States Meeting Transcript - 17th October 2023

STATES OF JERSEY OFFICIAL REPORT

TUESDAY, 17th OCTOBER 2023

COMMUNICATIONS BY THE PRESIDING OFFICER ........................................ 9

1.1 Tribute to Former Deputy Robin Rumboll ................................................ 9 QUESTIONS ......................................................................................... 9

2. Written Questions ........................................................................... 9

1. Deputy M.R. Scott of St. Brelade of the Chair of the States Employment Board regarding guidelines and training materials for public employees regarding interpretation of the Codes of Practice. (WQ.367/2023) ........................................................ 9
2. Deputy G.P. Southern of St. Helier Central of the Minister for Health and Social Services regarding further detail on the changes that will be needed to pay for health costs as referred to on Page 88 of the Proposed Government Plan 2024-2027. (WQ.368/2023) . 10
3. Deputy R.S. Kovacs of St. Saviour of the Minister for Economic Development, Tourism, Sport and Culture regarding grants and subsidies offered by the Government. (WQ.369/2023) ........................................................................... 11
4. Deputy B.B. de S.V.M. Porée of St. Helier South of the Minister for Justice and Home Affairs regarding the process within the Jersey Customs and Immigration Service when a work permit holder's date of departure from the Island is either changed or overturned. (WQ.370/2023) ........................................................................... 12
5. Deputy L.V. Feltham of St. Helier Central of the Minister for Treasury and Resources regarding growth bids in the proposed Government Plan 2024-2027. (WQ.371/2023) .. 13
6. The Connétable of St. Lawrence of the Minister for the Environment regarding the processes and decision-making of the Planning and Building Compliance team in relation to two situations in St. Lawrence . (WQ.372/2023) .............................. 23
7. The Connétable of St. Martin of the Minister for Infrastructure regarding Further Listed Infrastructure Projects' identified in the draft Government Plan 2024-2027. (WQ.373/2023) ........................................................................... 24
8. Deputy M.B. Andrews of St Helier North of the Minister for Treasury and Resources regarding Jersey Development Company's current debt liability. (WQ.374/2023) ...... 25
9. Deputy M.B. Andrews of St Helier North of the Minister for Infrastructure regarding budget allocated to maintain the Government of Jersey's estate. (WQ.375/2023) ....... 25
10. Deputy M.B. Andrews of St Helier North of the Minister for Social Security regarding the Back to Work team and the unemployed. (WQ.376/2023)........................... 26
11. Deputy S.Y. Mézec of St. Helier South of the Chief Minister regarding the cost of attending the Women Deliver' conference in Rwanda. (WQ.377/2023) ................ 26
12. Deputy S.Y. Mézec of St. Helier South of the Chief Minister regarding a register of all units of dwelling accommodation. (WQ.378/2023) ...................................... 26

13. Deputy M.R. Scott of St. Brelade of the Minister for Economic Development, Tourism, Sport and Culture regarding the cost benefit analysis and economic impact assessments of certain organisations funded by the Department for the Economy. (WQ.379/2023) .. 27
14. Deputy M.R. Scott of St. Brelade of the Minister for Treasury and Resources regarding the cost benefit analysis commissioned of certain organisations. (WQ.380/2023) ...... 29
15. Deputy M.R. Scott of St. Brelade of the Minister for the Environment regarding solutions to counter the spread of Asian hornet populations. (WQ.381/2023) ........... 30
16. Deputy C.S. Alves of St. Helier Central of the Minister for Justice and Home Affairs regarding the rehabilitation programs and wellbeing support that is currently available for inmates of H.M. Prison La Moye. (WQ.383/2023) .................................. 30
17. Deputy C.S. Alves of St. Helier Central of the Minister for Housing and Communities regarding turnaround times for homes on the Housing Gateway when they are vacated. (WQ.384/2023) ........................................................................... 31
18. Deputy A. Howell of St. John , St. Lawrence and Trinity of the Minister for Health and Social Services regarding the number of personnel employed Pre-COVID and currently. (WQ.385/2023) ........................................................................... 33
19. Deputy A. Howell of St. John , St. Lawrence and Trinity of the Minister for Health and Social Services regarding the Island's vaccination programme prior to the Covid-19 epidemic. (WQ.386/2023) ................................................................ 35
20. Deputy R.J. Ward of St. Helier Central of the Minister for Infrastructure regarding the proposed completion date for awarding the contract to run Jersey's public bus service. (WQ.387/2023) ........................................................................... 37
21. Deputy R.J. Ward of St. Helier Central of the Minister for Social Security regarding the amount of underspend from the Social Security Department that has been returned to Central Government. (WQ.388/2023) .................................................... 37
22. Deputy R.J. Ward of St. Helier Central of the Chief Minister regarding roles based in the Government Broad Street office. (WQ.389/2023) ........................................ 37
23. Deputy M. Tadier of St. Brelade of the Chief Minister regarding the inquiries into the explosion at Haut du Mont and the Collision of L'Ecume II (WQ.390/2023)............ 38
24. Deputy M. Tadier of St. Brelade of the Minister for Economic Development, Tourism, Sport and Culture regarding the closure of the in person' Visitor Information Centre at Liberation Station. (WQ.391/2023) ...................................................... 39
25. Deputy L.V. Feltham of St. Helier Central of the Minister for Treasury and Resources regarding current tax allowances and reliefs available to individuals and businesses. (WQ.392/2023) ........................................................................... 39
26. Deputy M. Tadier of St. Brelade of the Minister for Justice and Home Affairs regarding homes and businesses across the Island being left without gas. (WQ.393/2023)........ 40
27. Deputy B. Ward of St. Clement of the Minister for Treasury and Resources regarding the issues around the taxability of old-age-pension income. (WQ.394/2023)................ 41 Deputy S.Y. Mézec of St. Helier South : ........................................................ 41 Deputy L.V. Feltham of St. Helier Central : .................................................... 42

Deputy K.L. Moore of St. Mary , St. Ouen and St. Peter : ...................................... 42 APPOINTMENT OF MINISTERS, COMMITTEES AND PANELS .......................... 43

3. Nomination of Deputy R.S. Kovacs of St. Saviour as an elected member of the Public Accounts Committee....................................................................... 43

3.1 Deputy L.V. Feltham (Chair, Public Accounts Committee):............................. 43

QUESTIONS - resumption ........................................................................ 43

4. Oral Questions ............................................................................. 43

1. Deputy M. Tadier of the Minister for Treasury and Resources regarding corporate income tax rates in Crown Dependencies (OQ.201/2023) ............................... 43

Deputy E. Millar (Assistant Minister for Treasury and Resources - rapporteur): .............. 43

1. Deputy M. Tadier : ........................................................................ 44
2. Deputy L.J. Farnham of St. Mary , St. Ouen and St. Peter : ............................... 44
3. Deputy S.Y. Mézec : ...................................................................... 45
4. Deputy M.R. Scott of St. Brelade : ........................................................ 45
5. Deputy M. Tadier : ........................................................................ 45

