Cost of supporting states members from 2000

​​​​​Request 809958437

(a) How much it cost in supporting states members (excluding their pay) in the years 2000 to 2005 and how many States Members there were in these years.

(b) How much it cost in supporting states members (excluding their pay) in the years 2020 to 2025 and how many States Members there were in these years.

Response

It is not possible to disaggregate the costs specific to supporting States Members from the overall work of the States Greffe.

(a) For the period 2000-2005 there were 53 elected Members.

The first States Assembly Annual Report was published for the year ended 2006 after the introduction of Ministerial Government in 2005. Prior to that time the services provided to States Members were of a substantially different nature to those presently provided.

The following figures are taken from the States of Jersey Financial reports and accounts for the relevant years –

2000 – £2,149,321

2001 – Information not held

2002 – Information not held

2003 – £2,474,014

2004 – £4,858,686

2005​ – £5,014,512

Article 3 of the Freedom of Information (Jersey) Law 2011 has been applied in respect of 2001 and 2002.

(b) For the period 2020-2025 there were 49 elected Members.

The services provided by the States Greffe and the associated costs are detailed in full within the States Assembly Annual Reports, available on the States Assembly Website.

States Assembly | Reports​

2020 - £4,049,008

2021​ - £4,335,808

2022 - £4,610,618

2023 - £5,313,821

2024​ - £6,432,824

Figures for 2025 will be provided in the States Assembly Annual Report for the year, which is due to be considered for publication and presentation to the States by the Privileges and Procedures Committee in April. Subject to the Committee’s approval, the report will then be made available.

Until such time as the Committee agrees to publish the report, its content is exempt from disclosure under Article 28 of the Freedom of Information (Jersey) Law 2011.

Article applied

Article 3 – Meaning of “information held by a public authority”

For the purposes of this Law, information is held by a public authority if –

(a) it is held by the authority, otherwise than on behalf of another person; or

(b) it is held by another person on behalf of the authority.

Article 28 – States Assembly privileges

(1) Information is absolutely exempt information if exemption from the obligation to disclose it under this Law is required to avoid an infringement of the privileges of the States Assembly.

(2) Except as provided by paragraph (3), a certificate signed by the Greffier of the States certifying that exemption is required to avoid an infringement of the privileges of the States Assembly is conclusive evidence of that fact.

(3) A person aggrieved by the decision of the Greffier of the States to issue a certificate under paragraph (2) may appeal to the Royal Court on the grounds that the Greffier did not have reasonable grounds for issuing the certificate.

(4) The decision of the Royal Court on the appeal shall be final.

This response has been issued on behalf of the States Greffe. The States Greffe is responsible for the information held by (and on behalf of) both itself and the States Assembly. Neither the States Assembly nor the States Greffe form part of the Government of Jersey and the Government was not involved either in the examination and retrieval of any information required for this response, nor in the drafting of the response itself.