She says that the record from the minutes of 9 March reinforces the impression that members of the four scrutiny panels are not being treated the same as their ministerial colleagues.
The new Deputy, who topped the poll in St Helier No 2 in November, said: ‘We have a duty to our constituents, as well as being scrutiny members, because we are there to hold public meetings and consult members of the public.
So I think it is very much a discredit to the public and our constituents who voted for us.
We are not recognised as being part of the government.
I am a bit disappointed with the access to information and the barriers that have been put up.
It has been more difficult to access information than it should be, and how ministerial government claims it should be.’ Deputy Pitman put a question without notice to Chief Minister Frank Walker yesterday about the record from the meeting on 9 March, which states that ‘according to the States of Jersey Law, the executive and scrutiny were qualitatively and legally different and scrutiny was not defined as the “”government””‘.
Senator Walker told the House that he felt that scrutiny panels were part of government, but he was not yet satisfied that all members of the executive side of the House (ministers) and their scrutiny colleagues were working together to the benefit of Islanders.