The States Assembly (;

Jèrriais ( ; also known as the Jersey language, Jersey French and Jersey Norman French in English) is a Romance languages, Romance language and the traditional language of the Jersey people. It is a form of the Norman language spoken in Jersey, an isla ...

: ) is the

parliament In modern politics and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...

Jersey Jersey ( ; ), officially the Bailiwick of Jersey, is an autonomous and self-governing island territory of the British Islands. Although as a British Crown Dependency it is not a sovereign state, it has its own distinguishing civil and gov ...

, formed of the island's 37 deputies and the Connétable of each of the twelve parishes. The origins of the legislature of Jersey lie in the system of self-government according to

Norman law Norman law (, , ) refers to the customary law of the Duchy of Normandy which developed between the 10th and 13th centuries and which survives today in the legal systems of Jersey and the other Channel Islands. It grew out of a mingling of Frankish ...

guaranteed to the

Channel Islands The Channel Islands are an archipelago in the English Channel, off the French coast of Normandy. They are divided into two Crown Dependencies: the Jersey, Bailiwick of Jersey, which is the largest of the islands; and the Bailiwick of Guernsey, ...

John, King of England John (24 December 1166 – 19 October 1216) was King of England from 1199 until his death in 1216. He lost the Duchy of Normandy and most of his other French lands to King Philip II of France, resulting in the collapse of the Angevin Empi ...

, following the division of

Normandy Normandy (; or ) is a geographical and cultural region in northwestern Europe, roughly coextensive with the historical Duchy of Normandy. Normandy comprises Normandy (administrative region), mainland Normandy (a part of France) and insular N ...

in 1204. The States Assembly has exercised uncontested

legislative A legislature (, ) is a deliberative assembly with the legal authority to make laws for a political entity such as a country, nation or city on behalf of the people therein. They are often contrasted with the executive and judicial powers ...

powers since 1771, when the concurrent law-making power of the

Royal Court of Jersey The Royal Court is the principal and oldest court in Jersey, and exercises both criminal and civil jurisdiction. It can sit in a number of configurations, depending on the type of case and the powers to be exercised. History The Court has its ...

was abolished. The Assembly passes and amends laws and regulations; approves the annual budget and taxation; appoints the chief minister, ministers and members of various committees and panels; debates matters proposed by the Council of Ministers, by individual States Members or by one of the committees or panels. Members are also able to ask questions to find out information and to hold ministers to account.

Executive Executive ( exe., exec., execu.) may refer to: Role or title * Executive, a senior management role in an organization ** Chief executive officer (CEO), one of the highest-ranking corporate officers (executives) or administrators ** Executive dir ...

powers are exercised by a

chief minister A chief minister is an elected or appointed head of government of – in most instances – a sub-national entity, for instance an administrative subdivision or federal constituent entity. Examples include a state (and sometimes a union ter ...

and eleven ministers, elected from among the members of the Assembly, and are known collectively as the

Council of Ministers Council of Ministers is a traditional name given to the supreme Executive (government), executive organ in some governments. It is usually equivalent to the term Cabinet (government), cabinet. The term Council of State is a similar name that also m ...

. Ministers are accountable to the Assembly for the conduct of their departments.

History

Establishment

The legislature derives its name from the '' estates'' (French: ''états'') of

the Crown The Crown is a political concept used in Commonwealth realms. Depending on the context used, it generally refers to the entirety of the State (polity), state (or in federal realms, the relevant level of government in that state), the executive ...

(represented by the Bailiff and Jurats), the Church (the rectors of the parishes) and the people (represented by the ''connétables'') from whom the Assembly was originally summoned. Today, the three ''estates'' still exist; however, all three now represent the island population (through the island, the parishes and their districts). Jersey's political history begins as part of the

Duchy of Normandy The Duchy of Normandy grew out of the 911 Treaty of Saint-Clair-sur-Epte between Charles the Simple, King Charles III of West Francia and the Viking leader Rollo. The duchy was named for its inhabitants, the Normans. From 1066 until 1204, as a r ...