2. Deputy A. Howell of St. John , St. Lawrence and Trinity of the Minister for Health and Social Services regarding management positions in the General Hospital (OQ.197/2023) .............................................................................. 45

Deputy K. Wilson of St. Clement (The Minister for Health and Social Services): ............ 45 4.2.1 Deputy A. Howell : ........................................................................ 45

3. Deputy L.J. Farnham of the Minister for Treasury and Resources regarding requested funding for the new healthcare facilities (OQ.198/2023) .................... 46

Deputy S.M. Ahier of St. Helier North (Assistant Minister for Treasury and Resources -

rapporteur): ............................................................................... 46

1. Deputy L.J. Farnham : .................................................................... 46
2. Deputy L.V. Feltham : .................................................................... 46
3. Deputy L.V. Feltham : .................................................................... 47
4. Deputy R.J. Ward of St. Helier Central : .................................................. 47
5. Deputy R.J. Ward :........................................................................ 47
6. Deputy G.P. Southern : .................................................................... 47
7. Deputy A. Howell : ........................................................................ 47
8. Deputy L.J. Farnham : .................................................................... 48

4. Deputy G.P. Southern of the Minister for Health and Social Services regarding Health and Community Services Net Revenue Expenditure (OQ.210/2023) .................. 49

Deputy K. Wilson (The Minister for Health and Social Services):............................. 49

1. Deputy G.P. Southern : .................................................................... 49
2. Deputy R.J. Ward :........................................................................ 49
3. Deputy R.J. Ward :........................................................................ 49
4. Deputy G.P. Southern : .................................................................... 50

5. Deputy C.S. Alves of St. Helier Central of the Minister for Treasury and Resources regarding tax assessment notices (OQ.202/2023)........................................ 50

Deputy S.M. Ahier (Assistant Minister for Treasury and Resources - rapporteur): ............ 50

1. Deputy C.S. Alves : ....................................................................... 50
2. Deputy R.J. Ward :........................................................................ 51
3. Deputy M. Tadier : ........................................................................ 51
4. Deputy M. Tadier : ........................................................................ 51
5. Deputy R.S. Kovacs of St. Saviour:...................................................... 52
6. Deputy R.S. Kovacs : ...................................................................... 52
7. Deputy G.P. Southern : .................................................................... 52
8. Deputy C.S. Alves : ....................................................................... 53

6. Deputy L.V. Feltham of the Minister for Treasury and Resources regarding tax policy principles (OQ.200/2023) .................................................................. 54

Deputy S.M. Ahier (Assistant Minister for Treasury and Resources - rapporteur): ............ 54

1. Deputy L.V. Feltham : .................................................................... 54
2. Deputy M.B. Andrews of St. Helier North : .............................................. 54
3. Deputy M.B. Andrews : ................................................................... 54
4. Deputy S.Y. Mézec : ...................................................................... 55
5. Deputy S.Y. Mézec : ...................................................................... 55
6. Deputy L.V. Feltham : .................................................................... 55

7. Deputy S.Y. Mézec of the Minister for Justice and Home Affairs regarding transitioning away from gas (OQ.207/2023) ............................................. 55

Deputy H. Miles of St. Brelade (The Minister for Justice and Home Affairs): ................ 55

1. Deputy S.Y. Mézec : ...................................................................... 56
2. Connétable K.C. Lewis of St. Saviour : ................................................... 56
3. Deputy R.J. Ward :........................................................................ 57
4. Deputy R.J. Ward :........................................................................ 57
5. Deputy L.J. Farnham : .................................................................... 57
6. Deputy S.Y. Mézec : ...................................................................... 58

8. Deputy M.B. Andrews of the Minister for Infrastructure regarding selling properties owned by the States of Jersey (OQ.195/2023) ............................................ 59

Deputy T. Binet of St. Saviour (The Minister for Infrastructure): .............................. 59 4.9 Deputy T.A. Coles of St. Helier South of the Minister for Justice and Home Affairs regarding disruption to the gas supply (OQ.209/2023) .................................. 59

Deputy H. Miles (The Minister for Justice and Home Affairs): ................................ 59

1. Deputy T.A Coles : ........................................................................ 59
2. Deputy S.Y. Mézec : ...................................................................... 60
3. Deputy S.Y. Mézec : ...................................................................... 60
4. Deputy L.V. Feltham : .................................................................... 60
5. Deputy L.V. Feltham : .................................................................... 60
6. Deputy T.A. Coles : ....................................................................... 60

10. Deputy R.J. Ward of the Chair of the States Employment Board regarding the teaching staff dispute (OQ.204/2023) ..................................................... 61

Connétable A.N. Jehan of St. John (Vice-Chair, States Employment Board - rapporteur): .... 61

1. Deputy R.J. Ward : ..................................................................... 61
2. Deputy S.Y. Mézec : ................................................................... 61
3. Deputy S.Y. Mézec : ................................................................... 61
4. Deputy R.J. Ward : ..................................................................... 62

11. Deputy C.D . Curtis of St. Helier Central of the Minister for Justice and Home Affairs regarding Government response to the recent gas outage (OQ.196/2023) ............. 62

Deputy H. Miles (The Minister for Justice and Home Affairs): ................................ 63

1. Deputy C.D . Curtis : .................................................................... 63
2. The Connétable of St. Saviour : ........................................................ 63
3. The Connétable of St. Saviour : ........................................................ 64
4. Deputy M.R. Scott :.................................................................... 64
5. Deputy M.R. Scott :.................................................................... 64
6. Connétable A.S. Crowcroft of St. Helier : ............................................. 65
7. The Connétable of St. Helier : .......................................................... 65
8. Deputy L.V. Feltham :.................................................................. 65
9. Deputy L.V. Feltham :.................................................................. 65
10. Deputy C.D . Curtis : ................................................................ 66

12. Deputy S.Y. Mézec of the Minister for Housing and Communities regarding legislation relating to homelessness (OQ.208/2023) ...................................... 66

Deputy D. Warr of St. Helier South (The Minister for Housing and Communities): .......... 66 4.12.1 Deputy S.Y. Mézec : ................................................................... 67

13. Deputy L.J. Farnham of the Minister for Economic Development, Tourism, Sport and Culture regarding the operating agreement with Condor Ferries (OQ.199/2023) .... 67

Deputy K.F. Morel (The Minister for Economic Development, Tourism, Sport and Culture): 67

1. Deputy S.G. Luce of Grouville and St. Martin : ....................................... 67
2. The Connétable of Saviour:............................................................ 68
3. Deputy M.R. Scott :.................................................................... 68
4. Deputy M.R. Scott :.................................................................... 68
5. Deputy L.J. Farnham : .................................................................. 68

14. Deputy G.P. Southern of the Minister for Health and Social Services regarding Health Services spending and policies in the draft Government Plan (OQ.211/2023) ........ 69

Deputy K. Wilson (The Minister for Health and Social Services):............................. 69 4.14.1 Deputy G.P. Southern : ................................................................ 69

