Making a complaint to the States of Jersey Complaints Panel
The States of Jersey Complaints Panel deals with complaints relating to Ministerial decisions or maladministration.
Members of the Complaints Panel (from which the Boards are made up) are not States Members and are completely independent. They provide this free service on a voluntary basis. If the Chair, Deputy Chair, or members of the Panel, have a conflict of interest, they will not participate in a Board.
If you think you have a case, contact our team by:
- phone on +44 (0) 1534 441016 for an informal discussion about your case
- email at complaintsboard@gov.je with details of your complaint and any relevant documentation
- writing to the Greffier of the States, Mrs L. Hart, States Greffe, Morier House, Halkett Place, St Helier, Jersey, JE1 1DD. Include details of your complaint and relevant documents
Next steps
Once we have all the details of your case, we will contact the relevant Department or Minister for a response. They will have 2 weeks in which to provide this.
- When the response has been received, we will share the details of the complaint with the Chair of the Panel and 2 members of the Panel for review.
- The Chair will decide whether the case falls within the Panel's remit and whether a public hearing should be arranged to investigate the matter further.
- Should a hearing be convened, both the complainant and the Minister or Department involved will be given the opportunity to outline the case.
- The Complaints Board will consider what they have heard in private and publish a report with findings and recommendations.
It may be the case that the Chair will seek to resolve the issue informally rather than through a formal hearing. However, if it's agreed that a hearing should be convened, we will provide support in gathering any documentation required and summarising the case.
If the Chair decides not to convene a hearing, complainants can appeal this decision within one month. Both Deputy Chairs will review the decision.
We make every effort to hold a hearing within 14 weeks of the receipt of your complaint. However, there may be times when the process is lengthier, particularly where a complainant appeals against the decision not to convene a hearing.
How to complain to the States Complaints Board
Administrative Decisions (Review) (Jersey) Law 1982
The Board's findings and final report
After a hearing the Board will consider what it has heard and produce a report with their findings and recommendations. The Greffier of the States will then send this report to you, as well as to the relevant Minister or Department for fact checking. A final report will also be sent to the Privileges and Procedures Committee for presentation to the States.
The relevant Minister is required to respond in the States Assembly to the findings.
If you want to find out more, get in touch with our team or see our annual report.
Complaints Panel annual report 2023
Complaints Board's findings in the complaint by Ms. Hay against the Minister for the Environment, regarding the approval of planning application Reference P/2023/0229 granted to La Mare Vineyard, La Rue De La Hougue Mauger, St Mary (R.143-2024)
gov.je