. However, when the

King of France France was ruled by monarchs from the establishment of the kingdom of West Francia in 843 until the end of the Second French Empire in 1870, with several interruptions. Classical French historiography usually regards Clovis I, king of the Fra ...

stripped

King John of England John (24 December 1166 – 19 October 1216) was King of England from 1199 until his death in 1216. He lost the Duchy of Normandy and most of his other French lands to King Philip II of France, resulting in the collapse of the Angevin Empi ...

of the title ‘

Duke of Normandy In the Middle Ages, the duke of Normandy was the ruler of the Duchy of Normandy in north-western France. The duchy arose out of a grant of land to the Viking leader Rollo by the French king Charles the Simple in 911. In 924 and again in 933, N ...

’, the people of Jersey and the other Channel Islands rebelled against the French king, maintaining the sovereignty of the 'rightful' duke. In 1259, Henry III signed the Treaty of Paris, resigning his claim to the

except the Channel Islands. The Channel Islands were not absorbed into the

Kingdom of England The Kingdom of England was a sovereign state on the island of Great Britain from the late 9th century, when it was unified from various Heptarchy, Anglo-Saxon kingdoms, until 1 May 1707, when it united with Kingdom of Scotland, Scotland to f ...

but two offices were appointed; the Warden (the Monarch's representative) and the

Bailiff A bailiff is a manager, overseer or custodian – a legal officer to whom some degree of authority or jurisdiction is given. There are different kinds, and their offices and scope of duties vary. Another official sometimes referred to as a '' ...

. Other sources state that the Bailiff was in fact appointed initially by the Warden in 1235. The existing Norman customs and laws were allowed to continue and there was no attempt to introduce English law. The formerly split administrative system was replaced with a centralised legal system (the basis of the 'States'), of which the head was the

King of England The monarchy of the United Kingdom, commonly referred to as the British monarchy, is the form of government used by the United Kingdom by which a hereditary monarch reigns as the head of state, with their powers Constitutional monarchy, regula ...

rather than the

. The law was conducted through 12 jurats, constables (''connétable'') and a bailiff (''Baillé''). The role of the Jurats when the King's court was mobile would have been preparatory work for the visit of the Justices in Eyre. It is unknown for how long the position of the Jurats has existed, with some claiming the position dates to

time immemorial Time immemorial () is a phrase meaning time extending beyond the reach of memory, record, or tradition, indefinitely ancient, "ancient beyond memory or record". The phrase is used in legally significant contexts as well as in common parlance. ...

. After the cessation of the visits of the Justices in Eyre (and with the frequent absence of the Warden), the Bailiff and Jurats took on a much wider role, from jury to justice.^:28 1771 Code of Laws for the Island of Jersey

1771 Code of Laws for the Island of Jersey

Originally the

Royal Court A royal court, often called simply a court when the royal context is clear, is an extended royal household in a monarchy, including all those who regularly attend on a monarch, or another central figure. Hence, the word ''court'' may also be app ...

had legislative power but by the sixteenth century a legislative assembly within the Royal Court was convened. The earliest extant Act of the States dates from 1524. The States are mentioned in a document of 1497 regarding the endowments of the grammar schools; by 1526 attendance by members at the assembly was evidently a requirement, as in that year the Rector of

St Mary Mary was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Joseph and the mother of Jesus. She is an important figure of Christianity, venerated under various titles such as virgin or queen, many of them mentioned in the Litany of Loreto. ...

was fined for failure to attend. In 1541, the Privy Council, which had recently given a seat to

Calais Calais ( , , traditionally , ) is a French port city in the Pas-de-Calais department, of which it is a subprefecture. Calais is the largest city in Pas-de-Calais. The population of the city proper is 67,544; that of the urban area is 144,6 ...

