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Corporate Services - Approved Panel Minutes - 8 February 2008

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Corporate Services Scrutiny Panel

Date 8th February 2008 Meeting Number 59

 

Present

Deputy P J D Ryan, Chairman Connétable J L S Gallichan Connétable D Murphy Deputy R Le Hérissier Deputy C Egré

In attendance

M. Haden, Miss S Power, Scrutiny Officers

 

Ref Back

Agenda matter

Action

1

Minutes

The Panel approved the Minutes of meetings of 9th, 21st, 22nd and 25th January 2008

 

2

Matters Arising

The Panel noted the Action update from the meeting on 9th January 2008.

 

3.

Item 1 25.01.08

Scrutinising the States Annual Business Plan

The Panel approved an estimate of expenditure for an adviser in the sum of £7,752.

 

4.

Item 1 21.01.08

Review of the proposed establishment of Jersey Enterprise Board Limited (P.194/2007)

The Panel, having received a copy of the personal profile of Mr. Paul Smith FRICS and agreed that he had relevant experience to act as adviser on this review, approved an estimate of expenditure in the sum of £6,952.

 

5.

Item 7 09/01/08

Department Business Plans

Chief Minister - The Panel noted a paper setting out its key priorities for 2008 in respect of the Chief Minister's Departmental Business Plan. The Panel discussed the following areas which were not already covered in agreed reviews:

  1. Information Services Department: The Panel noted that Deputy Egré would continue to have regular meetings with the ISD Director to discuss progress in the development of an IS strategy and a project management framework for States projects. Deputy Egré was requested to arrange an early meeting with the ISD Director in order to enquire about the impact of the decrease in allocation to Corporate projects in the 2008 Departmental Business Plan.
  1. Discussion with Chief Minister: It was agreed to raise the following issues with the Chief Minister at the meeting on 5th March:

 Constitutional relationship with the United Kingdom: The Panel noted that this review appeared to have drifted from its

 

 

target and that there was limited information on progress.

  • Status of Channel Islanders in EU (R.9/2008)  
  • Human Resources Department It was noted that a working Party, including Deputies Le Hérissier and Egré was soon to produce a report on the issue of succession planning.

The Panel noted that the six-monthly Strategic Initiatives report was due to be published by the end of February and agreed to include further issues for discussion arising from this report.

Treasury and Resources Department - The Panel noted that a meeting had been arranged with the Minister on 9th April and agreed to defer consideration of topics for discussion on the Business plan until its next meeting.

 

6.

Item 4 09.01.08

Level Playing Field Review

The Panel approved a draft call for evidence letter to be sent to members of the Finance Industry. It was agreed that a public hearing with key witnesses including the Chief Minister and his advisers should be scheduled once responses had been received from this consultation.

SP

7

Item 13 26.07.07

Sale of Jersey College for Girls

The Panel noted that a meeting with the Director of Property Holdings to receive a progress report on this issue had been postponed. The Panel agreed to request an early briefing on this matter.

MH

8.

Item 6 09.02.08

Proposed Waterfront Development (SR2/2008)

The Panel noted correspondence dated 8th February 2008 from a group of local developers raising concerns based on information from the Sub Panel's report. It was agreed that the Sub Panel Chairman would request a comment from the Sub Panel's adviser and reconvene the Sub Panel before making any response.

MH

9.

Registration and Monitoring of Non-Profit Organisations (NPOs) - Consultation Paper No 1 2008

The Panel noted that the Chief Minister had agreed to extend the consultation period on the proposal to require NPOs to register with the JFSC and that several aspects of the proposals had already been reviewed, including the waiving of fees. Deputy Le Hérissier reported that he was a member of a group formed by Advocate C. Lakeman to respond on behalf of local charities and that this group would shortly be issuing a formal response. The Panel agreed that the proposed legislation, the draft Non-Profit Organizations (Jersey) Law 200- would be a suitable matter for legislative scrutiny on the basis that this was a matter of high public interest. The Chairman informed the Panel that he had been in touch with the Chief Executive, Chief Minister's department, who had advised that this would require a tight timescale as it was intended that the legislation would be presented to the Privy Council in July in time for the IMF inspection in the autumn. The Panel agreed to await further outcomes from the consultation period.

 

10.

Current Reviews

The Panel noted an update summary as at 4th February 2008.

 

12.

Forthcoming legislation

  1. Stamp Duty on Share Transfer Property Transactions (Draft Taxation (Land Transactions) (Jersey) Law 200- P.185/2007)

The Panel received a briefing note from its adviser on this matter. It was noted that the purpose of the draft law was to achieve equity between the purchase costs of share transfer and freehold property - to deal with the situation whereby those purchasing share transfer property paid no stamp duty charge. It was a complex law and uncommon in other jurisdictions.

The Panel agreed that it would scrutinise the draft legislation under Standing Order 72 if the States agreed the principle of the draft law when it was debated on 11th March.

The Scrutiny Officer was requested to contact the adviser to request his assistance in this review. It further agreed that the adviser's briefing note should be published as a comment on the draft law, subject to possible further revision by the author.

  1. Goods and Services Tax Review

The Panel noted that a final public hearing was to be held on 15th February on the draft Goods and Services Tax (Amendment) (Jersey) Law 200- and the draft Goods and Services Tax (International Services Entities) (Jersey) Regulations 200-. It was noted that the Regulations were scheduled for debate in the States on 26th February which would give very little time for a report to be prepared. It was agreed that a comment from the Sub Panel would be appropriate in this case.

MH

13.

Schedule of meetings

Following a request from the Chairman of Economic Affairs Panel the Panel agreed to amend its schedule of meetings for 2008.

It was agreed that the meeting on 5th March which included meetings with the Treasury and Resources Minister and the Chief Minister would extend beyond into the lunch period to deal with other Panel business.

It was noted that the next Scrutiny Briefing on the draft States Annual Business Plan 2009 would take place on 7th March 2008.

 

Signed  Date

.   .. Chairman, Corporate Services Panel