Letter – CSSP to Chief Minister – Quarterly Hearing Residual Questions – 22 May 2023

States Greffe

Deputy Kristina Moore Chief Minister

BY EMAIL 22nd May 2023

Dear Chief Minister,

Corporate Services Scrutiny Panel Quarterly Hearing - Residual Questions

The Corporate Services Scrutiny Panel would like to thank you for your participation in our public hearing on 19th May 2023. As you will appreciate, the Panel had a number of questions of public interest that it was, unfortunately, unable to pose due to time constraints.

The Panel would be grateful if you could please consider the following residual questions and provide a written response by no later than Tuesday 30th May 2023. Please be aware that it is the Panel's intention to publish the response it receives on the States Assembly Website.

Ministerial Plan

1. The report  Engagement and Information Improvement Review projected a series of actions due to conclude in early 2023. With regards to the actions from the review, can you update us on the workstreams that remain to be completed and whether these will be completed by June 2023 as identified within the Delivery Plan?
2. Please provide an update on the progress of the Cultural Diversity Network and the scheduled six-month review due to be published by the International Cultural Centre Steering Group in Quarter two of this year?

Government Plan

3. In your response (S.R.20/2022) to our Government Plan 2023-2026 Scrutiny Review, you accepted a number of our recommendations. What work has taken place to refine the Jersey Performance Framework indicators, to date?

Government Structure and Governance

4. An "advisory group" has been established to examine the role of the CEO. We heard during the hearing that records of the meetings of the advisory group are taken, can these please be provided to the Panel?

5. The Democratic Accountability and Governance Sub-Committee Report highlighted a number of concerns regarding a lack of political accountability and transparency within Ministerial roles.
   1. Can you outline what tangible steps have been taken during your term of office so far to address the lack of political accountability and transparency for Ministers and Assistant Ministers and how your approach is different from that of the previous Government?
   2. Can you provide some examples to demonstrate how the steps you've taken have improved political accountability and transparency for Minsters and Assistant Ministers?
6. Action 14 of the 100 Day Plan was to "reorganise government departments to provide for direct accountability of ministers," an action that was echoed as a Ministerial priority and in the Common Strategic Policy.
   1. Can you outline the reorganisation that has taken place to date and provide examples of how this is providing direct accountability?
   2. What measures are in place to ensure that there is the required monitoring and transparency to determine any impact from the reorganisation and to enable and ensure direct accountability?
7. One of the actions in your Delivery Plan was to ensure use of the Public Accounts Committee Tracker model to report progress on Scrutiny Panels' recommendations. Can you advise of the progress made so far?
8. The Democratic Accountability and Governance Sub-Committee Report also found that States' members at that time considered the role of the States Employment Board (SEB) to be unclear. This was echoed in the previous CSSP's People and Culture Review 2021, which reported many key findings in relation to the lack of strategy of the SEB, risks in relation to workplace behaviours and culture, and organisational issues relevant to the role of CEO. As Chair of the SEB, what consideration for the findings and recommendations from the People and Culture Review are now being taken forward that were previously rejected by the previous Government and the previous SEB?
9. Action 7 of the 100 Day Plan was to "create a Cabinet Office to coordinate the work of government and strengthen collective decision making." Can you provide an update on the establishment of the Cabinet Office and the responsibilities it currently holds?
10. What impact did the establishment of the Cabinet Office have on the CEO and were any concerns highlighted before the resignation of the CEO?
11. What positive outcomes has the Cabinet Office produced that would not have been achievable prior to its creation?
12. Have there been any instances where you believe the Cabinet Office has had a negative impact and, if so, how?
13. Chief Minister, you mentioned during the States sitting on 2nd May that the Cabinet Office will bring efficiency' to the Government. To date, can you provide some tangible examples of how efficiency has been demonstrated since its establishment and what further efficiencies are you seeking in the medium to longer term?

14. One of your Ministerial actions is, through the Cabinet Office, to support Ministers with the prioritisation of their legislative programmes, where resources are constrained or new priorities emerge. What steps are being taken to achieve this?

a)  To date, has legislative progress been impacted by strained resourcing or the emergence of new priorities and, if so, which Ministerial remits is this impacting and how?

Legislative Programme 2023

15. Please could you provide an update on the progress to date to amend and enhance the Statistics and Census (Jersey) Law?
16. Please could you update us on the progress of the Jersey Public Services Ombudsperson legislation and the lodging timeline?
17. In respect of the Control of Housing and Work Law, can you provide a timeline of any planned further amendments and what these will accomplish?
18. In respect of the amendments to the States of Jersey Law 2005, it is written in your Legislative Programme that the proposed amendment would provide a power for the Chief Minister  to  be  able  to  suspend  ministers  in  certain  circumstances.  Under  what circumstances will the Chief Minister be able to suspend ministers?
19. It is written in the Legislative Programme that the Amendments to the Employment of States of Jersey Employees (Jersey) Law 2005 would put in place effective statutory arrangements to set and monitor performance standards for the Chief Executive Officer.

1. What performance standards are due to be put in place?
2. How are you working to ensure that the performance standards are fair and achievable?
3. What repercussions will the Chief Executive Officer face if performance standards are not met?

Yours Sincerely,

Deputy Sam Mézec

Chair

Corporate Services Scrutiny Panel