, intended to give two seats in Parliament to Jersey. Seymour, the Lieutenant-Governor, wrote to the Jurats, instructing them to send two Burgesses for the isle. However, no further steps seemed to have been taken since the letter did not arrive in front of the States Assembly until the day the elected persons were required to arrive in London.^:70 In the early seventeenth century separate minutes of the States of Jersey were first recorded. When the monarchy was restored, King Charles II who had escaped to Jersey on his way to exile in France rewarded Jersey with the power to levy customs duties. This power, exercised by the Assembly of Governor, Bailiff and Jurats, was finally taken over by the States of Jersey in 1921, thereby enabling the States to control the budget independently of the Lieutenant Governor. The Royal Court and the States both legislated until with the fixing in 1771 of the ''Code des Lois'' it was established that the States had a legislative monopoly.

Reform in the 19th century

The States voted on 6 November 1856 to adopt a law to add 14 deputies to the assembly to counterbalance the mismatch of population and voting power between St Helier ('

town A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...

') and the country

parishes A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or ...

. The first deputies were elected 12 January 1857. The first election by secret ballot was held 1 December 1891. Arms of Jersey States of Jersey Airport 1937

Arms of Jersey States of Jersey Airport 1937

Reform in the 20th century

Prior to constitutional reforms of 1948,

Jurat The ''jurats'' () are lay people in Guernsey and Jersey who act as judges of fact rather than law, though they preside over land conveyances and liquor licensing. In Alderney, however, the jurats are judges of both fact and law (assisted by thei ...

s and the Rectors (senior priests of the

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the State religion#State churches, established List of Christian denominations, Christian church in England and the Crown Dependencies. It is the mother church of the Anglicanism, Anglican Christian tradition, ...

) had central roles in the Assembly.

s, elected for life by island-wide suffrage, presided over Assembly committees and sat in the

. The reforms, introduced by the UK Government after the Occupation, significantly altered the composition of the States Assembly: * Jurats were removed for the States Assembly and their responsibilities were limited to judicial matters in the

. * Senators were introduced, with 12 elected on an island-wide basis. Initially, they served 9-year terms, later reduced to 6 years. * Rectors, with the exception of the

Dean of Jersey The Dean of Jersey is the leader of the Church of England in Jersey. He is ex officio a member of the States of Jersey, although since the constitutional reforms of 1948 the Dean may not take part in parliamentary votes. The Dean acts as the chap ...

(who is Rector of St. Helier) ceased to the members of the Assembly. The Dean remained in the Assembly, but no longer had a right to vote. * The number of Deputies was increased. The Assembly's working language changed from French to English during the 20th century. English was permitted in the Chamber from 1900. Legislation started to be written in English from 1945.

Reform in the 21st century

In 2000, a review panel led by Sir

Cecil Clothier Sir Cecil Montacute "Spike" Clothier KCB QC (28 August 1919 – 8 May 2010) was a lawyer who served as a Judge of Appeal on the Isle of Man, and then as Parliamentary Commissioner for Administration and Health Service Commissioner for Engla ...

proposed a series of significant political and constitutional reforms. Key recommendations included the following: * All members of the Assembly would be elected on a single day, replacing the staggered election schedule for Senators, Deputies, Connétables. * The position of Senator would be abolished. * Connétables would no longer serve as

ex officio An ''ex officio'' member is a member of a body (notably a board, committee, or council) who is part of it by virtue of holding another office. The term '' ex officio'' is Latin, meaning literally 'from the office', and the sense intended is 'by r ...

members of the Assembly * The Assembly would consist of 42–44 members, all holding the title 'Member of the States of Jersey' * The 24 States committees would be replaced by a ministerial system, with ministers heading seven departments. A

Chief Minister A chief minister is an elected or appointed head of government of – in most instances – a sub-national entity, for instance an administrative subdivision or federal constituent entity. Examples include a state (and sometimes a union ter ...

and

would be appointed by the Assembly. * Proceedings of the Assembly would be recorded and published as a

Hansard ''Hansard'' is the transcripts of parliamentary debates in Britain and many Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth countries. It is named after Thomas Curson Hansard (1776–1833), a London printer and publisher, who was the first official printe ...

report. * The

would no longer preside over the States Assembly, which would elect its own speaker. * An

Ombudsman An ombudsman ( , also ) is a government employee who investigates and tries to resolve complaints, usually through recommendations (binding or not) or mediation. They are usually appointed by the government or by parliament (often with a sign ...

