Gifts and Hospitality (FOI)

​Request

From the Code of Conduct;

Gifts, hospitality, travel or any other perceived benefits, which should generally not be accepted, other than in so far as offence may be caused if refused, or where the gift may be appropriately displayed by a Department. Where accepted, items over £40 should be recorded in departmental gift registers.

Could you please provide a list of all gifts registered by all States members, whether in a Department or as a back bencher, since the Election of 2014?

Please note that in the case of married women, this should include anything registered in their maiden name or married name.

Response

Each States member must complete a ‘Statement of Interests’ form. The criteria for completion of the forms is laid out in Schedule 2 (Register of Interests of Elected Members) of the Standing Orders of the States of Jersey. A link to the legislation can be found below:

Register of Interests of Elected Members

The hard copies of the forms are kept in the States Assembly Information Centre in Morier House and the public can go in and look through the forms. The forms are also uploaded to the States Assembly website – however you will need to go in to each individual member’s profile to find them. Below is the link to the member’s details page on the website:

States Assembly website - Members

Article 23 of the Freedom of Information (Jersey) Law 2011 (the Law) allows an authority to refuse a request where information is accessible to the applicant by other means.

Previous responses to this question have been published. For your ease of reference we have attached a link to the relevant answers.

Gifts and Hospitality register 2014 to 2016 (FOI)

The attached spreadsheet provides the detail of all gifts received by each Minister / Assistant Minister for 2017. Personal information relating to individuals has been removed under Article 25 (Personal Information) of the Law.

Gifts and Hospitality 2017

Articles applied

Article 23 Information accessible to applicant by other means

(1) Information is absolutely exempt information if it is reasonably available to the applicant, otherwise than under this Law, whether or not free of charge.

(2) A scheduled public authority that refuses an application for information on this ground must make reasonable efforts to inform the applicant where the applicant may obtain the information.

Article 25 Personal information

(1) Information is absolutely exempt information if it constitutes personal data of which the applicant is the data subject as defined in the Data Protection (Jersey) Law 2005.

(2) Information is absolutely exempt information if –

(a) it constitutes personal data of which the applicant is not the data subject as defined in the Data Protection (Jersey) Law 2005; and

(b) its supply to a member of the public would contravene any of the data protection principles, as defined in that Law.