15. Deputy C.S. Alves of the Minister for Health and Social Services regarding number of non-emergency visits to the Accident and Emergency department (OQ/203/2023) ... 69

Deputy K. Wilson (The Minister for Health and Social Services):............................. 69 4.15.1 Deputy C.S. Alves : .................................................................... 70

16. Deputy R.J. Ward of the Minister for Children and Education regarding teacher pay within the draft Government Plan (OQ.205/2023) ...................................... 70

Deputy I. Gardiner of St. Helier North (The Minister for Children and Education): .......... 70

1. Deputy R.J. Ward : ..................................................................... 70
2. Deputy S.Y. Mézec : ................................................................... 70
3. Deputy R.J. Ward : ..................................................................... 71

5. Questions to Ministers without notice - The Minister for Justice and Home Affairs . 72

1. Deputy M.R. Le Hegarat of St. Helier North :............................................ 72 Deputy H. Miles (The Minister for Justice and Home Affairs): ................................ 72

1. Deputy M.R. Le Hegarat :................................................................. 72
   2. Deputy P.M. Bailhache of St. Clement : .................................................. 72

5.2.1 Deputy P.M. Bailhache : .................................................................. 73

3. Deputy M. Tadier : ........................................................................ 73
4. Deputy S.G. Luce :........................................................................ 73
5. Connétable P.B. Le Sueur of Trinity : .................................................... 73
6. The Connétable of St. Helier : ............................................................ 74
7. The Connétable of St. Brelade : ........................................................... 74

5.7.1 The Connétable of St. Brelade : ........................................................... 74

8. Deputy A. Howell : ........................................................................ 74

5.8.1 Deputy A. Howell : ........................................................................ 75

9. Deputy M.R. Le Hegarat :................................................................. 75
10. Deputy B.B. de S.DV.M. of St. Helier South : ............................................ 75

6. Questions to Ministers without notice - The Minister for Housing and Communities 76

1. The Connétable of St. Brelade : ........................................................... 76 Deputy D. Warr (The Minister for Housing and Communities): ............................... 76

1. The Connétable of St. Brelade : ........................................................... 76
   2. Deputy M. Tadier : ........................................................................ 76

6.2.1 Deputy M. Tadier : ........................................................................ 77

3. Deputy M.B. Andrews : ................................................................... 77

6.3.1 Deputy M.B. Andrews : ................................................................... 77

4. The Connétable of St. Saviour : ........................................................... 78
5. The Connétable of St. Helier : ............................................................ 78

6.5.1 The Connétable of St. Helier : ............................................................ 78

6. Deputy S.Y. Mézec : ...................................................................... 78

6.6.1 Deputy S.Y. Mézec : ...................................................................... 79

7. The Connétable of St. Helier : ............................................................ 79
8. Connétable M. O'D. Troy of St. Clement :................................................ 79
9. The Connétable of St. Brelade : ........................................................... 79

7. Questions to Ministers without notice - The Chief Minister ............................ 80

1. Deputy L.J. Farnham : .................................................................... 80 Deputy K.L. Moore (The Chief Minister): ...................................................... 80

1. Deputy L.J. Farnham : .................................................................... 80
   2. Deputy A. Howell : ........................................................................ 81
   3. Deputy M. Tadier : ........................................................................ 81

7.3.1 Deputy M. Tadier : ........................................................................ 82

4. Deputy S.Y. Mézec : ...................................................................... 82

7.4.1 Deputy S.Y. Mézec : ...................................................................... 82

5. Deputy R.J. Ward :........................................................................ 83
6. Deputy P.M. Bailhache : .................................................................. 83
7. Deputy S.G. Luce :........................................................................ 83

7.7.1 Deputy S.G. Luce :........................................................................ 83

STATEMENTS ON A MATTER OF OFFICIAL RESPONSIBILITY ........................ 84

8. The Minister for Economic Development, Tourism, Sport and Culture will make a statement regarding the Future Economy Programme ................................. 84

8.1 Deputy K.F. Morel (The Minister for Economic Development, Tourism, Sport and Culture): .................................................................................. 84

1. Deputy M.R. Scott : ....................................................................... 86
2. Deputy M.R. Scott : ....................................................................... 86
3. The Connétable of St. Brelade : ........................................................... 86
4. The Connétable of St. Brelade : ........................................................... 86
5. Deputy S.G. Luce :........................................................................ 87
6. Deputy R.J. Ward :........................................................................ 87
7. Deputy R.J. Ward :........................................................................ 87
8. Deputy G.P. Southern : .................................................................... 88
9. Deputy M. Tadier : ........................................................................ 88
10. Deputy M. Tadier : ..................................................................... 88
11. Deputy S.Y. Mézec : ................................................................... 89
12. Deputy S.Y. Mézec : ................................................................... 89
13. Connétable M. Labey of Grouville : ................................................... 89

LUNCHEON ADJOURNMENT PROPOSED ................................................... 90 LUNCHEON ADJOURNMENT .................................................................. 90

9. The Minister for the Environment will make a statement regarding offshore wind power........................................................................................ 91

9.1 Deputy J. Renouf (The Minister for the Environment): .................................. 91

1. Deputy M. Tadier : ........................................................................ 93
2. Deputy M. Tadier : ........................................................................ 94
3. Deputy S.G. Luce :........................................................................ 94
4. Deputy S.G. Luce :........................................................................ 94
5. The Connétable of St. Saviour : ........................................................... 95
6. Deputy R.J. Ward :........................................................................ 95
7. Deputy R.J. Ward :........................................................................ 96
8. Deputy M.R. Scott : ....................................................................... 96
9. Deputy S.Y. Mézec : ...................................................................... 97
10. The Connétable of St. Brelade : ........................................................ 97
11. The Connétable of St. Brelade : ........................................................ 98
12. Deputy A. Howell : .................................................................... 98
13. Deputy A. Howell : .................................................................... 98
14. Deputy C.D . Curtis : .................................................................... 99
15. Deputy G.P. Southern : ................................................................ 99
16. Deputy G.P. Southern : ................................................................ 99
17. The Connétable of Grouville : .......................................................... 99
18. The Connétable of Grouville : ........................................................ 100
19. Deputy L.J. Farnham : ................................................................ 100
20. Deputy S.G. Luce : .................................................................... 101

PUBLIC BUSINESS .............................................................................. 101

10. Reporting of Headcount and Vacancies (P.69/2023) - as amended (P.69/2023 Amd.(2)) ............................................................................................. 101

10.1 Deputy M.B. Andrews : .................................................................. 102

1. Deputy K.L. Moore : .................................................................. 102
2. Deputy R.J. Ward : .................................................................... 102
3. Deputy K.F. Morel : .................................................................. 103
4. Deputy A. Curtis of St. Clement : .................................................... 104
5. Deputy M.B. Andrews : .............................................................. 105

