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On 18 February the Policy Centre held a roundtable discussion on secondary education, with the recent Scrutiny Panel report as the starting point. Two key issues were identified - *The lack of ambition and vision for education in Jersey. *Inadequate data and therefore no transparency, particularly in respect of attainment. There is reluctance to identify what needs to be published and then getting on with it.

The Policy Centre has updated its Policy Brief on Housing to include the data from the latest Statistics Jersey report on housing costs.

The Policy Centre held a discussion meeting on 11 February on trust in the political system, based on a think piece, Restoring trust in Jersey politics, by the Centre’s Senior Adviser, Sir Mark Boleat. 50 people participated - members of the Centre’s Advisory Council, representatives of business, charities and government and people interested in the subject. Opening comments were made by Sir Mark Boleat, Lord Gus O’Donnell, former Head of the UK Civil Service, Alan Maclean, former Government minister, and Jennifer Carnegie, COO Amicus and former President of the Chamber of Commerce. There was then an open discussion.

Deputy Elaine Millar has introduced a proposition to reinstate the position of senator to come into effect for the 2026 election. A new Policy Brief describes the history of the role of senator and discusses points relevant to the issue. It is designed to inform the public discussion on the subject.

The Policy Centre Jersey has commissioned professional research organisation 4insight to conduct an independent poll with islanders on the important issues for them.The poll asks just two questions – What would you say is the most important issue facing Jersey today? (an open-ended question). What do you see as the other important issues facing Jersey today? (choosing four from a list of issues).

The Policy Centre has published a think piece by its Senior Advisor Mark Boleat "Restoring trust in Jersey politics". The paper analyses evidence from Jersey, the UK and internationally on the extent to which politicians are trusted. It draws on research by the OECD to suggest how trust in Jersey politics can be restored.

The Policy Centre has published it comments on the Scrutiny Panel report on secondary education. The Panel’s report quoted extensively from the Policy Centre’s submission on the structure of secondary education and measurement of attainment. Key points from the Centre’s comments on the report are –The report is an excellent analysis of the state of secondary education in Jersey. Not only is the analysis high quality but the report also includes a wealth of data that is not otherwise available.

The Policy Centre has published two new Policy Briefs – Alcohol Licensing and Entertainments Licensing - replacing a previous Brief which covered both issues.

The Policy Centre has published a new edition of its Policy Brief onPopulation Policy, to include the latest annual review of population policy. The paper records the growth of the population over the long term but noting that the total population has now been virtually stable since 2018. Since 2022 the Council of Ministers has been required to maintain a “common population policy” and to update that policy annually.

On 9 December the Children, Education and Home Affairs Scrutiny Panel published a report on Secondary Education Funding. A key finding in the report was that “there is a disconnect between the current system of academic selection in secondary education and the Government’s ambition to provide an inclusive education”. The Centre submitted evidence to the panel on selection at 14 and measurement of attainment, which is widely quoted in the report.

The Policy Centre held a discussion meeting on how Jersey can become a technologically advanced economy on 15 November 2024. Technology is the only industry capable of matching finance in terms of economic value to the Island. But it is not prioritised. Key points raised were immigration policy, regulation and skills.

On 15 November the Government announced a consultation on whether Beautiful Jersey should be adopted as Jersey’s national anthem and also whether Liberation Day, 9 May, should be adopted as Jersey's national day.The consultation is not accompanied by any analysis. The Policy Centre’s Knowledge Centre Paper, Jersey’s National Anthem , provides a comprehensive analysis of the issue, including the text and recording of the three alternative anthems – Beautiful Jersey, Island Home and Ma Normandie. The Knowledge Centre paper provides the essential information to enable people to make an informed response to the consultation.

The most recent report on house prices by Statistics Jersey is at first sight alarming. The 3rd quarter report, published on 7 November, reported that average prices were 12.0% lower than a year earlier. The fall was particularly pronounced for 4-bedroom houses (19.7%) and 1-bedroom flats (15.5%).The Centre’s Policy Brief on Housing has been updated to include the new data. The Brief includes calculations of the fall in house prices and rents taking account of the rise in prices generally -

The Policy Centre Jersey aims to improve the quality of the discussion on public policy issues. It therefore warmly welcomes the publication of the report by PwC and the Jersey Community Foundation.

The Policy Centre held a discussion meeting on energy policy on the morning of 26 September 2024. 45 people participated - members of the Centre’s Advisory Council, representatives of business and government and people interested in the subject.The discussion followed the publication of the Centre’s Policy Brief on Energy policy.