Jersey 'passes laws' using Microsoft Teams

Jersey has used Microsoft Teams to "pass laws and keep the country running" during lockdown, the vendor has said.

In a post on its website, Microsoft said the government held debates and proposed new legislation online, with members of the public also able to log on and watch proceedings.

Mark Egan, chief operating officer for Jersey's parliament, said: "It worked so well that if you closed your eyes you could believe you were in the States Assembly in the middle of a debate.

"It was critical for us that the members were still accountable to the public during lockdown. We didn't want a private meeting, we wanted the public to still be involved in the democratic process of Jersey."

Jersey's 49 ministers joined the sessions on Teams, with the chat function used to assign the next speaker.

The successful use of the collaboration tech will likely change the Island's plans beyond lockdown, with the government now reassessing its move to a larger premises - particularly with some sceptical ministers being won over by the effectiveness of the programme.

Deputy Scott Wickenden, assistant chief minister, said: "As a jurisdiction, we have always embraced technology.

"By the end of the year we hope to have 2gb connections to every household, based on our existing fibre connections.

"Before the lockdown the government had been looking at moving to a new office building. Now we are considering a smaller office and allowing people to work from home more regularly and dial in to virtual meetings on Teams. We can then use the money we have saved to help the public in other ways."