07 June: Vote of no confidence lodged against chief minister

Guernsey's Deputies have passed amended proposals from the States Assembly Constitution Committee which compels committee presidents to give statements to the States Assembly.

During debate, several deputies expressed serious concerns regarding restrictions on the "democratic process" and transparency.

The President of the Committee Deputy Matt Fallaize said Presidents should be fully capable of addressing the assembly in a set timetable.

Quote Message: I don't think it is unreasonable to expect of the Policy and Resources Committee and the presidents of the six principle committees to be able with cope, twice a year, with updating the states for ten minutes each time on the work of their committee. Or to cope with 20 minutes of questions from colleagues. from Deputy Matt Fallaize Constitution Committee, President

I don't think it is unreasonable to expect of the Policy and Resources Committee and the presidents of the six principle committees to be able with cope, twice a year, with updating the states for ten minutes each time on the work of their committee. Or to cope with 20 minutes of questions from colleagues.

St Helier ratepayers will have to pay legal fees for an appeal against the parish having to pay for its rubbish disposal, despite having lost the case at the Court of Appeal.

After waste disposal facilities moved from Bellozanne, a court ruled that the parish was now liable to pay for its waste being processed at La Colette instead.

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But St Helier Constable Simon Crowcroft objected, as he said this violated an agreement known as the "Bellozanne covenant", which was signed by the States in the 1950s when the Parish agreed to sell the land for the facility.

The covenant stated that should the Parish agree to sell the land, people living in St Helier would not have to pay for waste disposal.

The matter was taken to the Royal Court in Jersey, who did not rule in favour of the Parish, prompting the Constable to appeal the decision and request the matter be taken to the UKs Privy Council.

However, on 30 May Jersey's Court of Appeal ruled the "public importance" of the matter did not merit being referred to the Privy Council.

A further request to have some of the legal costs cancelled was also turned down.

A proposed passenger-only inter-island ferry service would need a 90 per cent uptake rate to break-even, Guernsey’s Economic Development president has said.

The President of Guernsey's Scrutiny Management Committee has said that although he views the committee to be successful, there will be challenges ahead.

In a States Assembly meeting held today, Deputy Chris Green gave the example of a series of public hearings with various committee Presidents from the States of Guernsey that he said brought facts into the public domain that otherwise "would not have been known".

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Quote Message: Looking forwards, the Scrutiny Management Committee still has to face a number of challenges, including a limited budget, limited powers, and limited personnel, whilst also encountering a heavy burden of high expectations from members of the community and from States members. from Deputy Chris Green

Looking forwards, the Scrutiny Management Committee still has to face a number of challenges, including a limited budget, limited powers, and limited personnel, whilst also encountering a heavy burden of high expectations from members of the community and from States members.

A new law to regulate the sale of alcohol in Jersey has been proposed today by Constable Steve Pallett.

A spokesman from the States of Jersey department for Economic Development, Tourism, Sport and Culture said: "This is the first of three pieces of work intended to modernise and improve the management of alcohol licences in the Island."

If passed, the law would abolish the existing Licensing Assembly of the Lieutenant Governor, the Bailiff and Jurats, and replace it with a Licensing Authority made up of politicians and others.

The Constable said an accreditation system for licenses would be put in place by the new authority, to set a standard for those wanting to sell alcohol on the island.

The new system is due to be debated on the 18 July.

Quote Message: The Island has waited for two decades for a modern, flexible and easier to use system for licensing all establishments that sell alcohol. We remain committed to working with all interested parties as we move to consider the necessary regulations and the initial Statement of Licensing Policy that will determine how applications will be considered in future.” from Constable Steve Pallett Department for Economic Development, Tourism, Sport and Culture

The Island has waited for two decades for a modern, flexible and easier to use system for licensing all establishments that sell alcohol. We remain committed to working with all interested parties as we move to consider the necessary regulations and the initial Statement of Licensing Policy that will determine how applications will be considered in future.”

Since the Committee for Economic Development said that it was looking again at the idea of extending the airport runway to enable larger planes to land in Guernsey strong views have been expressed by islanders both in support and opposition.

Plans to change the way constituencies work in Jersey elections have been abandoned.

The proposals, which would have seen six larger constituencies, were originally approved in February.

States members could not agree to reduce the number of deputies in the Assembly by one, which meant the debate could not continue.

It means there will be no change in voting districts in the election next year.

Deputy Andrew Lewis, who said the changes made the system "fairer" for voters, said the decision may have an effect on how many people vote in May 2018.

Quote Message: I cannot see a high turnout in the next election, as a direct result of this and other things as well. And that's a sad thing. We had an opportunity to grab some of that interest back in politics and we've blown it. I think it's a really sad day. from Deputy Andrew Lewis

I cannot see a high turnout in the next election, as a direct result of this and other things as well. And that's a sad thing. We had an opportunity to grab some of that interest back in politics and we've blown it. I think it's a really sad day.

