Tuesday 24 July 2018

The States in 1988 – Part 1

















The States in 1988 – Part 1

It is interesting to look back at the States of 1988, thirty years ago! Today’s States sits between about 30 to around 60 times a year. Back in 1988, they only sat 28 times in a year, and had reached a maximum for the decade of 38 in 1987 – a rare event!

The first sitting was 19th January, 1988.

New JEC Substations

Notable was the granting of leases to the JEC for electric substations:

“as recommended by the Public Works Committee, the leasing to The Jersey Electricity Company Limited of sites for electricity sub-stations at the Central Market and the Minden Place Multi-Storey Car Park, for a period of 99 years, commencing 25th December, 1987, at an annual rent of £1 for each site, with all payments commuted forward to the inception of the agreement, and the granting, free of charge, to the company of any servitudes required for high tension cables, with each side being responsible for the payment of its own legal fees”

St Helier was expanding, and the demand for electricity was also growing, hence the need for more substations. There are now almost 800 substations in the Island.

Currently a new sub-station is taking place at the start of the inner road to ensure sufficient supply to the West of Town. April 2018 saw the installation of the two Italian-mantactured transformers at the new £17m primary substation St Helier West being constructed on the disused Westmount quarry site.

New Toilets at La Haule.

A new toilet block was also to be built at La Haule:

“the Public Works Committee had accepted the lowest of five tenders, namely that submitted by B. & C. Contractors Limited in the sum of £47,412.68 in a contract period of 20 weeks for the construction of public toilets at La Haule, St. Brelade”

That’s about £127,000 in today’s money!

Referendum: testing the water

With no firm date for debate, Senator John Rothwell lodged Referendum: introduction of legislation. P.15/87. It seems nothing came of that. Back in 1988, there was no appetite for asking the people what they thought!

The Figures that Don’t Add Up

Meanwhile there were major problems at Highlands, prompting the setting up of the “Highlands College lecturers: Committee of Inquiry”

THE STATES, adopting a Proposition of the Education Committee –

(a) appointed a Committee of Inquiry under Article 30 of the States of Jersey Law, 1966 –

(i) to inquire into allegations of misuse of public resources, and other malpractices, by Highlands College lecturers engaged in public business activities; and

(ii) in so doing, to consider the need to regulate the private business activities of teachers and lecturers employed by the Education Committee; and to report thereon to the States; and

b) agreed that the Committee so appointed should be designated a Committee of Inquiry for the purposes of Articles 41 to 46 inclusive and Article 49 of the said Law.

Senator Pierre François Horsfall was appointed as President of the Committee of Inquiry into allegations of malpractices by Highlands College lecturers engaged in public business activities, with fellow members Senator Betty Brooke, Deputy Edgar John Becquet of Trinity and Deputy Graham Huelin of St. Brelade.

Help for the Mentally Handicapped.
More was starting finally to be done for those who needed support because of varying degrees of mental handicap.

THE STATES, adopting a Proposition of the Public Health Committee – approved the purchase of a property for the development of a community home for people with a mental handicap subject to the Finance and Economics Committee’s approval of the price and the Island Development Committee’s approval of the use of the site.

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