Diversity Forum PPC Sub-Committee

Privileges and Procedures Committee Diversity Forum

(4th Meeting)

15th January 2026

Part A (Non-Exempt)

All members were present, with the exception of Connétable M.O'D Troy of St. Clement and Deputies R.L. Kovacs and 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 H.L. Jeune of St. John , St. Lawrence and Trinity , Vice Chair Deputy L.M.C. Doublet of St. Saviour, Vice Chair

Deputy M.R. Ferey of St. Saviour

Deputy H.M. Miles of St. Brelade

Deputy I. Gardiner of St. Helier North

In attendance -

T. Oldham , Assistant Greffier of the States, Committees and Panels, States Greffe

E. Patterson, 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 20th November 2025, having previously been

circulated, were taken as read and were confirmed, subject to a minor amendment.

Government  A2. The Sub-Committee, with reference to its Minute No. A3 of 20th November 2025, diversity,  received an oral update from Deputy M.R. Ferey of St. Saviour regarding the ongoing equity and  work of the Government of Jersey (GoJ), in connexion with diversity, equity and inclusion  inclusion (DEI).

work:

update.  The following outcomes for 2025 were noted –

- the GoJ objective to achieve a completion rate of 80 per cent for mandatory DEI training had been exceeded in 2025;

- a number of programmes had been designed to promote fair treatment and equal opportunities, improve workplace culture, increase employee satisfaction and support performance;

- the theme of belonging' had been a focus in 2025 and internship schemes and employment opportunities had been created in collaboration with the Jersey Employment Trust; and

- support had been provided to Care Leavers by providing job opportunities with dedicated support and mentorship from People Services.

Deputy Ferey advised that GoJ planned to establish an annual DEI-informed policy review cycle in 2026, working with the employee experience team to prioritise policies with the greatest impact. It was further noted that during 2026, priority DEI focus areas would be identified, with corresponding actions plans being created to guide targeted interventions. The Sub-Committee was apprised of a number of events due to take  place  in  quarter  one  of  2026,  including  Race  Equity  Week,  International Women's  Day,  Neurodiversity  Week,  British  Sign  Language  training  and endometriosis and ovarian cancer awareness. Violence against Women and Girls would also be explored in 2026, with particular reference to marginalised groups.

On a related matter, Deputy I. Gardiner of St. Helier North expressed disquiet in connexion with the recent Ministerial Response to the Delivery of the Common Strategic Policy  (CSP) (S.R.5/2025 refers). The Deputy was concerned that the Council of Ministers (COM) had not adopted a collaborative approach to the delivery of  DEI  workstreams,  as  outlined  within  the  CSP.  Whilst  the  Sub-Committee commended Deputy Ferey 's leadership and advocacy in promoting DEI, a perceived lack of support across the wider organisation was highlighted. Deputy Ferey agreed to feedback the aforementioned observations to COM in due course.

The Sub-Committee thanked Deputy Ferey for the update.

Women's  A3. The Sub-Committee, with reference to its Minute No. A4 of 20th November 2025, Parliament- received an oral update from Deputy L.K.F. Stephenson of St. Mary , St. Ouen and St. ary Caucus.  Peter, Chair, in connexion with the proposed Women's Parliamentary Caucus (WPC),

as recommended by the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA).

It was recalled that the Privileges and Procedures Committee (PPC) had approved the draft Terms of Reference for the WPC at its meeting on 10th November 2025. The Sub-Committee  had  also  requested  that  an  application  for  funding  from  the Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians' Gender Strengthening Fund (the CWP fund) be made to assist with costs associated with the launch event for the WPC.

The Sub-Committee was informed that funding in the sum of £4,850 from the CWP fund had been approved. It was proposed that the WPC launch event be held on Thursday 5th March 2026, from 12.00 – 14.00pm, ahead of International Women's Day. It was noted that the Jersey Opera House would be considered further as a potential venue for the event. The funds received from CWP would be used towards the cost of the launch event, such as venue hire, guest speakers and travel costs. It was proposed that 2 speakers with relevant political and feminist backgrounds be invited to attend and officers were requested to obtain initial costs. It was envisaged that the event would be open to all female States Members, former Members and prospective election candidates. It was agreed to send meeting invitations to all female States Members inviting them to attend an informal meeting on 4th February 2026, to discuss the WPC.

Deputy Stephenson advised that she was due to meet the Greffier of the States on 22nd January 2026, to discuss the feasibility of a dedicated WPC page on the States Assembly  website.  On a related matter, Deputy L.M.C. Doublet of St. Saviour requested that the Women's Suffrage in Jersey' page on the States Assembly website

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15.01.2026 be updated to include statistics, which Deputy Stephenson undertook to discuss with the Greffier.

Accessibility  A4. The Sub-Committee, with reference to its Minute No. A5 of 20th November 2025, of the States  received and noted an informal report, dated 13th January 2026, prepared by Mr. L. Building.  Richardson,  Property  Maintenance  Officer,  Jersey  Property  Holdings  (JPH),  in

connexion with the accessibility of the States Building.

