Scrutiny concerned by lack of detail in Government spending plans
Scrutiny
22 November 2024
Scrutiny concerned by lack of detail in Government spending plansA comprehensive Scrutiny review of the proposed Government Budget 2025-2028 (Government Plan) has raised issues of a lack of detail and transparency of information in the spending of public money. In addition, there are concerns over the monitoring and reporting of the Budget amid no accompanying detail to inform on progress for the preceding year, or departmental Business Plans for 2025.
All five Scrutiny Panels conducted their own reviews into the Government’s revenue and spending proposals for 2025, with the Corporate Services Scrutiny Panel (CSSP) taking the lead in reporting on the overarching recommendations, which are supported by all Panels. CSSP and the other Panels have also lodged nine Amendments to the Budget.
The main overarching recommendations from the CSSP include:
- That supporting information is published at the same time as the Budget in future to ensure transparency and clarity in departmental spending plans.
- That a mechanism is established to provide monitoring and progress reports.
- That a communications plan is developed to actively engage the public.
- That a risk assessment is undertaken to understand the trade-offs that will incur as a result of reprioritisation plans aligned with the Common Strategic Policy.
- That as restructuring and reprioritisation continues it is monitored to assess the impact on service delivery and staff retention.
- That investment is made in robust high quality and timely data models to be used in decision-making.
- That Sustainable Wellbeing is embedded in all future Budgets and Gender Responsive Budgeting is developed.
‘A constant theme throughout all of the Scrutiny hearings with Ministers, was the lack of detail in the spending plans. Headline figures have been provided, but no Departmental Business Plans or information on exactly what that money is being spent on. this raises issues of transparency, along with a concern that this is a short-term outlook Budget which is reducing budgets at the potential expense of public services for which no evidence of risk considerations are apparent.’
You can read the full report by the Corporate Services Scrutiny Panel on our website
Amendments to the Budget from Scrutiny Panels:
- Amendment 3: Corporate Services Panel. Statistics Jersey Funding: Read more
- Amendment 4: Corporate Services Panel. Public Services Ombudsman: Read more
- Amendment 5: Children, Education and Home Affairs Panel. Apprenticeship Support. Read more
- Amendment 6: Hospital Review Panel. To provide a breakdown of expenditure for the new Healthcare Facilities. Read more
- Amendment 10: Health and Social Security Panel. Funding for the Termination of Pregnancy (Jersey) Law. Read more
- Amendment 11: Environment, Housing and Infrastructure Panel. Increase Vehicle Emissions Duty. Read more
- Amendment 15: Children, Education and Home Affairs Panel. Highlands College Repairs. Read more
- Amendment 19: Environment, Housing and Infrastructure Panel. Fort Regent Development. Read more
- Amendment 20: Economic and International Affairs Panel. Jersey Business and Digital Jersey Savings. Read more
Please note: Amendments 4, 5 and 10 have already been accepted by the Council of Ministers and are therefore unlikely to be separately debated.
To read the Comments from other Scrutiny Panels in relation to the Budget:
- The Economic and International Affairs Panel: Comment paper
- Children, Education and Home Affairs Panel: Comment paper
- Environment, Housing and Infrastructure Panel: Comment paper
- Health and Social Security Panel: Review page
The debate on the Proposed Budget 2025-2028 is taking place in the States Assembly from Tuesday 26th November at 9.30am (with the States Assembly starting the meeting on Monday at 2.15pm to go through Question time). It is expected to last several days.
You can watch live:
On our website: bit.ly/3V0Epts
On YouTube: bit.ly/48Y75IN
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