Government
Jersey is a parliamentary democracy that is a dependency of the British Crown. It is a British island, but is not part of the United Kingdom, nor is it a colony. The Island’s link with the United Kingdom and the rest of the Commonwealth is through Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, who as the Sovereign is the Head of State. The Sovereign is represented in the Island by the Lieutenant Governor, through whom official communications with the Lord Chancellor on behalf of Her Majesty’s government in the United Kingdom are directed.
The Island’s parliament is the States of Jersey, which consists of 53 elected members from a mix of island wide and parochial constituencies. The States are divided into 10 departments, each of them has a Minister and Assistant Minister, sometimes more than one. Departments deal with different sides of Island life including Health, Education and Economic Development. Remaining States members include a Chief Minister who presides over the whole of the States and various scrutiny panels who scrutinise and monitor States policies.
Acts of the Westminster Parliament do not apply routinely to the Island. For convenience, however, United Kingdom legislation does from time to time include the Island directly or by extension by order of Her Majesty in Council, with such amendments as may be required; but in each case only with consent given that the Island sends no representatives to Westminster. By convention the United Kingdom has assumed responsibility for the Island’s foreign affairs, but even in those matters, the United Kingdom only acts with the consent of the States of Jersey. Accordingly, the States can, and frequently does, legislate independently to implement international agreements. The administration is in effect parallel with that of the United Kingdom rather than subordinate to it.
The Island has a special relationship with the European Union by virtue of Protocol 3 to the United Kingdom’s Treaty of Accession to the European Economic Community.