The official version of this document can be found via the PDF button.
The below content has been automatically generated from the original PDF and some formatting may have been lost, therefore it should not be relied upon to extract citations or propose amendments.
States Greffe: Scrutiny
Deputy Kirsten Morel
Assistant Minister for Economic Development, Tourism, Sport and Culture By email
8th February 2022 Dear Assistant Minister
Economic and International Affairs Scrutiny Panel Arts and Heritage Strategy
I write to thank you for the recent briefing you gave to the Panel regarding the Arts and Heritage Strategy and your kind invite to show the Panel around the Jersey Opera House to help provide an update to the ongoing work in this area.
The Panel has noted the recent press release issued by the Government of Jersey (GoJ) regarding the Opera House and would be grateful if you could provide some further information on the following areas:-
• The Opera House was originally due to reopen in the summer of 2022, but having reviewed its condition and considered the volume and complexity of the restoration, this has now been revised to June 2023. How confident are you that this date can be achieved?
• It is stated that the work had been originally scheduled based on estimates, but experts have now been able to fully review the condition surveys against the proposed schedule of works. Could you explain why work was carried out on estimates and not actuals?
• Could you provide us with the details of the experts involved and how the structure of works has been planned?
• The delay means that the £2.2 million required for the work will no longer be provided by the Fiscal Stimulus Fund and you have, as Assistant Minister, stated within the GoJ Press Release that the funds will be allocated from alternative funding sources'. Could you indicate from where the necessary funds will be allocated?
• We also note from recent media reports that you refer to the funding coming from underspends', if this is the case, could you inform the Panel as to the areas from which the underspends will be used? In addition, what reassurance have you been given by the Minister for Treasury and Resources that funds for this project will be prioritised?
• It is likely this term of Government will have ended before any funding has been allocated. What plans are in place to ensure the new' Minister for Treasury and Resources will allocate the necessary funding for this project.
• Could you provide further details as to how you, as Assistant Minister and officers in the Department for the Economy will be supporting the arts community whilst facilities remain unavailable such as the Opera House and Fort Regent.
We look forward to hearing from you following which we will be in touch to arrange a visit to the Opera House. If you have any further questions regarding this or any other areas of our work, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Yours sincerely
Deputy David Johnson
Chair
Economic and International Affairs Scrutiny Panel
cc Senator Lyndon Farnham , Minister for Economic Development, Tourism, Sport and
Culture