Covid-19 Legislation (FOI)

Request

Please provide a list of all COVID-19 legislation in chronological order. 

Please also provide details as to when each piece of legislation was first talked about up to when the law became active including but not limited to primary discussions, voting on, the draft, actual writing, the checking and passing of the law or act.

Response 

Please see a list of all COVID-19 legislation in chronological order in the attached document. 

Table.pdf

To provide dates of the primary discussion, the draft, the writing, and the checking of each piece of legislation would exceed the cost limit provisions set out in the Freedom of Information (Costs) (Jersey) Regulations 2014. Article 16(1) of the Freedom of Information (Jersey) Law has been applied.  

Whilst it is not possible to provide the date at which each piece of legislation was first talked about, please note the date that the first Competent Authorities Ministers meeting took place was 23 March 2020. These meetings were set up to ensure transparency and accountability of the decision-making processes and principles adopted by the Competent Authorities Ministers to justify policy in response to the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Information on voting and the Hansard of each debate is accessible by searching for each piece of legislation on www.statesassembly.gov.je.  Please see the following link: 

Propositions (statesassembly.gov.je)

As this information is publicly available, Article 23 of the Freedom of Information (Jersey) Law 2011 has been applied.

Further information is available in the minutes from the Scientific and Technical Advisory Cell (STAC) meetings which can be accessed via the link below: 

About the Scientific and Technical Advisory Cell (STAC) and meeting minutes (gov.je)

Pages 101-105 of the Compendium of self-assessment questionnaires submitted to the Jersey Independent Covid-19 Review Panel also contain information on the approach to legislation. Please see the following link: 

Report of the Jersey Independent Covid-19 Review Self-Assessment (gov.je)

Articles applied 

Article 16 - A scheduled public authority may refuse to supply information if cost excessive

(1) A scheduled public authority that has been requested to supply information may refuse to supply the information if it estimates that the cost of doing so would exceed an amount determined in the manner prescribed by Regulations. 

(2) Despite paragraph (1), a scheduled public authority may still supply the information requested on payment to it of a fee determined by the authority in the manner prescribed by Regulations for the purposes of this Article.

(3) Regulations may provide that, in such circumstances as the Regulations prescribe, if two or more requests for information are made to a scheduled public authority –

(a) by one person; or

Article 23 - Information accessible to applicant by other means

(1) Information is absolutely exempt information if it is reasonably available to the applicant, otherwise than under this Law, whether or not free of charge.

(2) A scheduled public authority that refuses an application for information on this ground must make reasonable efforts to inform the applicant where the applicant may obtain the information.