11. Audit of Government Department Vacancies (P.73/2023)............................. 106

11.1 Deputy M.B. Andrews : .................................................................. 107

1. The Connétable of St. John : .......................................................... 108
2. Deputy R.J. Ward : .................................................................... 109
3. Deputy M.R. Scott :................................................................... 111
4. Deputy M. Tadier : .................................................................... 112
5. Deputy I. Gardiner : .................................................................. 113
6. Deputy R.S. Kovacs : ................................................................. 114
7. Deputy E. Millar :..................................................................... 114
8. The Connétable of St. Helier : ........................................................ 115
9. Deputy T.A. Coles :................................................................... 116
10. Deputy L. Stephenson of St. Mary , St. Ouen and St. Peter : ...................... 116
11. Deputy M.B. Andrews : ............................................................ 117

ARRANGEMENT OF PUBLIC BUSINESS FOR FUTURE MEETINGS................... 120

12. Connétable K. Shenton-Stone of St. Martin (Chair, Privileges and Procedures Committee): ............................................................................. 120

12.1 Deputy T.A. Coles : ...................................................................... 120

1. Deputy L.M.C. Doublet : ............................................................. 120
2. Deputy R.J. Ward : .................................................................... 121
3. Deputy B. Ward of St. Clement : ..................................................... 121
4. Deputy S.G. Luce : .................................................................... 121
5. Deputy T.A. Coles :................................................................... 121

ADJOURNMENT ................................................................................. 123

The Roll was called and the Dean led the Assembly in Prayer. COMMUNICATIONS BY THE PRESIDING OFFICER

The Bailiff :

1.1  Tribute to Former Deputy Robin Rumboll

Members may have seen in last week's news, that former Deputy Robin Rumboll has passed away. Mr. Rumboll joined the States in December of 1981 when he was elected as Deputy of St. Helier No. 2; a position he held for some 15 years until he retired from politics in 1996. During his political career he served on a large variety of bodies, most notably as president of the Education, Telecoms and Legislation Committees. He brought a number of significant propositions to this Assembly, including the recording of States meetings for posterity, which was adopted in 1983. In 1994, he was a member of the Special Committee on Freedom of Information to examine the issues involved in establishing, by law, a general right of access to official information by members of the public. Following his retirement from politics, he remained very active in serving the Island as chair of the Shadow Jersey Police Authority, the chairman of Help a Jersey Child, and chairman of Great Ormond Street Hospital Jersey Appeal and chairman of the Channel Islands Horseracing Authority. He was a chairman and an honorary fellow of the Durrell Trust, having established in 2001 the Rumboll Travel Award, an annual financial award granted to deserving junior members of Durrell's conservation staff. Our thoughts are with his widow, Cynthia, his 4 children, and his grandchildren. I would ask Members to stand and join me in a minute's silence in his honour. [Silence] May he rest in peace.

Deputy G.P. Southern of St. Helier Central :

Sir, if I may, could I raise the défaut on Deputy Alves ? The Bailiff :

Yes, the défaut is raised on Deputy Alves .

Male Speaker:

May I raise the défaut on Deputy Bailhache ?

The Bailiff :

Yes, the défaut is raised on Deputy Bailhache . QUESTIONS 2.  Written Questions

1. Deputy M.R. Scott of St. Brelade of the Chair of the States Employment Board regarding guidelines and training materials for public employees regarding interpretation of the Codes of Practice. (WQ.367/2023)

Question

Further to the responses provided to both Written Questions 23/2023 and 63/2023, will the Chair provide detail on any guidelines and training materials for public employees regarding interpretation of the Codes of Practice, including the definition of bullying, harassment, conflict of interest and public interest, negligence, breach of confidentiality, engaging in political activities and what constitutes gross misconduct, and advise –

1. how many employees across the public sector (both as a percentage and in real terms) have received any training in the interpretation of the Codes of Practice;

2. what work is being undertaken to better align the Codes of Practice with best ethical standards and practice in professional organisations outside the States and Government of Jersey, and if none, why not;
3. what consideration, if any, is being given to the establishment of a support framework for public employees to provide recourse to an independent third party to offer informal rulings and advice on conduct issues including the definitions on the previous areas; and
4. what consideration, if any, is being given to making training in ethical conduct compulsory and training repeated during an employee's service within the government organisation?

Answer

1. We do not currently have a full record as there are not specific courses. We regularly communicate and include Codes within management development and induction.
2. As part of developing our career structures, we will be working with heads of professions to map within Connect People professional standards, training requirements and CPD (continuous professional development) activities. These will be incorporated into the performance management for each professional group. This will include any professional standards and training related to ethical practice for individual professions.
3. There is no consideration for this work. Employees are encouraged to join a trade union. The employment relationship is a private one and it is not appropriate to outsource our obligations under the laws to ensure employees and investigations are undertaken in line with Codes of Practice issued by JACS and our own policies.
4. The requirements will differ between professions and professional standards. A blanket approach is not being considered.

2. Deputy G.P. Southern of St. Helier Central of the Minister for Health and Social Services regarding further detail on the changes that will be needed to pay for health costs as referred to on Page 88 of the Proposed Government Plan 2024-2027. (WQ.368/2023)

Question

With reference to Page 88 of the Proposed Government Plan 2024-2027, will the Minister provide further detail on the changes that will be needed to pay for health costs in a sustainable way; and will she advise what options for funding, if any, will be considered in 2024 to reform Health Care services for the Island?

Answer

The work to prepare options for the future funding of health and care services is continuing. Ministers have not considered any options at this stage as it has been essential to build the evidence base in the first instance, including whole system health accounts and expenditure forecasts. As the Proposed Government Plan 2024-2027 sets out, Ministers intend to bring options for reform to the Assembly in 2024. These options will be shared with Health and Social Security Scrutiny Panel in the first instance.

3. Deputy R.S. Kovacs of St. Saviour of the Minister for Economic Development, Tourism, Sport and Culture regarding grants and subsidies offered by the Government. (WQ.369/2023)

Question

Will the Minister provide details of all grants and subsidies offered by the Government, either directly or through any Arm's Length Organisations, charities, or related organisations, to any sporting club, individual, event or activity in the last 15 years, including –

1. the beneficiary of the funding;
2. the sport they represented;
3. what the financial support was intended to fund;
4. the amount received by each beneficiary and whether it was a grant or subsidy;
5. the grant or subsidy application and selection process;
6. where applicable, a list of unsuccessful applications, the reason for rejection and the sport they represented; and

Will he further provide a list of the total number of sporting clubs, both professional and amateur, that currently make use of States of Jersey owned venues, including the sport they represent, and how much rent each pay per month to the States?

Answer

It has not been possible to collate expenditure across all Government departments for the years requested due to the limited time available and changes in Departmental and ALO structures over the last 15 years. The table in Appendix 1 therefore identifies expenditure provided by the Department for the Economy, the former Government Sport Development Department where available and relevant ALOs since 2012. Funding is granted in line with Government priorities.

Jersey Sport was established in 2017 as an Arms Length Organisation to support the delivery of Government's priorities for sport and physical activity. As part of this work, Jersey Sport provides grants and subsidies for sport including grants for schools, travel and volunteer workforce development (Grants • Jersey Sport) Government funding to Jersey Sport is detailed on the table in Appendix 1. Government does not hold information on the individual grants and subsidies provided by Jersey Sport.

