Constable of St Brelade: Questions and Answers

Because I felt there was a lack of clarity over the role of the Constables in the States, I sent both candidates for Constable of St Brelade a set of questions and answers, and these are exactly as I put them in the email, with the sentence about the Referendum first, and now with the responses from both candidates below after each question, and nothing extra added by myself.

This is purely for information for the voters.

I was concerned about who to put first in order, so I wrote their names on two small pieces of paper, and got my son - who had no idea of the reason - to pick a hand. This was a double-blind way of ensuring the order was entirely impartial.

I would like to thank both candidates for finding the time to respond so quickly to my email - which was sent out on Sunday, with both replies the same day.

Questions and Answers
The Referendum in 2014 said that 62% of voters thought the Constables should remain in the States, and had a high turnout of 39%.

Do you think the Constables should remain in the States?

Marilyn Carré: No, I do not. I believe the position of Connétable should be concentrated within the Parish. St Brelade for example, is a very large Parish, and therefore, I believe, needs that parochial concentration.  We all have views and visions which are wider than just the Parish, but these can be filtered down to the Deputies and Senators. This is why I belong to a political party rather than standing independently.

Mike Jackson: Yes I think the Constables should remain in the States. A referendum has decided this so lets move on.

Would you support a proposition to remove the Constables from the States?

Marilyn Carré: Yes I would.

Mike Jackson:  No I would not support a proposition to remove the Constables from the States because I believe they have a stabilising influence which may be especially important in a situation where there is a shortage of experienced States members.

Do you think there should be another Referendum first?

Marilyn Carré: Absolutely. It needs to be a democratic decision where reasons for and against are set out clearly for the public to make an informed decision upon.

Mike Jackson: We have already had a referendum so I would see little point in having another. However in the event that a constitutional change is deemed appropriate by a States decision a referendum would I believe be essential.

If the Constables are taken out of the States, should they be an unpaid role in the Parish or should their remuneration be funded by the ratepayer?

Marilyn Carré: It would still be a very time consuming role, and therefore some remuneration would need to be granted I feel. However, given the reduction in duties and thus responsibilities,  I would expect there to be a considerable reduction in how much was paid to that post holder. Whether or not it should be paid by the ratepayers would be a matter for future consideration, which I would want to discuss at length with my Party before making some snap, unconsidered comment at this point. We would not be talking a huge sum of course and so divided between the many constituents in the parish it would be negligible even if this were the case. Once again, I would expect the remuneration to be in keeping with the duties. There are various tools which are able to assess such tasks and give weighting to each. It is a tool which Civil Servant posts have been benchmarked by for many years. Obviously, there are others in the charitable sectors, and this might be a more appropriate direction to equate the role with.  

Mike Jackson: In the case that they had no States involvement whatsoever it would seem that any renumeration would have to come from ratepayers although this could be balanced by Constables taking on duties presently undertaken by paid Parish staff. The new role would require proper evaluation to arrive at a figure.

Would you be prepared to take on the role unpaid if the ratepayers refused to fund the position?

Marilyn Carré: I would personally struggle to occupy this role without any monetary remuneration as I am totally responsible for my own financial wellbeing, but a modest figure to cover every day living expenses would be perfectly acceptable. 

Mike Jackson: Yes albeit one would expect out of pocket expenses to be covered.

If offered or proposed a Ministerial role, would you turn it down?

Marilyn Carré: As this would be my first political role, I think I would prefer to do a thorough job as a Connétable of a large parish and see what that felt like. If, at a later date I felt it was possible to take on more, then I would consider the size of that commitment (depending upon which committee we were talking about) and see how that would effect established duties. My father taught me one very valuable lesson “don’t over promise and under deliver.” I try to keep his words at the back of my mind when committing to anything.

Mike Jackson: There is some uncertainty what ministerial roles will permeate from the re-shapeing of the present structure however  Parishes have significantly different workloads. In addition to this larger Parishes have a greater permanent staff which can have the effect of reducing the Constable's work. But I have no desire personally to take on such a role.

Do you think a Constable could be an Assistant Minister as that is not so onerous?

Marilyn Carré: As things stand, yes. It goes back to my father’s favourite quote above! Far better to do a few things well than to constantly have good intentions that are never fulfilled.

Mike Jackson:  I see no reason why not.

Do you think a Constable could be head of a Scrutiny panel?

Marilyn Carré: Given that Panels are made up of a chairperson and up to 4 other States Members - but not those who are Ministers or Assistant Ministers, yes I do. Each Panel can carry out Reviews as a Panel, or they can form sub-Panels to carry out specific Reviews so again, this could be another option if something has a particular bearing on the Parish.

Mike Jackson: Once again I see no reason why not.