Correspondence between Jersey and UK regarding Gaza (FOI)

Request 698693645

In recent email correspondence in relation to the ongoing genocide in Gaza, the External Relations Office has stated to me "The External relations minister has engaged directly with UK Ministerial counterparts on multiple occasions since the outbreak of the conflict in October 2023". 

I would like to see all correspondence between the Jersey Government and UK Ministerial counterparts since October 7th 2023 in relation to Gaza.

Thank you

Response

On 13 March 2024, following the debate in the States Assembly on the situation in Israel and Gaza held on 27 February 2024, the Minister for External Relations wrote to Mike Freer MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, UK Ministry of Justice. The letter was published on 29 May 2024 and can be found here: 

Letter from the Minister for External Relations to the UK Crown Dependencies Minister.​

On 12 September 2024, following the UK General Election, the Minister for External Relations wrote to Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State UK Ministry of Justice. The letter is attached to this response.

​The Minister for External Relations meets frequently with UK Ministers and Parliamentarians as part of his London engagement programme and will raise international matters in which Jersey has an interest, including the Israel-Gaza conflict and the decision of the States Assembly, where relevant during the course of those discussions. The Government of Jersey does not hold information relating to these meetings. Therefore Article 3 of the Freedom of Information (Jersey) Law 2011 applies.

Article applied 

Article 3 - Meaning of “information held by a public authority” 

For the purposes of this Law, information is held by a public authority if –

(a)     it is held by the authority, otherwise than on behalf of another person; or

(b)     it is held by another person on behalf of the authority. ​