Some people are asking whether deputies are asking more Rule 14 questions, after Deputy Ross Le Brun’s use of the formal questioning process was called into question.
The issue came into sharp focus this week after Express revealed that Environment and Infrastructure (E&I) had taken the unprecedented decision to publish how long it took to answer two of Deputy Le Brun’s questions – the first time this information has been published.
E&I President Deputy Adrian Gabriel later told Express the intention wasn’t to “discourage” Deputy Le Brun, but then said it could take civil servants away from their “core responsibilities” and even delay projects.
VERDICT: Partly true
Deputies are asking substantially more Rule 14 questions than they were before 2021, but there is no clear evidence that the number is continuing to rise.
To find out more detail, read on…
Have Rule 14s risen?
The figures show that Rule 14s have clearly become more common since 2021.
That does not, however, mean they are continuing to rise.
Since the jump in 2021, the figures have fluctuated rather than followed a clear upward trend.
In fact, there appears to be a slight drop off since 2021, with 81 the whole of that year and just 40 in the first nine months of 2026.
The highest quarter in the dataset was actually the first three months of 2015, when 37 Rule 14s were asked.
The increase is part of a wider rise in formal scrutiny of the States.
Express previously reported that FOI requests had increased from 15 in 2016 to 164 in 2025, with requests rising particularly sharply from 2023 onwards.
