States Chamber which was first opened in 1887 and which has changed little over the last 120 years apart from the installation of certain equipment such as sound recording and the electronic voting system. On each meeting day the business of
the Assembly starts in French to reflect the island's French tradition. After the formal entry of the Bailiff, the Greffier (Clerk) calls the roll of Members in French and this is followed by Prayers
Assembly is by way of a proposition (or "projet") which is either a proposition of legislation or a business proposition which requires some definite action to be taken. Propositions are usually presented to the States by Ministers, but individual Members also have almost unlimited scope to present propositions on their own behalf.
The system of government While the States Assembly serves as the
States for new legislation and major capital projects. They will not normally embark on major new policies without States approval. Each new Council of Ministers must,
within four months of its appointment, bring to the States for debate a draft Strategic Plan setting out the main policies which it wishes to pursue during its term of office and, once the Plan is approved, Ministers are expected to work within this policy framework. Members who are not in the executive
can be appointed as Members of a scrutiny panel or of the Public Accounts Committee. There are currently five scrutiny panels covering all aspects of ministerial responsibilities and each has dedicated subject areas. States Members can serve on up to
two panels at a time. Each panel can have up to five permanent Members and can also appoint other non-executive Members to a sub-panel to review a particular topic. The panels, which have similar
functions and powers to select or scrutiny committees in other Parliaments, scrutinize the existing and proposed policy of the executive, review draft legislation and conduct reviews on matters of public importance. The Public Accounts Committee
The States Chamber was officially opened in 1887.
read in French by the Dean of Jersey. All Members are invited to join in the Lord's Prayer. After these formalities the business
normally continues in English although any Member can, if he or she so wishes, address the Assembly in French. The first two hours of each fortnightly meeting are allocated to Questions with up to 90 minutes of Oral Questions with Notice followed by two 15 minute periods of Oral Questions without Notice. Two Ministers answer questions without notice at each meeting with the Chief Minister answering at every second meeting. If there are any Statements on Matters of Official Responsibility these follow Question Time before the Assembly moves to consideration of Public Business. This represents the great majority of the Assembly's business. Decision-making in the States
island's Legislature, with some executive powers, the day-to-day administration of the island's government has, since December 2005, been entrusted to a Chief Minister and nine Ministers who sit together as a Council of Ministers. Ministers are assisted by Assistant Ministers; but the total number of Assistant Ministers cannot exceed 13, thereby ensuring that the Chief Minister, Ministers and Assistant Ministers (collectively referred to as the "executive") are always in a minority in the Assembly. The Chief Minister, Ministers and
Assistant Ministers must all be Members of the States. Ministers have legal responsibility for matters falling within their portfolio and they must operate within the annual budget voted to their department by the Assembly. In addition, they must obtain the approval of the
seeks to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of public administration, usually by examining and holding hearings on reports prepared by Jersey's Comptroller and Auditor General. The Chairman of the PAC must be a Member of the States, but the remaining membership of the committee is split equally between Members of the States and persons who are not. All nominations for membership must nevertheless be approved by the Assembly.
The appointments process Every three years, immediately following the elections for Senators and Deputies, the 53 elected Members meet to appoint a Chief Minister. All 53 Members of the States are
eligible to stand for this position. Members who wish to be selected must give advance notification of their intention to stand and, after addressing the Assembly and being questioned individually, a ballot or ballots are held until one candidate receives the support of a majority of Members.