The States of Jersey Complaints Panel’s Annual Report for 2020 has been published by the Privileges and Procedures Committee.
In another busy year for the Panel, there were:
• 21 new formal complaints (compared to 23 in 2019)
• 10 complaints carried forward from 2019
• 18 informal enquiries
There were also three hearings held during 2020, at all of which the complaints were upheld.
Chairman of the Complaints Panel, Geoffrey Crill said: “We really appreciate officers from several departments who have been receptive to approaches from the Panel and tried to resolve complaints informally. Hearings should be the very last option. Most complainants simply want an apology and an acknowledgement that they have been poorly treated.”
However, Mr. Crill reported some instances where departments had not fully engaged with the complaints process and had instead claimed that some decisions did not fall within the Panel’s remit “This has got to be a serious cause for concern” he said “What are people supposed to do if they have been adversely affected by decisions and then the department concerned will not engage with the people trying to arbitrate?”
It was also noted that several historical cases had still not been fully resolved, even though those complaints had been upheld. “That anyone should be waiting years for the resolution of their complaint, should be a matter of great concern to the Chief Minister, his Council of Ministers and to all States Members.” said Mr. Crill.
Islanders can log onto the complaints page on the States Assembly website for more information.