About the States Assembly

The States Assembly – Jersey’s elected parliament is made up of 49 States Members, including:

Deputies elected to represent the interests of their Parishes in the States as well as engaging in wider issues affecting the whole island. Some Parishes with a large population have more than one Deputy and some, for example St. Helier, are divided into multiple districts. Parishes with smaller populations have only one Deputy for the whole Parish.

Constables – also known as Connétables. They have a dual role as both head of the Parish and States Member.

Constituency Work

All States Members work directly with residents of their district/constituency to help them resolve any problems.

Their work can involve helping constituents directly such as making sure that they get the correct social security benefits, or resolving a planning dispute. Members receive many phone calls and emails from constituents on a daily basis.

States Meetings

The States Assembly meets every three weeks, with breaks at Christmas, Easter and during the summer.

Members need to read and research the main issues to be debated so that they can participate in the discussions and bring amendments if their constituents would be disadvantaged by any proposals, or where their constituents have expressed strong views.

States meetings typically start at 9:30am and usually finish around 5:30pm but last as long as it takes to finish debating all matters on the Order Papers, which are published on the States Assembly website. You can watch meetings live online or catch-up by watching recordings of the meeting on the States Assembly website.

Ministers, Committees and Scrutiny Panels

Many Members are appointed to specific roles, which include:

  • Minister
  • Assistant Minister
  • Chairman/member of the Public Accounts Committee
  • Planning Applications Panel
  • Scrutiny Panel
  • Privileges and Procedures Committee

These roles involve participating in meetings, making decisions on policy, scrutinising policy and improving procedures.

States Members’ telephone numbers are found in the front of the telephone directory, and full contact details are listed on the States Assembly website. The public can contact any of the States Members for help.