Jersey has moved from a traditional committee system of government to a modern ministerial system while retaining elements of its ancient system which are among the most democratic provisions in the world in ensuring parliamentary supremacy over the executive, writes the Greffier of the States.
Mr de la Haye is Greffier of the States (Clerk of the States Assembly). He has worked in the public sector in Jersey since 1986 and joined the States Greffe (Clerk's Office) in 1999 as Assistant Greffier of the States. He was appointed as Deputy Greffier in 2000 and as Greffier in 2002.
derived from the French word États, signifying the three estates (the court, the clergy and the people) from which the Assembly was originally composed. The powers and duties of the States
J
were most recently defined in the States of Jersey Law 2005 and the Standing Orders of the States made under that law.
Jersey is a self-governing Crown
dependency and, as explained elsewhere in this supplement, the States Assembly is one of the oldest Legislatures in the Commonwealth with minutes being recorded as far back as 1524. As
ersey has a unicameral Legislative Assembly known as the States of Jersey, the word States having
legislation (called "Laws") is subject to sanction by Her Majesty in Council. The States Assembly comprises 53
elected Members (from a voting population in 2005 of 54,417) all of whom, despite the different methods of their election, have an equal right to speak and vote. There are 3 categories of elected Member:
l 12 Senators, serving for a term of six
years; l 12 Connétables, one for each of the island's parishes, and serving for a term
of three years; and l 29 Deputies, serving for a term of three years.
Mr Michael de la Haye.
Jersey's Legislature the functions of the Assembly are primarily legislative, but the Assembly also has considerable executive powers, including the appointment of the Chief Minister and Ministers who are entrusted with executive authority for the day-to-day government of the island. The States Assembly has full
legislative authority within the Bailiwick, save that the adoption of primary
The Bailiff of Jersey is appointed by the Crown and is President of the States. He acts as its Speaker and has no political power. In the Assembly, as Speaker, he has
the right to speak but this is customarily only exercised for the purpose of managing the proceedings and preserving order. He has no casting vote; if the votes on a matter are equally divided it is determined in the negative. The Deputy Bailiff discharges the