the Privileges and Procedures Committee (PPC) might wish to consider seeking funding from the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) towards the accessibility works in the States Assembly Building.

Having  noted  that confusion  still remained  over the  provisions  available  to States Members in the context of accessibility and physical and mental health support, it was agreed that an invitation should be extended to the Greffier of the States to attend a future

meeting of the Sub-Committee in order to discuss these matters. The Sub-Committee noted the position.

Women's  A6. The Sub-Committee, with reference to Minute No. A4 of 12th June 2025, of the Sub- Parl- Committee as previously constituted, received and considered draft Terms of Reference iamentary  (ToR) in connexion with the proposed Women's Parliamentary Caucus (WPC). Caucus.

It was recalled that the establishment of the proposed WPC had been reviewed by the Privileges and Procedures Committee (PPC), who had suggested that the Sub-Committee draft a ToR and scoping document for the WPC which would establish the key objectives, operating procedures and outcomes of the group. As the Diversity Forum was a Sub- Committee of the PPC, ultimate approval of the proposals, funding and any support associated with the establishment of the WPC would need to be sought from the main Committee.

Having considered the matter, the Sub-Committee agreed the following –

- the Chairing structure and arrangements would be assigned in the first meeting of the WPC. In the interim it was agreed that the Chair of the Diversity Forum Sub- Committee would act as Chair of the WPC;

- formal meetings would take place bi-annually, with set agenda items and formal Minutes.  Informal  meetings  of  the  WPC  would  take  place  more  frequently throughout the year;

- an invitation to join the group would be extended to all current serving female States Members. Former female elected Members would also be invited to special events related to the WPC as appropriate;

- the WPC would act as a supportive space to share the challenges associated with being a female parliamentarian;

- guest speakers with relevant backgrounds and experiences would be invited to formal meetings of the WPC;

- the WPC would aim to complement the work of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) and the Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians (CWP); and,

- the  inaugural  meeting  of  the  WPC  would  be  held  on  8th  March  2026,  in commemoration of International Women's Day.

1st Meeting 18.09.2025

It was agreed that Deputies R.L. Kovacs of St. Saviour and M. Le Hegarat of St. Helier North , as the appointed Jersey representatives of the CWP and CPA, should be requested to provide updates to the WPC on the work of the groups. The Minutes of the extant meeting  would  also  be  shared  with   Deputy   Kovacs  to  aid  discussions  during  her attendance at the 68th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference, which was due to be held in Barbados from 5th – 12th October 2025. An update on this conference would also be provided to the Sub-Committee in due course.

It was agreed that when the draft ToR had been updated the document would be shared with the Sub-Committee electronically for final approval. The ToR would then be presented to the PPC at a future meeting, with a request for representatives of the Sub- Committee to attend to address any questions that might arise.

The Sub-Committee noted the position.

Common- A7. The Sub-Committee, with reference to Minute No. A5 of 13th March 2025, of the wealth  Sub-Committee as previously constituted, noted the publication of the Commonwealth Parlia- Parliamentary Association (CPA) Gender Sensitive Parliament Self-Assessment Jersey mentary  report.

Associat-

ion report.  It was recalled that the Sub-Committee had previously considered the recommendations

arising from the audit undertaken in 2024, which had been endorsed by the CPA, which followed an internal Gender Audit undertaken in 2019. It was noted that the final report, including the recommendations, had recently been published on the CPA website.

Deputy L.K.F. Stephenson of St. Mary , St. Ouen and St. Peter , Chair, informed the Sub- Committee that she had requested that a press notice be prepared in connexion with the publication of the report and this would be circulated to Members.

It was further noted that officers had been contacted by the CPA, who had requested evidence  of  tangible  examples  of  how  the  report's  recommendations  had  been implemented to foster a gender sensitive parliament. A response had been submitted on 16th September 2025.

The Sub-Committee proposed that the CPA recommendations document which detailed the status of each recommendation be re-circulated for further discussion at the next scheduled meeting.

Arrange- A8. The Sub-Committee, with reference to Minute No. A7 of 15th May of the Sub- ments for  Committee, as previously constituted, noted correspondence, dated 3rd September 2025, depend- addressed to Mr. S. Cartwright, Chief Officer, Bailiff 's Chambers, from Deputy L.K.F. ents at   Stephenson of St. Mary , St. Ouen and St. Peter , Chair, in connexion with arrangements official  for the dependents of States Members at official events and, in particular, those held events.  outside of term time.

It was recalled that concerns had been raised by States Members regarding arrangements at the meeting of the States on Liberation Day 2025, and the absence of appropriate seating in Liberation Square for the dependents of Members.

