States to discuss delaying new minister role

Jersey politicians are being asked to delay the creation of a minister for planning and regulation.

Senator Lyndon Farnham has nominated Senator Mark Boleat for the new ministerial position, with the election set to happen later in the States Assembly.

The role focuses on "planning matters and work to deliver an improved regulatory environment".

However, Deputy Tom Coles has lodged a proposition that calls for the new ministerial position to be delayed until there are more details on additional costs and staffing.

Planning and regulation matters are currently under the portfolio of the minister for the environment.

In his report on the creation of the role, Chief Minister Lyndon Farnham wrote the role "will also enable the minister for the environment to focus on the environment and take on responsibilities for the agriculture and marine sectors; functions which are currently assigned to the minister for sustainable economic development".

However, Deputy Tom Coles said: "The report that came to create the new minister for planning and regulation came with very little detail, especially around the cost and staffing implications, it seemed to be quite rushed.

"I think before making such a decision that splits a department in this way, the State's Assembly needs to be fully briefed and fully informed about the potential cost implications if nothing more."

Coles also explained that the creation of the office runs contrary to the democratic accountability and governance sub-committee report.

He said: "In this report it highlights that ministers should be responsible for a single department to ensure that the lines of political accountability are there as well as reporting into a single chief officer, again this split by creating another minister under this portfolio means there will be three ministers reporting into one chief officer, so who has the full line of political responsibility and accountability for that department?"

Coles also said he felt the position had been created on "a whim".

"I think there's an element of this which is about giving somebody a title, because there's already the delegated functions that have been handed to an assistant minister for these roles," he said.

"Now there's absolutely nothing preventing them from carrying on doing this under these delegated functions meaning that there is a minister who still sits above the assistant minister who will get the final say if something isn't quite going the way they expect it to.

"I think the chief minister has a very difficult tough job to make sure they have enough people to back them so they can deliver at the top job and sometimes you have to make offers to make people happy rather than the most sensible option."

The BBC has approached the chief minister for comment.

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