Machinery of Government PPC Sub-Committee

Privileges and Procedures Committee Machinery of Government Sub-Committee (5th Meeting)

13th February 2026

Part A (Non-Exempt)

All members were present, with the exception of Deputies H.L. Jeune of St. John , St. Lawrence and Trinity , Vice Chair and K.L. Moore of St. Mary , St. Ouen and St. Peter , from whom apologies had been received.

Deputy T.A. Coles of St. Helier South , Chair Deputy L.V. Feltham of St. Helier Central Deputy M.R. Ferey of St. Saviour

Deputy R.L. Kovacs of St. Saviour

In attendance –

Y.   Fillieul ,  Assistant  Greffier  of  the  States,  Chamber  and  Members' Support, States Greffe

J. Hales , Research and Project Officer, States Greffe

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

A. Ward , Assistant Secretariat Officer, Specialist Secretariat, States Greffe

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

Minutes. A1. The Minutes of the meeting of 16th January 2026, having previously been

circulated, were taken as read and were confirmed.

Welcome.  A2. The Sub-Committee noted that Deputy M.R. Scott of St Brelade had tendered

her resignation from the Sub-Committee on 20th January 2026. Members were advised that, at its meeting on 26th January 2026, the Privileges and Procedures Committee had endorsed a recommendation to appoint Deputy M.R. Ferey of St. Saviour to the Sub-Committee in place of Deputy Scott .

Lobbying  A3. The Sub-Committee, with reference to its Minute No. A3 of 16th January 2026, Guidance and  received  an  oral  report from Mr. Y. Fillieul , Assistant Greffier of the States, Engagement  Chamber and Members' Support, States Greffe in connexion with the Lobbying Code.  Guidance Code and Register.

It was recalled that the definition of a Lobbyist within the Guidance Code required greater nuance in the Jersey context. To alleviate resourcing concerns, creation of a shared  document  was  proposed,  which  would  be  updated  by  States  Members following meetings with Lobbyists, whilst also ensuring compliance with data protection principles.

The Sub-Committee noted that the guidance would be beneficial for existing and new States Members in understanding the nature of interactions, especially in the Jersey context where informal dialogue with the public was commonplace. Thus, the proposed guidance would ensure that States Members queried motives at the outset

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and remained mindful of potential lobbying activity, whilst recognising it as a common and legitimate part of political discourse. Whilst it was acknowledged that the voluntary nature of the proposed Register could lead to inconsistencies of approach, a review over the course of a political term would provide insight.

Deputy M.R. Ferey of St. Saviour , in his capacity as Assistant Chief Minister, noted that the Guidance and the Engagement Code had been shared with the Council of Ministers (COM). Whilst some Members of COM had supported the development of a register of lobbyists, the general feeling was that the proposal was overly bureaucratic. The Privileges and Procedures Committee (PPC) had also considered the same at its meeting of 9th February 2026, with some Members raising concerns in relation to the potential for confusion over what constituted lobbying. Ultimately, the proposition had been approved and was lodged au Greffe' on 10th February 2026. Deputy T.A. Coles of St. Helier South , Chair, would act as rapporteur during the debate.

On a related matter, Deputy L.V. Feltham of St. Helier Central suggested that if the proposition was not adopted, the lobbying guidance would be a useful addition to the 2026 induction programme for States Members. The Assistant Greffier of the States, Chambers and Members' Support, undertook to explore this with the Greffier of the States.

The Sub-Committee noted the position.

Role Profiles  A4. The Sub-Committee, with reference to its Minute No. A5 of 19th December for elected  2025, received and considered an updated draft of the Role Profiles for States Members.  Members' document and heard from Mr. Y. Fillieul , Assistant Greffier of the States,

Chamber and Members' Support, States Greffe.

It was recalled that the Privileges and Procedures Committee (PPC) had considered the document at its meeting of 1st December 2025, whereby Deputy C.S. Alves of St. Helier Central had requested that it be shared with the PPC Diversity Forum (DF) and Political Awareness and Education (PAE) Sub-Committees for comment.

The Sub-Committee noted that the DF had reviewed the Role Profiles document and had recommended the inclusion of information to promote visibility of lesser-known roles. The Sub-Committee reviewed a draft list of roles, which had been attached as an appendix to the document, and agreed that it should indicate whether roles were statutory/non-statutory and whether they were appointed by the States Assembly. The Assistant Greffier undertook to make the necessary changes to the document.

It  was  noted  that  the  PAE  Sub-Committee  would  consider  the  Role  Profiles document at its next scheduled meeting, following which a final version would be submitted to PPC for approval.

The Sub-Committee noted the position.

2026 Legacy  A5. The Sub-Committee, with reference to its Minute No. A5 of 16th January 2026, Report. received and noted text for inclusion in the Privileges and Procedures Committee

(PPC) Legacy Report.

It was recalled that the Sub-Committees of the PPC had been invited to prepare contributions for inclusion in the main Committee's report.

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It was noted that the information prepared for inclusion in the Legacy Report captured  the  work  undertaken  by  the  Sub-Committee  as  previously/currently constituted for the period from June 2022 to March 2026. The Sub-Committee was requested  to  consider  recommending  workstreams  for  future  iterations  of  the Machinery of Government Sub-Committee, noting that these would be subject to endorsement from the newly constituted PPC.

Deputy T.A. Coles of St. Helier South , Chair, summarised the Sub-Committee's recommendations as follows –

- to investigate the Cabinet Office structure in consultation with the next Chief Minister;

- to monitor compliance with the Lobbying Guidance Code (Minute No. A3. of the extant meeting refers) and, ultimately, to consider the introduction of formal legislation, changes to the Code of Conduct for elected Members, or to consider alternative methods of recording lobbying activity, subject to the outcome of the debate on P.34/2026;

- to  consider  improvements  to  the  Legislative  Scrutiny  process,  with particular reference to the submission of white and green papers and the process for approving legislation in the States Assembly; and

- to consider the remaining recommendations arising from the Democratic Accountability and Governance Sub-Committee report (R.23/2022 refers).

On a related matter, the Sub-Committee recalled that it had previously written to the Chief Minister to seek clarity on the autonomy of officers in connexion with the provision of advice to Ministers. Particular attention had been drawn to situations where the advice of a Chief Officer may not align with that of the Chief Executive Officer (Minute No. A4 of 16th January refers). The Sub-Committee had also considered possible alternatives to the existing structural arrangements with a view to ensuring stronger statutory protections for officers. It was agreed that the Sub- Committee's position on this matter should be included within the PPC Legacy Report. It was noted that a report and proposition entitled Ministerial Office: Independent Support to Ministers' (P.23/2026 refers) had been lodged au Greffe' by Deputy M.R. Scott of St. Brelade and was due to be debated on 24th February 2026.  The  proposition  requested  the  Chief  Minister  to  develop  a  framework agreement by 31st March 2026, to ensure that the Ministerial Office maintained the ability  to  support  Ministers  in  challenging  Executive  Officers  of  Government Departments.

Work  A6. The Sub-Committee, with reference to its Minute No. A6 of 16th January 2026, Programme.  noted the ongoing work programme, which was informed by recommendations

arising from the Democratic Accountability and Governance Sub-Committee report (R.23/2022 referred) (the DAG Report).

Date of Next  A7. The Sub-Committee noted that the next scheduled meeting would be held on Meeting.  13th March 2026, from 11.00 am – 12.30 pm, in Le Capelain Room, States Building.