Time Commitment

States' Meetings

States' Members are expected to attend all meetings of the States of Deliberation and the States of Election. There are some exceptions to this, such as when travelling out of the island on government or Assembly business, and providing the Bailiff has been informed in advance.

Preparation time for a States’ Meeting is dependent upon the complexity of the proposals before the States, how many items the Member wishes to speak on and whether the Member is proposing or seconding any amendments.

In any event, preparation time frequently includes attending briefings organised by States’ Committees whose proposals are about to be debated, and by stakeholders and interest groups who are affected by the proposals. It is unlikely that a Member could be properly informed on every matter before a busy States’ Meeting without considerable preparation time.

Committee Meetings

The workload of a Deputy will vary greatly depending upon the number of Committee memberships held, the portfolio of the Committee(s) and the number and activity of its Sub-Committees, if any. Committees with broad portfolios typically meet at least once a fortnight – sometimes weekly – for half-a-day. Papers, which can run to well over 100 pages of A4, are typically circulated a few days before meetings.

Constituency Work

A Deputy’s workload working directly with members of the community may vary considerably depending on how much constituency work they decide to take on.