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19-21 Broad Street | St Helier Jersey | JE2 4WE
Senator Kristina Moore
Chair, Corporate Services Scrutiny Panel
By email
26 April 2021
Dear Chair,
Corporate Services Scrutiny Panel – COVID 19 Response and Recovery Review
I write in response to your letter of 19 April 2021 and will address each of your points separately: Covid-19 Support Schemes
A Productivity Support Scheme has not been established and is just one of several potential options that are being considered by the Economy Department as part of the recovery phase. The Government currently has the following active economic support schemes to respond to the pandemic:
- Business Disruption Loan Guarantee Scheme (BDLGS)
- Co-Funded Payroll Scheme (CFPS)
- Deferrals of GST and Social Security contributions
- Fixed Cost Support Scheme (FCSS)
- Visitor Accommodation Support Scheme (VASS)
- Visitor Attraction and Events Scheme (VAES)
Political responsibility for the BDLGS, GST deferrals and the CFPS ultimately rests with me though it should be recognised that policy development is a shared endeavour between the Treasury and Exchequer (T&E), and the Customer and Local Services and the Economy Departments. The Department for Customer and Local Services is also essential to the delivery of the CFPS. Any briefing will therefore require a range of attendees beyond T&E.
The remaining schemes are either the responsibility of the Minister for Social Security or the Minister for Economic Development, Tourism, Sport and Culture. On that basis I would suggest that you may want to request a briefing from Deputy Martin and Senator Farnham and their officials on those initiatives. Assuming they, like me, would be pleased to provide further information about the extensive efforts that the Government has made to limit the impact of Covid-19 on our economy, we will work together to ensure you are given a thorough briefing on each of the Schemes and their interaction.
Fiscal Stimulus
The Written Report for MD-TE-2021-0044 was exempted from publication under Article 26 of the Freedom of Information (Jersey) Law 2011 as it contains commercially sensitive information that it would not be appropriate to publish. The Panel will no doubt appreciate that, though rarely employed, such exemptions are necessary to ensure that the processes that must be followed to document ministerial decision-making do not prejudice the legitimate commercial interests of our partner organisations. The Written Report will therefore remain exempt, but I have shared a copy of it with the Panel in strictest confidence. There will be a summary report published at the end of the allocations of Tranches One and Two, which will set out a high-level summary of the overall outcomes.
Fiscal Policy Panel
The Chief Economic Adviser usually briefs Scrutiny Panels on the reports and forecasts of the Fiscal Policy Panel (FPP), but if the Panel wishes to meet directly with the FPP I will, of course, facilitate this.
Yours sincerely
Deputy Susie Pinel
D +44 (0)1534 440215 E s.pinel@gov.je