Lottery proceeds for sport are distributed by the Jersey Community Foundation with the amount available dependant on ticket sales. The sums available for sport are below and details of grants made are available at Grant Funding Awards | Jersey Community Foundation:

2021 - £247,661 2022 – £274,987 2023 - £175,987

The Government's "Connect Me: Connecting our Communities" scheme, managed through the Customer and Local Services Department, has provided support to many sports including football, basketball, freshwater angling, touch rugby, padel and skateboarding.

There are circa 260+ sporting clubs and associations who use Government of Jersey run facilities. Some are in residence and have a lease/license and some hire the facilities on an hourly basis. The rents of those that are in situ is deemed commercially sensitive and this information sits with Jersey Property Holdings. There are 70 wide ranging sports that are undertaken within these facilities which covers the vast majority of what is played and required on the island.

Its noteworthy that within the CYPES Estate, many of the Island's schools hire out their sports facilities as well outside of curriculum time to sports clubs and associations.

If the Deputy would like a briefing on how the GoJ Sporting facilities are used then the Head of Operations for Infrastructure & Environment would be more than happy to arrange this. The Department for the Economy's Sport Sector Officer is also available to meet the Deputy and explain funding for sport in more detail.

Further information regarding the purpose and size of Government grants can be found within the published Annual Report and Accounts

Further information on the support to sport prior to the establishment of Jersey Sport can be found in the following reports:

Fit for the Future Sport Strategy Progress Report January 2015 Fit for the Future Sport Strategy Progress Report January 2016 Fit For The Future Sport Strategy Progress Report February 2017  To view the accompanying table please click here for the pdf.

*In addition to the above sports, funding for sport-specific development officers was provided for table tennis and squash, but it has not been possible to source further information in the time available. In addition, payments made by Government to the 2015 Jersey Island Games Organising Committee was approximately £1.2 million. There may be additional sports that have received grants or subsidies from GOJ that we have not been able to identify. Best efforts have been undertaken to identify as many grants/subsidies as possible but no centralised account of such payments to sports exists. Payments to individuals cannot be included.

4. Deputy B.B. de S.V.M. Porée of St. Helier South of the Minister for Justice and Home Affairs regarding the process within the Jersey Customs and Immigration Service when a work permit holder's date of departure from the Island is either changed or overturned. (WQ.370/2023)

Question

Will the Minister explain the process within the Jersey Customs and Immigration Service when a work permit holder's date of departure from the Island is either changed or overturned, particularly in terms of altering or removing the physical evidence of the original date from the individual's passport?

Answer

When a person's immigration permission is cancelled, extended or varied, an endorsement to reflect the changed immigration permission and date stamp are placed in their passport. Previous endorsements are not altered or removed from a passport – this aligns with recognised immigration practices across the Common Travel Area (CTA).

An endorsement will only be amended where the issuing of the endorsement has been done in error

- there is a prescribed way of doing this to signal to CTA jurisdictions that the error should not prejudice the holder.

5. Deputy L.V. Feltham of St. Helier Central of the Minister for Treasury and Resources regarding growth bids in the proposed Government Plan 2024-2027. (WQ.371/2023)

Question

Will the Minister, in respect of the Heads of Expenditure items in the proposed Government Plan 2024-2027 –

1. outline the process followed by departments to determine which revenue expenditure growth bids to submit to the Council of Ministers for consideration, including decision points involving accountable officers and budget holders;
2. detail the process followed by the Council of Ministers to determine which revenue expenditure growth bids would be included within the proposed Government Plan, including any decision points involving Ministers;
3. list all growth bids, budget increases and budget reductions considered by accountable officers and state the outcome of their considerations;
4. list all growth bids, budget increases and budget reductions considered by Ministers and state the outcome of their considerations; and
5. list all growth bids, budget increases and budget reductions considered by the Council of Ministers and state the outcome of its considerations?

Answer

The Council of Ministers agreed the high-level Government Plan process for revenue expenditure growth bids, with three different stages to the process outlined below;

1. Business case commissioning
2. Business case developed
3. Business case approval

The process was designed to produce a deliverable, affordable plan via an iterative process, with items changing, falling away, or being added at various stages as the plan evolved.

Business case commissioning

Initially, departments were asked to complete a business case commissioning form. Accountable Officers, working with their budget holders and departments were asked to identify investment requests, with consideration to addressing key risks or other essential  priorities, and ensuring alignment to the direction of Ministers' plans.

Accountable Officers were responsible for compiling investment requests for their respective departments and submitting the completed commissioning form which included details of the following.

• a summary of the investment request

• statement of the case for change,

• estimated costs

• number of people/FTE to recruit

• risks to delivery

• assessment of the investment complexity and deliverability

Throughout the process, the Council of Ministers and Accountable Officers received an update on the forecast financial envelope, with the initial set of economic assumptions published by the Fiscal Policy Panel on the 20th March. The spring economic assumptions were used to by the Income Forecasting Group to produce their spring forecast report, which in turn informed the early decision- making process for the Government Plan.

In light of the initial forecast financial envelope developed at the end of April, Minsters and Accountable Officers were asked to review their funding priorities to put forward requests that;

• meet critical risks that cannot be addressed through reprioritisation within existing expenditure limits.

• address unavoidable needs that will have a high impact on Islanders

• support existing commitments

• ensure the timeframes proposed for investment requests were realistic and deliverable

• ensure growth in headcount/FTE was justified.

Accountable Officers submitted their initial business case commissioning forms by the 3rd May, with individual departments responsible for running their own processes.

Business case developed

Following the initial business case commissioning process, the Council of Ministers reviewed the total of growth bids received during a Government Plan workshop considering the overall scale of investment and impact on the financial envelope, as well as public sector headcount. The scale of growth  bids  submitted through the initial  commissioning process,  was determined to  be both unaffordable and undeliverable with available resources. The Council of Ministers therefore agreed to hold Ministerial working groups to review the growth bids initially requested, with each session seeking to prioritise investment requests considering;

• impact that could be achieved for Islanders

• need for additional funding

• deliverability

• willingness to raise taxes/charges to fund the initiative

The Ministerial working group workshops were focussed on reducing the number of business cases being commissioned. Each Ministerial working group reported back at a further Council of Ministers' Government Plan workshop, where the overall list of revenue expenditure growth bids was reviewed. The Council of Ministers considered the investment requests and agreed which bids progressed through to business case development for further consideration and review. The Council of Ministers agreed that the business cases should provide alternative and lower-cost delivery options with business cases due to be completed by 23 June.

Accountable officers, working with their departments and Ministers were then responsible for the drafting of business cases commissioned.

Business case approval

Following the submission of business cases commissioned, further Government Plan workshops were held with the Council of Ministers in July. Ministers then prioritised the business cases submitted considering all of the points mentioned above, including consideration of decisions required to fund revenue expenditure growth requests (affordability) and competing pressures with the cost of living, recruitment and retention and housing. Ministers and Accountable Officers, were required to justify their revenue expenditure growth requests to the Council of Ministers, to ensure due process and challenge.

