Policy on treatment of written evidence by Scrutiny Panels

Evidence in public domain.

This information lets you know how Scrutiny Panels in Jersey will deal with any information sent in response to calls for evidence and any subsequent correspondence.

Most people who submit evidence want it to be put in the public domain. In addition, the Jersey Scrutiny Panels are committed to being open in their dealings in accordance with Standing Order 138(6)

Information under confidential cover

All evidence will be published except in the most exceptional of circumstances and we may also include it in the hard copy of any Panel report. Therefore, if you wish your evidence to be treated as confidential, please contact the Scrutiny Officer to the relevant Scrutiny Panel, before you submit your evidence.

Whilst it is normally for the relevant Panel to decide whether the evidence can be accepted on a confidential basis, once this has been agreed, all confidential documents will be treated in the strictest confidence

There are a few situations where we do not publish all the evidence sent to us. This may be for practical reasons or for legal reasons. Examples of practical reasons are where the number of submissions we receive does not make this possible or where we receive a large number of submissions in very similar terms. In that case, we would normally publish only a list of the names of people who have submitted evidence.

In addition, there may be a few situations where we may not choose to publish your evidence or have to edit it before publication for legal reasons.

Data Protection (Jersey) Law 2005

The Panels must comply with the Data Protection (Jersey) Law 2005. This affects what information about living people we can make public.

When we publish your evidence, we will not publish your signature or your personal contact information (like your home telephone number or your home address).

We may also have to edit information which can identify another living person who has not specifically given their consent to have information about them made public.

In these situations, Panel members will have access to the full text of your evidence, even if it has not been published in full. Anonymous submissions are not accepted.

If you consider that evidence that you plan to submit may raise issues concerning the Data Protection Law, please contact the Scrutiny Officer of the relevant Panel before you submit your evidence.

Potentially defamatory material

Typically, the Panels will not publish defamatory statements or material. If we think your submission contains potentially defamatory material, we will return it to you with an invitation to substantiate the comments or remove them. In these circumstances if the evidence is returned to us and it still contains material which we consider may be defamatory, it may have to be destroyed.

Please contact the Scrutiny Office for further, more detailed information