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WRITTEN QUESTION TO THE MINISTER FOR HOME AFFAIRS BY DEPUTY T.A. VALLOIS OF ST. SAVIOUR
ANSWER TO BE TABLED ON TUESDAY 1st DECEMBER 2009
Question
"Could the Minister advise the Assembly what his current priorities are in the Home Affairs Department and advise why he has chosen these in particular for 2010?
Were there other priorities which he wished to address but was unable due to financial or manpower constraints, and, if so, what were they?"
Answer
- Current priorities forHome Affairs
• Implementation of the Sex Offenders Law (required as a follow up to passing the Law).
• Criminal Justice (Young Offenders) Law and Children's Law (Provision for persistent offenders aged 12 to 16) (required in order to provide appropriate ways of managing persistent young
offenders).
• An appropriate response to the investigation of Operation Blast.
• Disciplinary matters in relation to the Chief Officer of Police.
• Mentally disordered offenders within the prison (working together with Health and Social Services to improve the situation).
• Discrimination Law (taking the Law through the States ready for implementation in 2011).
• Obtaining resources for front line services for 2011.
• Bail Law (a need for a statutory framework for bail).
• Jersey Field Squadron – Inter-Governmental Agreement (updating of this).
• Planning work in relation to Prison Building Project Staff Facilities and Visitors' Centre (needed to up-grade the prison and comply with 2008 staff agreement).
• Vetting and Barring Project (work needed to tie this in with changes in the UK).
• New Police Law and Police Authority (work on deciding upon the structure of these and the start of drafting).
• Repatriation of Offenders Law (important to allow prisoners to serve their sentence in their home country).
• Discussions with the Criminal Courts in relation to Criminal Sentencing.
• Post-Custodial Supervision Law (this is dependant upon ongoing discussions with the Courts).
• Planning work in relation to a new States Police Headquarters. (A new building has been required for some time).
• Part V of the PPCE Law (amendments to this with a view to implementation).
• Fire Service Law (a modern definition of the work of the Fire and Rescue Service and improvement of statutory powers).
• Explosives Law (a modernisation of this Law is much overdue).
• Law to make a provision in place of wheel clamping (to implement a States decision).
- Other priorities whichcould not beaddressed due to financial ormanpower constraints
T h e i mmediate calls on additional funding would be:
£'000 Customs and Immigration – 2010 funding shortfall and extra staff member per 400 frontier team
Fire and Rescue Service – One extra staff member per watch and incremental 250 drift
Fire and Rescue Service – increase in equipment budget 100 Prison – reinstate 2010 savings 138 States of Jersey Police - reinstate 2010 savings 150 Home Affairs Department – Communications Data - reinstate 2010 savings 25 BaSS – reinstate shortfall in funding 34 States of Jersey Police – Community Police Officers 342
The above table details the immediate funding pressures in 2010. With any further funding my Chief Officer would:
Review priorities within the Department in order to deliver the priorities identified in the Strategic Plan 2009 – 2014, in particular Priority 7 – Protect the public and keep our community safe.
Review spending pressures at HM Prison.
Establish a small contingency fund in order to address unforeseen funding pressures.
Review the financial implications of the Sex Offenders (Jersey) Law for the Home Affairs Department.
Consider funding Law Officer support to facilitate law drafting.