would replace the States of Jersey Complaints Panel. The proposals to remove Connétables and the

from the Assembly faced political opposition and were not implemented. Nor has an

Ombudsperson An ombudsman ( , also ) is a government employee who investigates and tries to resolve complaints, usually through recommendations (binding or not) or mediation. They are usually appointed by the government or by parliament (often with a sign ...

been created. A ministerial system was introduced be States of Jersey Law 2005. The Law also removed the Bailiff's power of 'dissent' and casting vote, along with the Lieutenant Governor's veto power. In response to criticisms of the system of ministerial government, the Assembly established an independent electoral commission in 2011 to review the structure of the Assembly. The Commission proposed reducing the number of members to 42, dividing the island into six electoral districts with seven Deputies, and that holding a

referendum A referendum, plebiscite, or ballot measure is a Direct democracy, direct vote by the Constituency, electorate (rather than their Representative democracy, representatives) on a proposal, law, or political issue. A referendum may be either bin ...

on whether the Connétables should remain in the Assembly. A

was held in 2014, in which a large majority voted to keep Connétables in the States. The

2022 general election The following elections were scheduled to occur in 2022. The National Democratic Institute also maintains a calendar of elections around the world. * 2022 United Nations Security Council election * 2022 national electoral calendar * 2022 loca ...

was the first under the new electoral system of 37 elected Deputies and 12 Connétables.

The States Building

The States Building sits on the southern side of the Royal Square in St Helier. As well as the chamber, it includes committee rooms and facilities for members. It is part of a complex comprising the

, Bailiff's Chambers and Judicial Greffe. Until 1887, the States had no meeting place of their own. They used to meet in the

on the Royal Square. The present chamber was opened in 1887, after a proposition was lodged au Greffe eleven years earlier providing for the establishment of a States Room above the Royal Court extension. The development and construction of the chamber were symbolic of the Assembly's increasing prominence and independence, and of Jersey's growing autonomy. Seating in the chamber is in

Jacobean style The Jacobean style is the second phase of Renaissance architecture in England, following the Elizabethan style. It is named after King James VI and I, with whose reign (1603–1625 in England) it is associated. At the start of James's reign, the ...

, with the benches arranged in horseshoe form around the twin seats of the

bailiff A bailiff is a manager, overseer or custodian – a legal officer to whom some degree of authority or jurisdiction is given. There are different kinds, and their offices and scope of duties vary. Another official sometimes referred to as a '' ...

and

lieutenant governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...

. The bailiff's seat is raised slightly higher than that of the lieutenant governor to demonstrate his precedence. * The initial members' seating arrangements were, from the point of view of the president: Jurats to sit on the left, Rectors to sit on the right and Deputies in the centre. * After 1948, the Senators sat where the Jurats did before them, and then Connétables to their left and Deputies to their left (a reduction in seniority as one moves left to right). * Since the last Senators were removed in 2022, Connétables sit in one bloc, and Deputies in another. There is no requirement for the States to meet in a particular place. For example, during the Civil War, the Assembly met at

Trinity The Trinity (, from 'threefold') is the Christian doctrine concerning the nature of God, which defines one God existing in three, , consubstantial divine persons: God the Father, God the Son (Jesus Christ) and God the Holy Spirit, thr ...

Parish Church and in 1769 at

Elizabeth Castle Elizabeth Castle () is a castle and tourist attraction, on a tidal island within the parish of Saint Helier, Jersey. Construction was started in the 16th century when the power of the cannon meant that the existing stronghold at Mont Orgueil w ...

. The States also meet elsewhere (such as the Town Hall) during refurbishment works or once in 2014 during a fire alarm). The Assembly has variously met outside. In 2020, due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

, the States met online using

Microsoft Teams Microsoft Teams is a team collaboration platform developed by Microsoft as part of the Microsoft 365 suite. It offers features such as workspace chat, video conferencing, file storage, and integration with both Microsoft and third-party applicat ...

and in a

socially distanced In public health, social distancing, also called physical distancing, (NB. Regula Venske is president of the PEN Centre Germany.) is a set of non-pharmaceutical interventions or measures intended to prevent the spread of a contagious disea ...

setting at

Fort Regent Fort Regent is a 19th-century fortification and leisure centre on Mont de la Ville (Town Hill), in St. Helier, Jersey. The fort is in close proximity to the fortified South Hill Engineers Barracks at La Collette and overlooks the 16th-century E ...