It was recalled that Mr. Richardson had attended the Sub-Committee's meeting on 18th  September  2025,  to  provide  an  update  on  actions  undertaken  to  enhance accessibility in the States Building. Following the meeting, documents which included information on ownership, feasibility and the resource implications arising from each action had been circulated to the Sub-Committee. However, some confusion remained with regard to the status and ownership of the actions and further information had subsequently been requested.

The Sub-Committee was informed that Mr. Richardson had met representatives of the JPH Design Team, Jersey Heritage Trust and the Environment Department on 8th January  2026,  to  discuss  recommendations  arising  from  the  2020  and  2021 Accessibility  Audits  of  the  States  Building.  It  was  noted  that  the  Environment Department recommended that pre-application advice be sought in respect of some works but that other proposals, including the provision of accessible lifts and toilets, could likely be carried out without the need for planning permission. Upon receipt of pre-application advice, a timeline for works that did not require planning permission would be provided. Further updates received from Mr. Richardson included the following –

- KONE had submitted a quotation for the refurbishment of the existing lift to a standard which accorded with modern building regulations;

- TNG Consulting Engineers had been commissioned to replace lighting in the building with light-emitting diodes. Lighting in office spaces would be adjusted for seated users;

- automatic doors would be installed on the ground floor for ease of accessibility; and,

- additional items including the installation of stair nosings (for improved safety) and sanitary and door adjustments were currently being priced by Amalgamated Facilities Management Limited.

The Sub-Committee requested that further information be sought in relation to the timeline for the above works and those recommendations arising from the audits which were not considered feasible.

LGBTQ+  A5. The Sub-Committee, with reference to its Minute No. A5 of 16th October 2025, Parliamentar- received an oral update from Deputy L.M.C. Doublet of St. Saviour , Vice Chair, in ians'  connexion with the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association's (CPA) British Island Network.  and Mediterranean Region (BIMR) Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer

Plus (LGBTQ+) Parliamentarians' network (the Network).

It was recalled that Deputy Doublet was a Member of the Network's Committee and had agreed to provide the Sub-Committee with relevant updates as a standing item on future agendas.

Deputy   Doublet  advised  that  she  had  attended  a  Network  conference  held  at Westminster on 24th November 2025. Whilst a number of Members had expressed an interest in attending and spaces were available, overnight accommodation had not been provided and this had impacted on attendance, due to the fact that Members would be required to leave the event prematurely to travel back to the Island. Deputy Doublet advised the Sub-Committee of plans for a plenary session which focused on allyship at the forthcoming BIMR CPA Conference in Gibraltar in June 2026. The Network  had  also  explored  the  feasibility  of  BIMR  branch  participation  in WorldPride', and its associated Human Rights Conference, scheduled to take place in Amsterdam in August 2026.

On a related matter, Deputy Doublet highlighted the fact that she had previously requested administrative support for creating and maintaining a central document repository for the Network. The Assistant Greffier of the States, Committees and Panels, undertook to raise this again with officers with operational oversight for CPA.

The Sub-Committee thanked Deputy Doublet for the update.

Actions List.  A6. The Sub-Committee, with reference to its Minute No. A6 of 20th November 2025,

received and noted the live actions list, which was regularly reviewed and updated by officers.

2026 Legacy  A7. The Sub-Committee received an oral update from the Assistant Greffier of the Report.  States, Committees and Panels, in connexion with the Privileges and Procedures

Committee's (PPC) Legacy Report for 2026.

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15.01.2026 The Sub-Committee noted that in previous years each Sub-Committee had producing a legacy report, alongside the main Committee's legacy report. The Sub-Committee was advised that whilst this approach enabled Sub-Committees to document their respective workstreams independently, it also resulted in multiple reports covering related workstreams. Consequently, the Chair of the PPC had decided that a single legacy report should be produced by the main Committee with contributions from the various Sub-Committees. This would ensure a streamlined approach and a single cohesive record of the work undertaken by the PPC and its Sub-Committees.

The Sub-Committee discussed the above matter and agreed that the scope and impact of the work it had undertaken justified the production of a dedicated Diversity Forum Sub-Committee legacy report. Deputy L.K.F. Stephenson of St. Mary . St. Ouen and St. Peter , Chair, was requested to discuss the matter with the Chair of PPC.

Forthcoming  A8. The Sub-Committee, with reference to its Minute No. A7 of 16th October 2025, business.  noted the propositions which had been lodged au Greffe' for forthcoming meetings

of the States Assembly.

It was recalled that Deputy R.L. Kovacs of St. Saviour had suggested that forthcoming business relating to the work of the Diversity Forum be included on future agendas as a standing item.

The Sub-Committee expressed considerable concern in relation to negative social media comments in response to draft legislation intended to strengthen the work of the Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) taskforce. It was noted that the proposed legislation, which had been lodged au Greffe' on 13th January 2026, by Deputy M.R. Le Hegarat , Minister for Justice and Home Affairs, would criminalise offences such as cyber-flashing, revenge porn, deepfake sexual images, stalking, non- fatal strangulation and threats of sexual violence. The Sub-Committee recognised the importance of the proposed legislation in the context of protecting women and girls in Jersey and noted that it was due for debate by the States Assembly in February 2026.

Date of next  A9. The Sub-Committee noted that the next scheduled meeting would be held on 11th meeting.  February 2026, from 11.30 am - 13.00 pm, via Microsoft Teams.