Billet d'Etat Preparation

1. Rule 1(1) of the Rules of Procedure of the States of Deliberation provides that a meeting of the States shall be convened by the Presiding Officer by means of a Billet d'État containing particulars of the matters to be debated thereat together with propositions designed to enable the States to take Resolutions thereon.

2. Rule 1(3) states that a Billet d'État shall normally be issued not less than 5 weeks before the date of the meeting to which it relates but
(a) Not less than 3 weeks in the case of a meeting for the consideration of the Annual Budget or Annual Accounts of the States,

(b) Not less than 2 weeks in the case of a meeting at which the only business is the election of a Chief Minister, a Deputy Chief Minister, Ministers, Chairmen and Members of Departments and Committees.

3. The "matters" for debate referred to above are defined in Rule 2 as being -
Reports by States Departments and Committees
Requêtes signed by 7 or more Members of the States.

4. Reports of all Departments and Committees (other than Parliamentary Committees) must be submitted to the Policy Council at least 11 weeks before the date of the meeting convened by the Billet d'État. The Policy Council may agree a shorter period of notice in particular cases. Both the Policy Council and the Treasury and Resources Department are entitled to append statements to the reports setting out their respective views thereon.

5. Reports of Parliamentary Committees are submitted to the Presiding Officer rather than the Policy Council. The Policy Council has no right to comment on such reports but the Treasury and Resources Department may comment thereon when the report has financial or other resource implications.

6. The mandate of the Policy Council (paragraph (a)(xv)) gives it the responsibility for the preparation of the Agenda for meetings of the States of Deliberation and the States of Election.

7. A Billet d'État opens with a convening notice signed by the Bailiff stating the date, time and venue of the meeting.

8. The order of business is determined by the Policy Council but is normally then set out in the following order:

Matters for debate:
Legislation -
Projets de Loi
Ordinances
Elections
Policy Council Reports
Department Reports
Committee Reports
Requêtes

Matters not for debate:
Legislation laid before the States
Ordinances
Statutory Instruments
Appendices

9. Each report for debate is followed by one or more propositions upon which the States are asked to vote. Their decisions are known as Resolutions of the States.