. Very few changes have been made to the chamber since it opened. In the 2000s, a major refurbishment led the Bailiff's offices to be moved elsewhere in the complex and improvements for States Members' facilities.

Composition

Jersey Island States Assembly Districts Map 2022

The States Assembly consists of 49 elected members for 4-year terms *37 deputies * 12 Connétables There are also several non-elected members, with limited powers.

Deputies

The island is divided into nine constituencies, returning between 3 and 5 Deputies.

Connétables

Each of the 12

elects as Connétable as its civic head. By reason of this office, they are

members of the Assembly. Elections are on a

first-past-the-post First-past-the-post (FPTP)—also called choose-one, first-preference plurality (FPP), or simply plurality—is a single-winner voting rule. Voters mark one candidate as their favorite, or First-preference votes, first-preference, and the cand ...

for a four-year term. Where running unopposed, prospective and incumbent Connétables must run against a

None of the Above "None of the above" (NOTA), or none for short, also known as "against all" or a "scratch" vote, is a ballot option in some jurisdictions or organizations, designed to allow the voter to indicate disapproval of the candidates in a voting system ...

option. Collectively, they form the Comité des Connétables.

Non-elected members

There are also five non-voting members appointed by the Crown: * the

–who is the President (presiding officer); in his absence, the Deputy Bailiff or the

Greffier In some countries using (or formerly using) French as the language of the legal system, a greffier is the clerk to a legislature or to a court. The word greffe refers to the records kept by the greffier or to the department of government under th ...

, Deputy Greffier or an elected member presides * the

Lieutenant Governor of Jersey The lieutenant governor of Jersey (Jèrriais:, "Governor of Jersey"), properly styled the lieutenant-governor of Jersey (), is the representative of the British monarch in the Bailiwick of Jersey, a dependency of the British Crown. Presentl ...

–who regularly attends the States but by convention only speaks at the ceremonial sittings marking his appointment and leaving office * the

–who conducts the opening prayers in French at every sitting and who may speak on any issue * the Attorney General–the principal legal adviser to the States who may be called on to provide legal advice during sittings * the Solicitor General–the Attorney General's deputy. The

clerk A clerk is a white-collar worker who conducts record keeping as well as general office tasks, or a worker who performs similar sales-related tasks in a retail environment. The responsibilities of clerical workers commonly include Records managem ...

of the Assembly is known as the Greffier of the States. The

Viscount A viscount ( , for male) or viscountess (, for female) is a title used in certain European countries for a noble of varying status. The status and any domain held by a viscount is a viscounty. In the case of French viscounts, the title is ...

is the executive officer of the States (but is no longer a member of the Assembly).

Executive functions

Since the creation of ministerial government in 2005, the States Assembly does not have executive powers. Under the States of Jersey Law 2005, a

is selected from the States Assembly, whose members are the chief minister and at least seven ministers. The executive arm of government is the

Government of Jersey The Government of Jersey () is the executive body of the States of Jersey and is the central government of the Bailiwick of Jersey. The government is led by the Chief Minister (currently Lyndon Farnham, since 2024), who nominates all the remain ...

Legislative functions

A main type of legislation made by the States is known in English simply as a 'Law', and in

French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

as a ''Loi'' (not an 'Act' as in the United Kingdom—in Jersey an ''Act'' or ''Acte'' of the States is an administrative enactment and may be in the nature of

secondary legislation Secondary may refer to: Science and nature * Secondary emission, of particles ** Secondary electrons, electrons generated as ionization products * The secondary winding, or the electrical or electronic circuit connected to the secondary winding ...