The Council of Ministers agreed the funding for some revenue growth requests based on the lowest cost option, or at a reduced level of funding than requested, based on considerations around affordability and deliverability. Accountable officers working with their departments were then responsible for finalising business cases where a lower cost option had been agreed.

Non-Ministerial States bodies

Under Article 10 of the Public Finances (Jersey) Law 2019, the government plan must set out proposed appropriations in relation to non-Ministerial States bodies. These appropriations were submitted through a separate process to the above and included within the government plan.

Other increase and decreases to budgets

Separate  processes  ran  alongside  the  revenue  expenditure  growth  process,  including  budgets increases and decreases for service transfers, pay awards, inflation, formula driven growth, and value for  money.   Value  for  money  allocations,  were  considered  by  Council  of  Ministers  through Government Plan workshops, the final allocation of value for money savings was based on a pro-rata allocation of controllable net revenue expenditure by department.

Lists of revenue expenditure growth bids considered

The full list of approved revenue expenditure growth bids is included within appendix 3 to the Government Plan. The list of growth bids submitted by Accountable Officers and reviewed at Ministerial  working  groups  is  provided  below  –  indicating  whether  Business  Cases  were commissioned or not. The Council of Ministers considered the Business Cases in making their final decisions for the Government.

The central exercise to consolidated revenue expenditure growth requests, includes only those bids initially put forward by Accountable Officers. Each department, accountable officer, will have their own process for prioritising growth requests and not all of these will have been submitted to the business case commissioning stage.

6. The Connétable of St. Lawrence of the Minister for the Environment regarding the processes and decision-making of the Planning and Building Compliance team in relation to two situations in St. Lawrence . (WQ.372/2023)

Question

Will the Minister provide information on the processes and decision-making of the Planning and Building Compliance team in relation to two situations in St Lawrence, and explain –

1. following the refusal of a retrospective application, after a developer had failed to follow approved buildings plans for 17 dwellings, whether there is any way to appeal the Planning and Building Compliance team's decision to take no enforcement action nor to require a new retrospective planning application, and if no such appeal is possible, why; and
2. despite complaints being made two months ago about a developer proceeding with building houses using plans without details of site levels or means of surface water drainage, which has led to flooding on neighbouring properties, and seemingly contravening the requirements of the building permit in terms of using spoil to raise the land around completed floor slabs, why no action has yet been taken by the Planning and Building Compliance team?

Without knowing the exact situations in St Lawrence to which the Connétable refers, I am unable to provide a detailed response. However, in more general terms:

1. Unlike the right of appeal afforded against decisions relating to applications for planning permissions pursuant to Article 108 of the Planning and Building (Jersey) Law 2002, there is no right of appeal against a decision not to take enforcement action. There is no mechanism in law that may be used to force a developer to submit a planning application if they choose not to. In the absence of a planning application, the Regulation Directorate will assess each breach on merit, taking into consideration any relevant policies in the Bridging Island Plan, material planning considerations and harm caused by unauthorised development. Whether development has already taken place is not usually a material planning consideration. The use of enforcement powers is discretionary, and in instances of continued non-compliance the team will consider further action in a fair and proportionate manner.
2. Where breaches of planning or building control are identified, the Regulation Directorate will in most instances seek to secure voluntary compliance before considering formal enforcement action. In instances where required details have not been submitted (as may be required by a planning condition), the officers will inspect works being carried out in order to identify any problems and suggest ways to remedy the breach. Neighbours and affected parties may report any specific instances of flooding so this may be witnessed and taken into consideration as part of the investigation and decision-making process regarding possible formal action.

7. The Connétable of St. Martin of the Minister for Infrastructure regarding Further Listed Infrastructure Projects' identified in the draft Government Plan 2024-2027. (WQ.373/2023)

Question

With reference to the Further Listed Infrastructure Projects' identified in the draft Government Plan 2024-2027, will the Minister outline the projected spend on the following projects –

1. Road Safety;
2. Countryside Access and Signage;
3. Planning Obligation Agreements; and

will the Minister also provide a breakdown of the projected under-spend, if any, on countryside projects, the income from car park trading urns, and the income from third-party planning applications for developments, and identify how these areas of funding will be used to fund the projects in (a), (b) and (c) above?

Answer

1. The projected capital spend on Road Safety and Active Travel infrastructure projects (such as safer routes to school) is approximately £460,000 for 2023. This includes funding from associated Planning Obligation Agreements. In addition, funding of £375,000 per annum is being made available from the Car Park Trading Fund (as a result of the parking charges increase in 2023) to fund the development of a new Strategic Road Safety Unit which will be operational from January 2024.
2. Countryside access and signage is a matter for the Minister for the Environment.
3. Planning Obligation Agreements are between a developer and the Minister for the Environment.

A figure for underspends in respect of item (a) is not available. Funding is only drawn down from the Car Park Trading Fund as required and the balance is carried over. For items (b) and (c) please refer to the Minister for the Environment.

8. Deputy M.B. Andrews of St Helier North of the Minister for Treasury and Resources regarding Jersey Development Company's current debt liability. (WQ.374/2023)

Question

Will the Minister advise Jersey Development Company's current debt liability, if any?

Answer

The States of Jersey Development Company ("SoJDC") publishes its Annual Report and Accounts on  its  website.   The  2022  Annual  Report  and  Accounts  can  be  found  following  this  link jerseydevelopment.je/media/udnlyq3t/jdc-annual-report-and-consolidated-financial-statements- 2022.pdf.

Note 13 within the Annual Report sets out SoJDC's debt profile as at 31 December 2022.

SoJDC's current debt liability totals £41.35 million and is and will be fully serviced from current and future rental income.

9. Deputy M.B. Andrews of St Helier North of the Minister for Infrastructure regarding budget allocated to maintain the Government of Jersey's estate. (WQ.375/2023)

Question

Will the Minister advise the budget allocated to maintain the Government of Jersey's estate for the last five years, per annum?

Answer

The above table shows the five-year allocated budget for maintaining the Property Portfolio which is allocated to Jersey Property Holdings.

This includes planned preventative maintenance, reactive maintenance, cyclical maintenance and revenue projects for building enhancements and ensuring compliance through statutory requirements.

10. Deputy M.B. Andrews of St Helier North of the Minister for Social Security regarding the Back to Work team and the unemployed. (WQ.376/2023)

Question

Will the Minister provide information on the number of –

1. officers employed in the Back to Work team; and
2. individuals registered as unemployed who are seeking work?

Answer

1. There are 24 officers employed in the Back to Work team plus a further 4 working on the Foundations Programme. The Foundations Programme officers supervise a cohort of jobseekers whilst developing their skills through working on environmental, decorating and scanning projects.
2. 700 as at 30/9/2023 see Actively Seeking Work statistics 3rd quarter 2023. Whilst this is the current level of those ASW, over the last 12 months there have been approximately 1800 unique individual job seekers registered at as actively seeking work.

