Deputy Liam McKenna has submitted an amendment to Deputy Gavin St Pier’s Requête which seeks parliamentary reforms to give the island’s government more space and preference in the Royal Court building, which is also the home of the judiciary.

The political petition asks for the States chamber to be used first and foremost for government business, as well as the neighbouring Royal Court library and the downstairs Court 6, noted as being the least used and suitable courtroom, knocking court uses of those spaces down the pecking order.  

But Deputy McKenna wants the States to instead agree to consult with the Greffier “on the availability of suitable space and facilities for Members of the States during sittings of the States, and to report back to the States with any recommendations”. 

During a States Assembly & Constitution Committee meeting at the end of June, he raised concerns with and said he was “totally opposed” to the Requête. 

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Pictured: The States of Deliberation and the courts share the same building at the top of St Peter Port. 

He warned that child protection services would suffer as Court 6 is used for those purposes and said the room needs to be immediately available for that and not government meetings, while also fearing that the rest of the petition was a “trojan horse” to remove the Bailiff as the Presiding Officer of the States. 

Deputy McKenna sits on the Children’s Board. 

Officials advised that the Requête only sought investigations into freeing up that courtroom, while the remaining political members of SACC were content with the petition but highlighted that additional resources would be required for it to deliver on any of the investigations.  

His amendment has been seconded by Deputy David de Lisle.  

Pictured (top) Deputy Liam McKenna.