It was noted that a response had not yet been received from Mr. Cartwright.

Pastoral  A9. The Sub-Committee heard from Deputy L.M.C. Doublet of St. Saviour , Co-Vice support/  Chair,  in  connexion  with  the  arrangements  which  were  in  place  for  pastoral Counsell- support/counselling services for elected Members in Jersey as compared with support ing  measures available in other jurisdictions.

services.

Deputy Doublet advised the Sub-Committee that she had attended the 54th British Islands and Mediterranean Regional Conference from 17th - 20th June 2025 in Cardiff, which had been hosted by the Senedd Branch of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA). Delegates had received a presentation from Dr. M-L. Tardif, Member of the National Assembly, Quebec, outlining the mental health support measures implemented by  the  National  Assembly  of  Quebec  for  parliamentarians.  This  included  an  anti- harassment policy (introduced in 2015 and further updated in 2023), the appointment of an independent Commissioner for Respect in 2024 to resolve and investigate complaints and a drop-in day care service for the children of parliamentarians. The Assembly also received  the  support  of  onsite  mental  health  professionals,  including  a  full-time psychologist and health prevention specialist, and a voluntary support programme was also available to all staff and dependent children.

The current provisions for Members of the States of Jersey were outlined, including the ability for all Members to access independent counselling support. Concerns were raised regarding the gatekeeping role' of the States Greffe in terms of accessing support services and the financial limits which had been set in the context of the receipt of support services. It was noted that services were funded from the States Assembly budget, for which the Greffier of the States was the accountable officer. However, the States Greffe was not party to any disclosures associated with Members accessing services and merely provided contact details for appropriate professionals.

On a related matter, Deputy I. Gardiner of St. Helier North expressed a desire non- religious reflection services for States Members, which Deputy L.K.F. Stephenson of St. Mary , St. Ouen and St. Peter , Chair, undertook to raise with the Privileges and Procedures Committee (PPC) at its next scheduled meeting.

1st Meeting 18.09.2025

The Sub-Committee noted the position.

LGBTQ+  A10. The Sub-Committee received an oral update from Deputy L.M.C. Doublet , co-Vice Parl- Chair in connexion with the launch of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association's iamentari (CPA)  British  Islands  and  Mediterranean  Region  (BIMR)  Lesbian,  Gay,  Bisexual, ans'  Transgender and Queer Plus (LGBTQ+) Parliamentarians' network.

Network.

The Sub-Committee recalled (Minute No. A9 of the extant meeting refers) that Deputy Doublet had attended the 54th British Islands and Mediterranean Regional Conference from 17th -20th June 2025 in Cardiff, hosted by the Senedd Branch of the CPA. During this conference delegates had been advised of the launch of the LGBTQ+ Network, which marked a pivotal moment in the advancement of inclusion and representation of LGBTQ+ parliamentarians. An invitation was extended to Members to join the network, and it was agreed that Deputy Doublet would provide the Sub-Committee with further updates on the network's workstreams, as a standing item on future agendas.

The Sub-Committee noted the position.

Security  A11. The Sub-Committee, with reference to Minute No. A6 of 15th May 2025, of the in the  Sub-Committee as previously constituted, received an oral update from Deputy H. L. States   Jeune of St. John , St. Lawrence and Trinity , Co-Vice Chair, in connexion with security Building.  arrangements in the States Assembly Building.

The Sub-Committee recalled  that several security-related  concerns  had  been raised regarding public access to the Building with Mr. S. Cartwright, Chief Officer, Bailiff 's Chambers. Deputy Jeune advised that she had been informed of a critical event system known as Everbridge', which was used by the Government of Jersey to alert civil servants of medical or security issues within public buildings. In this connexion, Deputy Jeune had prepared a proposal for consideration by the Deputy Greffier of the States and the  Building  Security  Team  which  outlined  the  advantages  of  such  a  system  in communicating potential protests or security alerts in the vicinity. It was envisaged that a system of this nature this would allow relevant staff and States Members to receive communication quickly via their chosen platform so that they could safely exit the area during times of emergency.

The Sub-Committee was advised that concerns had been raised by the Security team as to whether Everbridge' was the most appropriate system. Deputy Jeune refuted these concerns and advised the Sub-Committee that she was pursuing the matter with the Deputy Greffier.

The Sub-Committee noted the position.

Date of  A12. The Sub-Committee noted that the next scheduled meeting was due to be held on next  16th October, from 10.00 am – 12.00 pm in the Blampied Room.

meeting.