11. Deputy S.Y. Mézec of St. Helier South of the Chief Minister regarding the cost of attending the Women Deliver' conference in Rwanda. (WQ.377/2023)

Question

Will the Chief Minister provide a breakdown of the full costs of attendance at the Women Deliver' conference in Rwanda this year, for herself and the Government of Jersey's delegation, including the costs of –

1. flights;
2. accommodation; and
3. travel in Rwanda?

Answer

The total cost of flights for the Chief Minister and two officials was £11,679.58.

The total cost of accommodation for the Chief Minister and two officials was £2,097.46.

Much of the travel in Rwanda was pre-arranged for delegates as part of their attendance at the conference. Accordingly, the costs for travel in Rwanda came to £37.86

12. Deputy S.Y. Mézec of St. Helier South of the Chief Minister regarding a register of all units of dwelling accommodation. (WQ.378/2023)

Question

Will the Chief Minister confirm –

1. whether or not she maintains a register of all units of dwelling accommodation, in accordance with article 16(1) of the Control of Housing and Work Law;
2. how a member of the public may inspect this register, in accordance with article 16(2) of that Law; and
3. if she is not complying with this Law, why not, and when she will be addressing this?

1. As part of administering the Control of Housing and Work Law, systems are maintained which register the categories of properties as Qualified or Registered, and any conditions or concessions, to satisfy the requirements of Article 16(1).
2. The Customer and Local Services Department respond to any request seeking clarification on the categorisation of any residential unit, and whether there are any conditions or concessions to which that categorisation is subject, on request.
3. Article 16(2) provides that any person may inspect the register during normal business hours. Currently, it is not possible for a person to inspect the full register, and I have asked that future technology development include access in this way, and for any data quality issues to be resolved as part of this. In the meantime, the process as outlined in part (b) applies whereby members of the public may ask for details on any specific property.

13. Deputy M.R. Scott of St. Brelade of the Minister for Economic Development, Tourism, Sport and Culture regarding the cost benefit analysis and economic impact assessments of certain organisations funded by the Department for the Economy. (WQ.379/2023)

Question

Will the Minister provide the date and details of every cost benefit analysis and economic impact assessment commissioned or conducted over the last ten years, including a copy of each report or assessment, in respect of the following organisations funded by the Department for the Economy –

1. Jersey Business;
2. Visit Jersey;
3. Digital Jersey;
4. Jersey National Park;
5. Jersey Competition Regulatory Authority;
6. CERT.je;
7. Jersey Sport;
8. Jersey Reds; and

in the case of Visit Jersey, provide a table illustrating how the funding of Visit Jersey has increased or decreased over the years since its establishment in comparison to the number of hotel beds in the Island over the same time period?

Answer

In all instances, payments made by Government will have been accompanied by either a business case (for growth revenue expenditure) or a grant agreement with associated appraisal (in the case of grants made under existing partnership agreements).

Amongst the requirements for a business case or grant agreement are an appraisal of the costs and benefits of the available options and their and anticipated impact along with a review of delivery against stated priorities.

Further grant appraisals are undertaken as a matter of course for ALOs twice per year to evaluate the performance of each ALO against their business plan and KPIs.

A breakdown of payments to the Arm's Length organisations requested is below, as noted above, each of these payments would have been accompanied by either a business case or grant agreement:

Similarly, grants made to the Jersey Reds would have in each instance required a business case and a breakdown of these payments can be found here:

It should be noted that, pre-2016 Reds (professional rugby) and JRFC (amateur rugby) were one and the same legal entity and it is difficult to separate payments or differentiate as to whether payments were made to support amateur / community participation or the business of professional rugby.

As the Deputy will be aware, CERT.je is not currently an Arm's Length Organisation but functions as part of the Government of Jersey. Its budget is therefore within the Department for the Economy.

As set out in my letters to the EIA Panel of 17th March and 6th April 2023 it would not be appropriate to publish Business Cases or grant agreements in a public setting. These internal documents are prepared to inform the decision-making process and therefore necessarily contain commercially sensitive information such as staff salaries and commercial agreements.

The total number of hotel beds for each of the last ten years is as follows, also provided are the total numbers of visitors:

14. Deputy M.R. Scott of St. Brelade of the Minister for Treasury and Resources regarding the cost benefit analysis commissioned of certain organisations. (WQ.380/2023)

Question

Will the Minister provide the date and details of every cost benefit analysis commissioned or conducted over the last ten years, including a copy of each report or assessment, in respect of each of the following organisations –

1. States of Jersey Development Company;
2. Jersey Finance;
3. Jersey Business;
4. Visit Jersey;
5. Digital Jersey;
6. Jersey National Park;
7. Jersey Competition Regulatory Authority;
8. CERT.je;
9. Jersey Sport; and
10. Jersey Reds?

Answer

I have nothing further to add to the answer to identical written question 379/2023, provided by the Minister for Economic Development, Tourism, Sport and Culture which I believe provides the information the Deputy is seeking.

15. Deputy M.R. Scott of St. Brelade of the Minister for the Environment regarding solutions to counter the spread of Asian hornet populations. (WQ.381/2023)

Question

Will the Minister advise whether he, or his department, are aware of any solution, including biological solutions such as genetic engineering, that has been effective or could be considered as feasible in effectiveness, to counter the spread of Asian hornet populations; and will he further advise what research has been undertaken in this area?

Answer

The Natural Environment directorate at I&E has cultivated significant links to personnel involved in Asian hornet control across Europe and is secretariat and chair of a European Asian Hornet Discussion Group focussing on any and all possible angles and elements of practical control of this highly successful invasive species. The group includes researchers, beekeepers, entomologists, pest controllers and government officers. Through this group, additional research and other contacts, we are not aware of any "silver bullet" solutions, including biological solutions such as genetic engineering, that have been effective or could be considered as feasible in effectiveness, to counter the spread of Asian hornet populations.

However, across Europe there are a number of initiatives underway that may, in time, offer some hope. These include work on a fungal control, pheromones, poisoned baits and trojan-horse poisons. We also hear of some genetic engineering work in New Zealand to control Vespula species. Some of these proposals have huge political and regulatory hurdles to cross, aside from the scientific ones.

Since the introduction of Asian hornets into Europe in 2004 their spread has been relentless, with countries such as Germany, The Netherlands, Hungary and the mainland UK now experiencing significant rises in nest numbers in 2023. Jersey and the Bailiwick of Guernsey have experienced the same upward trend. In many countries there is no formal, coordinated management policy beyond perhaps the subsidised destruction of nests that are reported, which is largely ineffective. Jersey has led the way in developing methods of tracking Asian hornet nests and shared this information with other jurisdictions.

Those jurisdictions that intensely and actively manage their Asian hornet populations, including Jersey, rely upon receiving public reports, and tracking Asian hornets back to their nests, followed by their destruction. This method both removes Asian hornets from our environment, limiting their impacts and if achieved early enough in the season prevents the nests from reproducing.

