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1240/5(5521)
WRITTEN QUESTION TO THE MINISTER FOR HOME AFFAIRS BY SENATOR F. du H. LE GRESLEY
ANSWER TO BE TABLED ON TUESDAY 6th JULY 2010
Question
"Given that in his reply to a written question on 22nd June 2010, the Minister advised that the cost of salaries and subsistence, totalling £234,854 up to 20th July 2010, to cover the absence of the suspended Chief Officer of the States of Jersey Police "is not being funded from the core Police budget, but is included in the Historical Abuse Enquiry additional costs", will the Minister inform members who made this decision and whether the Minister for Treasury and Resources was consulted?
Can the Minister explain why he considers that this ongoing expenditure can be attributed to being a cost of the Historical Abuse Enquiry?"
Answer
The written question from the Deputy of St Martin asked a number of questions about the costs of the suspension of the Chief Officer of the States of Jersey Police and from whose budget these costs are being funded.
It would appear that my answer was not totally correct and I apologise for this. The correct answer is set out below.
The costs of the Wiltshire Constabulary Investigations in 2009 were charged to the Home Affairs Department and were funded by way of a budget transfer from other Departments' underspends (the Economic Development and Social Security Departments) to help address overspends within the Home Affairs Department as a result of these investigations and Court and Case Costs. (Ministerial Decisions: MD-HA-2009-0108, MD-S-2009-0070, MD-E- 2009-0215, MD-TR-2009-0201, MD-TR-2009-0197).
The costs of the continuing Wiltshire Constabulary Investigation into Operation Blast in 2010 forms part of paragraph (a) of P.64/2010 - Public Finances (Jersey) Law 2005 : Funding Requests Under Article 11(8) due for debate on 6th July 2010.
With regard to the cost of salaries to cover the Chief Officer of the States of Jersey Police's absence, they are being funded directly from the Police budget with the exception of backfilling the post of Deputy Chief Officer of Police which is met within the costs of the Historical Child Abuse Enquiry (HCAE). The first suspension of the Chief Officer directly relates to the oversight of the HCAE.
All expenditure relating to the HCAE is being monitored by the Acting Chief Officer States of Jersey Police and the Accounting Officer, Chief Officer Home Affairs and is reimbursed to the Department from the allocation to the Treasury and Resources Department by public Ministerial Decision of the Minister for Treasury and Resources based on documented evidence of actual additional costs incurred as a result of the Historic Child Abuse Enquiry, as agreed in P91/2008 (Historic Child Abuse Enquiry) and P83/2009 (Public Finances (Jersey) Law 2005 : Funding Requests Under Article 11 (8) which included the 2009 funding requirements for the HCAE. It should be remembered that the funding for the Police budget, the Wiltshire Constabulary Investigations, P91/2008, P83/2009 and P64/2010 are all ultimately met from the Consolidated Fund. (The majority of the States income and expenditure is managed through the Consolidated Fund. General Revenue Income and Departments' expenditure on public services is all accounted for through this fund).
I am grateful to the Senator for the opportunity to clarify the funding arrangements for the Wiltshire Constabulary Investigations and the HCAE.
Where monies came from other Departments' underspends the decision will have been made jointly between the Treasury Minister and the Home Affairs Minister with the approval of the Council of Ministers.
The decision on P.64/2010 is before the States.
The decision on the funding of the Acting Deputy Chief Officer will have been made jointly between the Treasury Minister and the Home Affairs Minister.