). After a Law is adopted by the States it is reviewed by the UK Ministry of Justice, then must receive

royal assent Royal assent is the method by which a monarch formally approves an act of the legislature, either directly or through an official acting on the monarch's behalf. In some jurisdictions, royal assent is equivalent to promulgation, while in othe ...

and be registered with the

before it is 'passed'. Concerns have been raised about the adequacy of legislative scrutiny within the Assembly. In 2013, the Electoral Commission highlighted that most primary legislation was passed with minimal parliamentary examination, describing this as a 'serious democratic deficit'. Similarly, in 2014, the then

observed that detailed legislative provisions often did not receive the level of scrutiny that would be ideal. Further analysis in 2017 by the Assembly's Privileges and Procedures Committee (PPC) revealed that only 19% of the Assembly's time in 2016 was devoted to legislative matters, including debates on both the general principles and detailed articles of proposed laws. The PPC also noted that draft legislation was rarely reviewed by scrutiny panels. In 2021, the PPC acknowledged some improvements, stating that legislative scrutiny had become a more regular part of the Assembly's work. However, they pointed out that progress continued to be hindered by limited time and insufficient expertise.

Scrutiny functions

Members of the Assembly are responsible for scrutinising the work of the

, ministers and their departments. Under the Assembly's standing orders, there are five permanent Scrutiny panels of backbench members: * Economic & International Affairs * Environment, Housing & Infrastructure * Corporate Services * Children, Education & Home Affairs * Health & Social Security Temporary 'Review Panels' may also be established to examine specific issues, for example:

Brexit Brexit (, a portmanteau of "Britain" and "Exit") was the Withdrawal from the European Union, withdrawal of the United Kingdom (UK) from the European Union (EU). Brexit officially took place at 23:00 GMT on 31 January 2020 (00:00 1 February ...

, Future Hospital, Care of Children in Jersey,

Gender Pay Gap The gender pay gap or gender wage gap is the average difference between the remuneration for men and women who are Employment, employed. Women are generally found to be paid less than men. There are two distinct measurements of the pay gap: non ...

Legal Aid Legal aid is the provision of assistance to people who are unable to afford legal representation and access to the court system. Legal aid is regarded as central in providing access to justice by ensuring equality before the law, the right ...

, One Government, The Transfer of the Ambulance Service and CAMHS, Government Plan, Government Plan Efficiencies, Safer Travel Guidelines, and Migration and Population. A Public Accounts Committee (PAC), which includes external expert members, scrutinises the spending of public finances. The real utility of the panels is said to be "that of independent critique which holds ministers to account and constructively engages with policy which is deficient". In May 2022, the Privileges & Procedures Committee published an updated assessment of how the island meets the

Commonwealth Parliamentary Association The Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA), previously known as the Empire Parliamentary Association, is an organisation which works to support good governance, democracy and human rights. In 1989 the patron of the CPA was the Head ...

's benchmarks for democratic legislatures. It reported that Jersey did not comply with the following benchmarks related to oversight of human rights: * The oversight authority of the national Legislature shall include effective oversight of compliance with international treaties and obligations, including international human right instruments ... * The Legislature shall establish a Human Rights Commission, or similar office, with the mandate to protect against human rights violations.

Voter turnout

Jersey has the lowest voter turnout of OECD countries. Turnout at Jersey's 2022 election was just 41.7% – the third lowest figure in the last 30 years.

Broadcasting and webcasting

Since 1986,

BBC Radio Jersey BBC Radio Jersey is the BBC's local radio station serving the Bailiwick of Jersey. It broadcasts on FM, AM, DAB+, Freeview and via BBC Sounds from studios on Parade Road in St Helier. According to RAJAR, the station has a weekly audience o ...

broadcasts the main States sittings live. In 2015, cameras were installed in the States Chamber to provide a live and on-demand video stream through the States Assembly website.

References

External links

*
Government of Jersey websiteJersey Elections siteCommonwealth Parliamentary Association article – Large 20MB file
{{coord, 49.18365, N, 2.10520, W, display=title Government of Jersey Law of Jersey

Political organisations based in Jersey

States Assembly