Government-wide review of records management

2020.02.04

5 Deputy K.G. Pamplin of the Chief Minister regarding the Government-wide review

of records management: (OQ.42/2020)

Further to my Written Question 269/2019, will the Chief Minister advise whether the Government-wide review of records management, which had been paused and was recommenced in quarter 4 of 2019, as stated in the Chief Minister's response to that question?

Senator J.A.N. Le Fondré (The Chief Minister):

Deputy Wickenden is taking answers.

Deputy S.M. Wickenden of St. Helier (Assistant Chief Minister - rapporteur):

A records management review was conducted in early 2019 that identified areas for improvement. Resourcing constraints, at the time, prevented any further immediate - in the Government's mind - work to commence. Improvements in the records management area restarted under the current limited business as usual resource in quarter 4 2019. Further business as usual resources will be injected into this area under the modernisation and digital target operating model, which will start to be implemented during 2020. Additionally, works on the cybersecurity programme covers many of the improvements and recommendations of import, as described in the Government Plan and there is work going on, on information sharing, within the Government that has been going on since summer last year.

1. Deputy K.G. Pamplin:

In the original answer by the Chief Minister at the time, his understanding was that the reason also for the delay is there was a person, who was doing the work, had left the organisation and had not been replaced; is that still a problem?

Deputy S.M. Wickenden:

We currently have a contract of resource from a local company that has undertaken that work and we are recruiting right now for the position of Records Management Manager.

2. Deputy G.P. Southern :

I apologise to the Assistant Minister for my old-fashioned approach to it. But the name and address register seems to me something we were aiming for, a complete record of where people are, who is here and where they live, has that gone by the board now? Or has that been completed, or is it due to still be completed? Where are we after 7 years, I think, of working on the names and address register, where is it?

Deputy S.M. Wickenden:

The People Directory, which was part of the eGovernment programme, is up and running and it is collating information as a decision by this Assembly to collect information on names and addresses, which is a true data source and that is still ongoing and that is still a record that we are using.

3. Deputy G.P. Southern :

So my question is it completed yet, the answer is no?

Deputy S.M. Wickenden:

There are people moving to this Island every day, so it is a record that we are continuing to update as we need, but it is completed as far as we have got a People Directory where it has collated the names and addresses, yes.

4. Deputy R.J. Ward :

The question talks about a Government-wide records management system; is this review looking at the record management system within the health service and the implications for plans in the Government Plan, for example, for the ambulance service to have a records system that will feed into something that does not exist yet?

Deputy S.M. Wickenden:

It does not talk about a system at all. It talks about a process. The records management is a process about how we record information and how we categorise it. It is a process that all Government will be following to make sure that we are managing and retaining records for the appropriate amount of time in an appropriate way.

5. Deputy R.J. Ward :

Just for clarity, is this effectively a glorified Excel spreadsheet of how we record things that needs to be reviewed, or is this actually a look at the type of systems and the money being spent on the systems for recording the data that we so desperately need on this Island to make genuine decisions?

Deputy S.M. Wickenden:

I go back to my previous question. This is not a system; this is a process on how we manage our documents.

6. Deputy K.G. Pamplin:

If my understanding was right, there is a contract in place for somebody to continue the work while you continue to recruit - just getting clarity - of the position of my original question? Secondly, can the Assistant Minister point to funding in the Government Plan, which the Jersey Archive was seeking as they have a shortage of people, which means there could be a back work of catalogue of 100 years, I quote?

Deputy S.M. Wickenden:

We have been waiting for the Government Plan and the target operating model to be able to resource this position correctly and we are doing that now that the Government Plan has been passed. As far as the Archive, I cannot, but I can try and find out for the Deputy .

The Bailiff :

We come to question 6 which is scheduled to be answered by the Attorney General designate and posed by Deputy Higgins. The Attorney General designate is on route to the Assembly from the United States where he has been conducting urgent business on behalf of the Government. As Members will be aware, he is the sole Law Officer available and therefore this question will be deferred until the next hearing. [Aside] I am not sure the Attorney General designate went to the United States because of the question, Deputy . [Laughter]

Deputy M.R. Higgins of St. Helier :

Can I go to the U.S. (United States) to get the answer please?