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Legalising cannabis, keeping a tighter rein on States salaries and properly compensating victims of asbestos - if you taking petitions as a barometer of public option, those are three of the main issues concerning Jersey residents today.
A new facility on the States of Jersey website now means you can petition the government directly. In the past campaigners had to get those backing their cause to sign a paper petition and then get a States member to present it to the assembly. E-petitioning does away with all that. So far the asbestos compensation petition has gained the most signatures, with around 386.
Anyone who is a Jersey resident and aged over 16 can set up a petition, and the new site gives guidance on how to go about it:
E-petitions which attract 1,000+ signatures within six months will automatically be referred to the relevant States of Jersey Minister for a response, and petitions which attract 5,000+ will be considered for debate by politicians in the States Assembly.
In the guidance notes on the site it says, “A debate might not happen if the issue has already been debated recently or there’s a debate scheduled for the near future. If that’s the case, we’ll tell you how you can find out more about States Assembly debates on the issue raised by your petition.”
There are currently four live petitions on the site, you can click on the heading to sign one of them:
1. Provide resources for cochlear implanted children to be checked in Jersey
It reads: “It is difficult for people with medical needs to have to travel to London for the whole day for an hour’s appointment. Many children over here with cochlear implants are in this position. It costs States money for travel expenses and it’s a traumatic experience for the children. There is also no help if processors become damaged, broken etc, or if equipment needs checking. In addition, cancellations due to travel disruption cause children to miss appointments because of the difficulty of rearranging them. The States should provide the resources for children with cochlear implants to be checked in the Island.”
2. Provide compensation for Asbestos victims
It reads: “Asbestos kills around three people in the island each year from mesothelioma, an incurable deadly disease. Many governments have long accepted that these people have been failed by a previous lack of safety measures and have provided compensation. Jersey has no compensation scheme and access to justice is largely denied as many people exposed to asbestos cannot sue an employer who no longer exists. Others may have been exposed in the home or school. Mesothelioma has no viable treatment and no cure. Life expectancy is 12- 18 months.”
3. Remove cannabis from Schedule One & not just the States/MDAC approved products.
It reads; “This petition is dedicated to getting the States of Jersey to legalise cannabis, at the very least it should be legalised for medical purposes so as not to punish those in need. If we legalise cannabis the move would have numerous benefits outside of the obvious medicinal ones. This would increase tourism, decrease crime rates, curb the opioid/prescription drug epidemic, add numerous (new) taxable revenue streams/fees with added GST, decrease unemployment and take money away from criminal organisations. Cannabis is a wellness medication with curative & palliative qualities, the APPG Barnes report confirmed this, yet cannabis remains in Schedule One meaning the States consider it to have no therapeutic value, no medicinal properties."
4. Fix highest Public Servant salary at 5x average earnings.
It reads: "As a multiple of average earnings Jersey currently pays its highest paid public servant 9.26x average earnings. This compares unfavourably with 5.2x in the UK (the second highest in Europe) and 2x in Norway."
Greffier of the States, Mark Egan, commented: “We have re-designed our website and introduced modernised functionality to help make it quicker and easier for the people of Jersey to find out about the work of the States Assembly and States members online. E-petitions will allow Islanders to express their views to the Assembly and to Ministers quickly and easily, helping everyone in the Island to play a part in Jersey’s democratic process.”
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