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Payroll expenditure savings

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WQ.45/2023

WRITTEN QUESTION TO THE CHAIR OF THE STATES EMPLOYMENT BOARD

BY DEPUTY M.B. ANDREWS OF ST. HELIER NORTH

QUESTION SUBMITTED ON MONDAY 13th FEBRUARY 2023

ANSWER TO BE TABLED ON MONDAY 20th FEBRUARY 2023

Question

Further to the response to Written Question 14/2023 and the increase in the States of Jersey headcount from 1,015 since 2018, will the Chair advise whether savings in payroll expenditure will be made in future Government Plans across this term of office?

Answer

Our focus is supporting and investing in the delivery of frontline services. These services must be efficient and deliver value for taxpayers, which means a close eye must be maintained on overall headcount.

Ministers do not necessarily consider that future Government Plans will result in either a reduction in headcount and/or a reduction in payroll expenditure. The two are also not interlinked – headcount could be reduced whilst overall payroll expenditure increases (for example, due to pay awards), or vice-versa.

Ministers recognise, however, that in respect of headcount, the public service cannot continue to employ more people every year at the rate seen since 2018. Numbers need to be stabilised, and growth in some areas will need to be balanced with savings elsewhere, which is work the Government is currently undertaking through its Value for Money Review.