16. Deputy C.S. Alves of St. Helier Central of the Minister for Justice and Home Affairs regarding the rehabilitation programs and wellbeing support that is currently available for inmates of H.M. Prison La Moye. (WQ.383/2023)

Question

Will the Minister provide an outline of the rehabilitation programs and wellbeing support that is currently available for inmates of H.M. Prison La Moye; and will she provide details on how the success of these programs and support is measured?

The prison is currently following the existing model of sentence planning at the beginning of sentence with a civilian member of staff coordinating this with prisoners and probation, and a unformed member of staff.

However, there are plans in place for the reallocation of a full time Senior Officer resource to coordinate resettlement work through prison officers in the personal officer scheme' starting in December.

As part of this, we have reallocated existing resource to provide two full time prison officers to lead on this and recruited two trainee intervention facilitators- all of whom are booked to undertake accredited intervention training programs in the United Kingdom and will be in a position to deliver group work interventions in conjunction with the Probation Service. All accredited programs have a robust assurance framework which the Forensic Psychologist is responsible for as program lead.

In the meantime, we have a Chartered Forensic Psychologist doing 1-2-1 interventions to address forensic risk, and this is coordinated with probation managers. There are two probation officers based in the prison for part of the week providing risk-based work and interventions.

The prison follows the 7 pathways model (Drugs and Alcohol, Attitudes thinking and behaviour, Finance benefit and Debt, Accommodation, Employment training and education, Children and Family, Mental and Physical health) and has been working very closely with probation services and other Government departments to align interventions in this model, each pathway has prisoners employed in developing and continuously improving practice and outcomes in this area.

The prison has been working to explore an outcomes based accountability' approach, to ensure the measures are effective in driving continuous improvement. The prison is anticipating a full external inspection in Autum 2024 to check against the HMIP framework of 100 expectations of outcomes for prisoners, and will be conducting a full self-audit later this month, in preparation for this.

17. Deputy C.S. Alves of St. Helier Central of the Minister for Housing and Communities regarding turnaround times for homes on the Housing Gateway when they are vacated. (WQ.384/2023)

Question

Will the Minister provide annual statistics on the turnaround times over the last 3 years for homes provided by Andium and other housing trusts to become available on the Housing Gateway when they are vacated by tenants and not in need of complete refurbishment, broken down by mean, mode, and median average, and the maximum and minimum times?

Answer

The Minister for Housing and Communities does not directly hold this information, but has received the following from two social housing providers – Andium Homes and Jersey Homes Trust.

Andium Homes

Andium Homes has a Key Performance Indicator for all standard relets, to include refurbishment works and statutory inspections and the time taken to allocate. These are published in their annual reports.

Andium Homes operate a choice based' lettings system, so advertise vacant homes prior to the refurbishment works being completed, in order to expedite the allocation.

Statistics for 2020 do not reflect a business as usual' performance, given the Stay at Home' Covid- 19 restrictions. The data below, therefore, reflects years 2021 and 2022.

The following represents turnaround times to relet vacant properties during those periods. This does not include properties requiring major repairs, or the allocation of new supply as defined by UK benchmarking  housing  standards  Housemark.  The  data  does  not,  therefore,  include  220 new/refurbished homes in 2021 and 305 new/refurbished homes in 2022.

* The maximum and minimum times relates to a small number of relets, so does not reflect the situation accurately. Homes become vacant for a whole host of reasons, with some offering swifter opportunities to relet, and others providing additional challenges.

18. Deputy A. Howell of St. John , St. Lawrence and Trinity of the Minister for Health and Social Services regarding the number of personnel employed Pre-COVID and currently. (WQ.385/2023)

Question

Will the Minister provide the number of personnel employed Pre-COVID and currently under the Medical Officer of Health and/or Director of Public Health, together with a breakdown of staffing costs, all other costs, and organisational charts for each period?

The question has been understood as relating to the vaccination service and that the periods referred to are pre and post the COVID-19 pandemic. The question can be readdressed if these assumptions are not correct. The question has been answered as fully as possible within the timescales allowed and further work can be undertaken if required.

In January 2023, immunisation services moved from Health and Community Services to Public Health as specified in Government Plan 2023 decided by the States Assembly in December 2022.

To support this vaccination programme, there are currently 1.5 full time equivalent clinical staff and 2.4 full time equivalent non-clinical staff in post. Staff complement has not changed since the transfer from HCS. This service supports scheduling of baby and pre-school immunisations, co-ordinates and administers the neonatal Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) vaccination offered to babies and children under 5 years of age who are deemed most at risk of exposure to tuberculosis (TB). Additionally, the service  co-ordinate  and  deliver  school  aged  routine  immunisations,  including  the  Human Papillomavirus Vaccine (HPV) to approximately 1,000 children in school year 8 to prevent cervical and penile cancer and the teenage booster and Meningitis ACWY vaccine to approximately 1,000 children in school year 9. Nasal flu vaccines are offered to all school aged children. Pre-school flu is administered via General Practice (GPs) who visit nurseries. Furthermore, the service conducts annual cold chain audits of GP accommodation and leads an annual stock check paper of vaccines in Primary Care which is required by the Treasury.

The service also works with Customer Local Services (CLS) to identify those Islanders who turn 70 years old each year (approximately 1,000 Islanders per year) and therefore become eligible for a shingles vaccine. The team sends a letter to inform the eligible Islanders, advising them to contact their GP for an appointment. Adult vaccines (shingles, pneumococcal) are administered by GPs.

As COVID-19 becomes endemic, vaccination remains the primary way of preventing severe illness (and hospitalisations) arising from COVID-19. The virus continues to circulate in our community and so there is an ongoing need to provide vaccination for those at greatest risk of serious disease. The COVID-19 vaccination workforce has, however, reduced as advice from the national Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) has changed over time, from mass vaccination of the whole population in 2021, to a more targeted approach focussing on the groups at most risk, such as those aged 65+.

There are currently 11.2 full time equivalent clinical staff who administer COVID-19 vaccines and provide a home visit service to residential care homes and Islanders who are housebound. There are 16.4 full time equivalent non-clinical staff who support the running of the operational service, plan for future campaigns, collate and analyse operational data, and prepare the home visit service. Additionally, one zero hours GP is available for clinical advice and guidance as required.

Comparative vaccination service running costs pre and post COVID-19 pandemic are provided in the table below.

19. Deputy A. Howell of St. John , St. Lawrence and Trinity of the Minister for Health and Social Services regarding the Island's vaccination programme prior to the Covid-19 epidemic. (WQ.386/2023)

Question

Will the Minister explain how the Island's vaccination programme was funded prior to the Covid-19 epidemic, including which budget funds were allocated from and a breakdown of the costs of the programme in 2019; and will the Minister further advise out of which budget(s) the vaccination programme was delivered during Covid 19, and provide a breakdown of the costs involved for each of 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023?

Answer

There are a wide number of different vaccination programmes including shingles, HPV, flu, Covid- 19, pneumococcal and childhood immunisation. The funding mechanisms for these vaccination programmes is spread across departments and has varied overtime. Against this backdrop the question has been answered as fully as possible within the timescales allowed and further work can be undertaken if required.