The Chief Minister of Guernsey, Deputy Gavin St Pier, and the Minister for External Relations of Jersey, Senator Sir Philip Bailhache, have today travelled to Brussels to meet with European Union Commissioner Sir Julian King and Sir Tim Barrow, the UK Permanent Representative to the EU.

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A spokesman for the delegation said the main topic of discussion was "EU security objectives", and the contributions the Channel Islands is making to the "countering of financial crime and the funding of terrorism".

But Deputy Gavin St Pier said Brexit was also mentioned in the trip.

Deputy St Pier said: "We used this opportunity not just to learn more about the EU current thinking on Brexit but also to discuss the work being undertaken to develop a list of non-cooperative jurisdictions in relation to taxation and the future of EU market access."

The Ministers also attended a dinner hosted by Sir Tim Barrow at his official residence in Brussels.

Senator Bailhache said: "We greatly valued the opportunity to meet with Sir Tim Barrow to discuss a number of important and pressing issues, in particular in relation to Brexit.

"Deputy St Pier and I welcomed the positive working relationship built up by our Brussels office with Sir Tim and his team at the UK permanent representation and their willingness to engage with the Channel Islands."

Lodged by Constable Chris Taylor, the initial signatories were Deputy Martin of St. Helier, Deputy Vallois of St. John and Deputy Brée of St. Clement.

Constable Taylor also received 10 further signatures:

States of JerseyCopyright: States of Jersey

There is a reported rise in the use of the drug Gabapentin in Guernsey, police said.

The drug is a prescription-only medicine not controlled by the Misuse of Drugs Act, and police say they suspect much of the Gabapentin in circulation is being "diverted" from lawful prescriptions.

Guernsey PoliceCopyright: Guernsey Police

Police said users saw the drug as "just another downer" similar to Diazepam, with similar effects such as extreme drowsiness, relaxation, users being "more talkative" and having "increased confidence".

Negative effects include poor co-ordination, increased vulnerability and an increased risk of overdose. Police have also issued a warning that the withdrawal effects of Gabapentin can be significant and difficult to alleviate.

They also said that despite not being a controlled substance, distributing prescription medication such as Gabapentin was illegal.

In addition to the no confidence motion and debate on electoral reform, the proposition to impose a term limit on the chief minister was defeated, and new regulations for income support passed.

The Constable of St John has brought a vote of no confidence in Jersey's chief minister.

States members are expected to debate the proposal on 21 June.

Constable Chris Taylor collected 14 signatures, six short of the 20 he had planned, but said there were "issues" around getting assistant ministers to sign, saying it would put their positions in Senator Gorst's Council of Ministers at risk.

He added that the vote was not a "personal" attack on Senator Gorst.

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Quote Message: It's a matter of poor decision making over a period of time which has led to the current position. This is a series of poor decisions, the poor interpretation of the Jessica Seymour Inquiry, the very poor leadership over the funding of the hospital, and more recently the decision of reinstating his assistant minister. from Constable Chris Taylor

It's a matter of poor decision making over a period of time which has led to the current position. This is a series of poor decisions, the poor interpretation of the Jessica Seymour Inquiry, the very poor leadership over the funding of the hospital, and more recently the decision of reinstating his assistant minister.

Organisers of the Jersey Triathlon are calling for 40 volunteers to help as race route marshals on Sunday 9 July.

Four-hundred-and-fifty competitors are set to take part in the event which starts and finishes at Les Jardins De La Mer.

A spokesman from the event said: "Volunteers do not need any previous experience, just to be free for two to four hours on the morning of 9 July.

"They must be over 18 on the day of the race, or part of a recognised group under the supervision of a leader who is."

Health and Social Care's annual spend on agency staff dropped by more than £2m last year and is expected to continue to fall in 2017.

Jersey Telecoms has said their customers will not benefit from new lower EU roaming rates coming into force on the 15 June.

However, the provider has said that in the coming months separate negotiations with EU networks will see better roaming rates than currently offered, although they are likely not to be able to match the EU deal.

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If you've been tuning in to our coverage of the States Assembly meetings in both Jersey and Guernsey today, you may have noticed that Chief Minister Senator Ian Gorst and President of the Policy and Resources Committee Gavin St Pier are not in attendance.

They are in fact on their way to Paris to sign an "important tax agreement" which 100 countries are subscribing to in a bid to tackle tax avoidance around the world.

Police searching for a 49-year-old man who has been missing for a week say they don’t believe there has been any ‘third-party involvement’ in the disappearance.

A memorial bench set up by an 82-year-old Guernsey resident in memory of her late husband has been damaged, said police.

Guernsey PoliceCopyright: Guernsey Police

The words "Mia and Nathan" decorated with hearts have been engraved multiple times on the same spot on the bench next to Amarreurs Bay at the western end of L’Ancresse Common.

Police said the widow and her family were "distressed" to find the engraving, which appeared in the last couple of months.

Guernsey PoliceCopyright: Guernsey Police

They said it had cost the family £3,000 to have the bench installed, and that the elderly resident visited it twice a day to clean it and pick up rubbish in the surrounding area.

Police are appealing for information.