Proposed Government Plan 2022-2025 (P.90/2021): thirteenth amendment (P.90/2021 Amd. (13)): amendment Women’s Safety

STATES OF JERSEY

PROPOSED GOVERNMENT PLAN 2022- 2025 (P.90/2021): THIRTEENTH AMENDMENT (P.90/2021 AMD. (13)) – AMENDMENT

WOMEN'S SAFETY

Lodged au Greffe on 7th December 2021 by the Minister for Home Affairs

Earliest date for debate: 14th December 2021

STATES GREFFE

2021  P.90 Amd.(13) Amd.(re-issue)

PROPOSED GOVERNMENT PLAN 2022-2025 (P.90/2021): THIRTEENTH

AMENDMENT (P.90/2021 AMD. (13)) – AMENDMENT  

____________

1  PAGE 2, PART 1 –

After the words "from the General Reserve Head of Expenditure to the Head of Expenditure" replace the remaining words with the words-

"for Strategic Policy, Planning and Performance, to facilitate and support the creation of a task force in relation to improving women's safety, such body to collect views from Islanders and to develop and propose direct and achievable action points, to achieve that objective, to the new government for inclusion in the next government plan."

MINISTER FOR HOME AFFAIRS

Note:  After this amendment, the 13th amendment would read as follows – 1  PAGE 2, PARAGRAPH (f) –

After the words "Appendix 2 – Summary Tables 5(i) and (ii) of the Report" insert the words ––

", except that, in Summary Table 5(i) £200,000 should be transferred from the General Reserve Head of Expenditure to the Head of Expenditure for Strategic Policy, Planning and Performance, to facilitate and support the creation of a task force in relation to improving women's safety, such body to collect views from Islanders and to develop and propose direct and achievable action points, to achieve that objective, to the new government for inclusion in the next government plan."

Note:  After this amendment, the proposition would read as follows –

THE STATES are asked to decide whether they are of opinion

to receive the Government Plan 2022 – 2025 specified in Article 9(1) of the Public Finances (Jersey) Law 2019 ("the Law") and specifically –

1. to approve the estimate of total States income to be paid into the Consolidated Fund in 2022 as set out in Appendix 2 – Summary Table 1 to the Report, which is inclusive of the proposed taxation and impôts

duties changes outlined in the Government Plan, in line with Article 9(2)(a) of the Law;

2. to approve the Changes to Approval for financing/borrowing for 2022, as shown in Appendix 2 – Summary Table 3 to the Report, which may be obtained by the Minister for Treasury and Resources, as and when required, in line with Article 9 (2)(c) of the Law, of up to those revised approvals;
3. to approve the transfers from one States fund to another for 2022 of up to and including the amounts set in Appendix 2 – Summary table 2 to the Report, noting that the transfer from the Consolidated Fund to the Technology Fund is subject to the Assembly's approval of a proposition to create such a Fund in 2022, in line with Article 9(2)(b) of the Law;
4. to approve each major project that is to be started or continued in 2022 and the total cost of each such project and any amendments to the proposed total cost of a major project under a previously approved Government Plan, in line with Article 9(2)(d), (e) and (f) of the Law and as set out in Appendix 2 - Summary Table 4 to the Report;
5. to endorse the efficiencies and other re-balancing measures for 2022 contained in the Government Plan as set out in Appendix 2 Summary Table  6  and  reflected  within  each  gross  head  of  expenditure  in Appendix 2 – Summary Table 5(i);
6. to  approve  the  proposed  amount  to  be  appropriated  from  the Consolidated Fund for 2022, for each head of expenditure, being gross expenditure less estimated income (if any), in line with Articles 9(2)(g), 10(1) and 10(2) of the Law and set out in Appendix 2 – Summary, except that, in Summary Table 5(i) £200,000 should be transferred from the General Reserve Head of Expenditure to the Head of Expenditure for Strategic Policy, Planning and Performance, to facilitate and supportthe creation of a task force in relation to improving women's safety, such body to collect views from Islanders and to develop and propose direct and achievable action points, to achieve that objective, to the new government for inclusion in the next government plan.
7. to approve up to £480 million to be appropriated from the Consolidated Fund for the Past Service Pension Liabilities Refinancing head of expenditure, subject to the availability of funding, which may include, in full or in part, use of the borrowing/financing referred in paragraph (b);
8. to approve the estimated income, being estimated gross income less expenditure, that each States trading operation will pay into its trading fund in 2022 in line with Article 9(2)(h) of the Law and set out in Appendix 2 – Summary Table 7 to the Report;
9. to approve the proposed amount to be appropriated from each States trading operation's trading fund for 2022 for each head of expenditure

in line with Article 9(2)(i) of the Law and set out in Appendix 2 – Summary Table 8 to the Report;

10. to approve the estimated income and expenditure proposals for the Climate Emergency Fund for 2022 as set out in Appendix 2 – Summary Table 9 to the Report;
11. to approve an amendment to the policy of the Strategic Reserve Fund to enable that Fund to be used as a holding Fund for any or all monies related to the repayment of debt raised through external financing, with the monies used to offset the repayment of debt, as and when required; and
12. to approve, in accordance with Article 9(1) of the Law, the Government Plan 2022-2025, as set out at Appendix 3 to the Report.

REPORT

After discussion with the proposer, the Minister proposes an alternative to make the utilisation of £200,000 as effective as possible.

This amendment would allocate £100,000 to undertake (probably by engaging a third party) a piece of rapid research to determine the extent of issues concerning sexual and domestic violence and harassment in Jersey including crimes such as drink spiking. This would include the qualitative call for evidence that the Connétable suggests, as well as quantitative research on the prevalence of both unreported crime and non-criminal behaviour of this type. The cost of this work would need to account for managing personal data, dealing with disclosures of offences not reported to the police, as well as linkages to advice and counselling services etc.

The remaining £100,000 would be allocated to provide staffing for one year to support a Task Force (with membership yet to be established, but probably consisting of Police, Domestic Violence Advisors, statisticians, community groups and others). That Task Force would be established as early as possible in 2022 and would advise on the terms and conduct of the research work.

The research would be conducted in the first half of 2022, and the Task Force would use the data gathered to develop direct and achievable action points for the new government in July/August 2022, which could then be included in government planning. Lastly, the Minister considers that the funds would be more appropriately directed to Strategic Policy, Planning and Performance (SPPP), as the desired outcome is primarily policy related. This has been agreed with the Directors General of SPPP and Justice and Home Affairs.

Financial and manpower implications

The amendment as originally proposed reduces the General Reserve by £200,000 in 2022, reducing the Government's ability to react to unforeseen events.

This amendment to the amendment does not change the financial implications of the original amendment.

Re-issue Note

This projet was re-issued to fix an error on the title page – the Minister of Home Affairs lodged the proposition.