Corporate Services - Apporved Panel Minutes - 27 July 2006

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Agenda matter

Action

1.

Minutes – The Panel approved the minutes of the meetings held on the; 5th May; 12th May; 18th May; 23rd May; 16th June and the

7th July.

2.

Item 1 07.07.06

Notes –

1. The Panel approved the notes of the meeting held with the Council of Ministers on the 1st June 2006.

2. The Panel approved the notes of the meeting held with the Treasury and Resources Minister to discuss the 20 means 20 proposals on the 4th July 2006. The Panel noted that it had not

received  a  response  to  the  letter  sent  to  the  Treasury  and Resources  Minister  following  this  meeting,  which  highlighted several areas of concern the Panel had with the 20 means 20 proposals. The Panel agreed that a response to this letter should be sought as soon as possible.

The Panel discussed one of the issues raised in this letter, which was the fact that under the 20 means 20 proposals, individuals would  lose  their  tax  allowance  for  private  health  insurance, whereas  companies  providing  employees  with  private  health insurance as part of a remuneration package would continue to receive  tax  relief  on  these  policies  as  an  allowable  business expense. The Panel agreed that this anomaly did not warrant an immediate review, however it was agreed that this was an issue for the Panel to monitor.

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3.

Chairmen's Committee – The Panel noted the briefing sheets from the Chairmen's Committee meetings held on 19th May and

30th June 2006.

4.

Rôle  of  Scrutiny  Officers – The  Scrutiny  Manager,  Kay Tremellen-Frost, attended the Panel meeting to discuss the role of Scrutiny Officers. The Panel noted the relevant papers.

5.

Scrutiny Topic Proposals – The Panel received two scrutiny topic proposal forms from a member of the public, and a response from  Mr.  D.  Peedle,  States  Economic  Adviser. The  proposals suggested that a tax should be introduced to all empty commercial property and on any unsold dwellings. The Panel requested for a response to be drafted highlighting the fact that the owners of both commercial and residential property continued to pay both fonciers and occupiers rates on unoccupied premises. The Panel also

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requested for Mr. Peedle to be contacted to establish whether he would  object  to  his  response  to  the  proposals  being  sent  in conjunction with the Panel's response.

6.

Review evaluations –

1. Age  of  Consent  Review – The  Panel  agreed  that  an addition should be made to the evaluation stating that the clarity and rapid responses from H.M. Solicitor General to the Panel's queries greatly contributed to the speed with which the review was conducted.

2. Financial Framework Review – The Panel noted the draft review evaluation, and requested several additions to be included in the document.

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7.

Panel expenditure –

1. The Panel noted its financial report from the 2nd quarter 2006.

2. The Panel noted its review costs from the Strategic Plan Financial Framework Review.

8.

Population Office – The Panel received notes from a meeting between Deputy Gallichan; Mr. P. Bradbury, Director, Population

Office; and Mr. W. Ogley, Chief Executive, on the 17th July 2006. The Panel agreed that a letter should be drafted to the Chief

Minister, requesting that Deputy Gallichan attends the Migration Advisory Group meetings as an observer.

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9.

Sub Panels and Co-option of Members – The Panel noted the paper prepared by the Greffier of the States for the Chairmen's Committee  on  the  co-option  of  members  and  sub-panels,  and agreed  that  the  paper  covered  the  problems  the  Panel  had encountered with regard to the co-option of members onto a full Scrutiny Panel.

10.

Proposed  Sale  of  Jersey  Telecoms – The  Panel  noted  the

decision from the Chairmen's Committee meeting held on the 24th July 2006, where it was agreed that a Sub Panel should be formed

to  conduct  this  review,  under  the  chairmanship  of   Deputy Southern , to include members from cross-disciplinary areas.

11.

"The good scrutiny guide" – The Panel received an updated version of the pocket guide produced by the Centre for Public Scrutiny.

12.

AOB - a.

Fiscal Strategy Reviews

i. Zero/Ten Design Proposal – The Panel received an update on the progress of this review from the Sub Panel Chairman. The Panel approved the Sub Panel's decision to allow the adviser, Richard Teather, to ask questions of witnesses at Public Hearings, given that he was covered by Professional Indemnity Insurance. The Panel agreed that this should only apply to witnesses that were not States members. The Panel discussed the Sub Panel's proposal to work in conjunction with the Treasury and keep them informed of any significant findings as the review progressed. The full  Panel  agreed  that  this  would  help  to  build  a  co-operative working relationship with the department in question, and would be of more benefit to the progression of the consultation document than simply providing the Treasury with the Panel's findings at the end of the review. The Panel also agreed that any publication of findings in advance of the full report should come under the name of the full Corporate Services Panel.