Education and Home Affairs - Approved Panel Minutes - 2 June 2008

Present

Deputy D.W. Mezbourian , Chairman Deputy J. Gallichan, Vice-Chairman Deputy S. Pitman

Apologies

Connétable G.F. Butcher

Absent

In attendance

Mr. W. Millow , Scrutiny Officer Mr. T. Oldham , Scrutiny Officer

Ref Back

Agenda matter

Action

1. Records of Meetings

The Panel approved and signed the record of its meeting on 12th May 2008.

[12/05/08, Item 2]

2. Customs and Immigration

The Panel received documentation on the structure of the Customs and Immigration Service that had been forwarded by the Service's Director of Law Enforcement. It was noted that a written submission made on behalf of the Service was likely to be received later that week.

The Panel received an oral update on the information and submissions that had been received to date, noting that correspondence had been received from the Minister for Economic Development; the Minister for Treasury and Resources; and the Lieutenant-Governor. It was noted that responses had not yet been received to some of the Panel's other requests; the Scrutiny Officer was requested to take the appropriate action to follow-up these unanswered requests.

The Panel recalled its request for confirmation on the procedure that applied when Departmental Officers wished to contribute to a Scrutiny review. The Panel was advised that Departmental Officers were not able to submit evidence independently and individually in any format. If an Officer wished to make a submission, he or she should approach the relevant Chief Officer to discuss the matter in the first instance. In the event that a Departmental Officer felt unable to approach the Chief Officer, an approach should be made directly to the Chief Executive. If this latter approach was felt to be unsuccessful, an approach could then be  made  to  the  States  Employment  Board.   The  Panel  noted  that Departmental Officers were able to submit evidence for reviews relating to their personal circumstances that did not relate to their employment. It was further noted that a whistleblower's policy had been developed for circumstances where a Departmental Officer wished to follow that course of action.

The Panel considered its subsequent course of action on the review. The Officer was requested to e-mail the Panel with an update on the documentation that had been received.

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[12/05/08, Item 3]

3. Social Inclusion – Mont-à-l'Abbé

The  Panel  noted  that  correspondence  had  been  received  from  the

Minister for Education, Sport and Culture in response to the Panel's Terms of Reference. It was advised that the Minister had also spoken to the Chairman about the Terms of Reference and that the Department had contacted the Scrutiny Office in relation to the same matter. The Panel noted that, in his correspondence, the Minister had advised that the funding pressure facing Mont-à-l'Abbé School had been resolved. He had also suggested that the Panel might wish to consider a broader review  of  the  arrangements  made  by  the  Department  for  social inclusion.

The Panel considered the implications of the Minister's correspondence and whether the scope of its review should be altered. During this consideration, it was noted that the Economic Affairs Scrutiny Panel had  made  provision  in  its  review  of  Employment  and  Training Opportunities in Jersey to consider employment opportunities for the disabled. The Panel requested that the Terms of Reference for that review be circulated. The Panel subsequently agreed that it would continue work under the previously agreed Terms of Reference and that it  would  invite  the  Minister  to  a  Public  Hearing  during  the  week beginning 16th June 2008.

The Panel recalled its agreement to appoint an expert advisor for the review. It was noted that one curriculum vitae had been received. The Panel agreed that it would invite the relevant candidates for interview on 16th June 2008. Consideration was given to other avenues the Panel could pursue to identify potential advisors and the Scrutiny Officer was requested to take the appropriate action.

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4. Questions to Ministers

The Panel noted that the Minister for Transport and Technical Services and the Minister for Economic Development would answer questions without notice at the States sitting on 3rd June 2008.

5. Future Meetings

The Panel noted that its next scheduled meeting would take place at 9:30am on 16th June 2008.

6. Ministerial Decisions

The  Panel  noted  that  no  Ministerial  Decisions  by  the  Minister  for Education,  Sport  and  Culture  had  been  recorded  on  www.gov.je between 7th and 27th May 2008.

The Panel noted that the following decision had been made by the Minister for Home Affairs:

1.  Authority for removal from association pending charge (Rule 67(5) Prison (Jersey) Rules 2007) – 29221 (MD-HA-2008-0027)

[30/04/08, Item 1]

7. Annual Business Plan

a) Next Steps

The Panel considered a paper outlining a general course of action that it might wish to pursue in relation to the 2009 Annual Business Plan (ABP). It was noted that subsequent work could be divided into the following broad areas:

• An examination of outstanding issues arising from the Panel's work on the provisional cash limits;
• Consideration  of  the  Fire  and  Rescue  Service  and  the  area  of culture with regard to the objectives, performance criteria and cash limits as outlined in the 2009 ABP; and
• Consideration  of  the  capital  programme  in  relation  to  the Departments of Education, Sport and Culture and Home Affairs

The Panel agreed to follow the general, three-pronged approach in its subsequent work on the ABP.

b) Public Hearings

The Panel noted that initial enquiries had been made with the Ministers for Home Affairs and Education, Sport and Culture for Public Hearings to be held on 25th July 2008. It was further noted that a time of 11:00am had been pencilled in for the Minister for Home Affairs and a time of 2:00pm for the Minister for Education, Sport and Culture. The Panel confirmed that 25th July 2008 would be a suitable date for Public Hearings to be held.

8. Comptroller and Auditor-General's Report

The Panel considered those sections of  States' Spending Review - Emerging Issues (R.48/2008) in which the Comptroller and Auditor- General (C&AG) had suggested options for reduced spending in the Departments of Education, Sport and Culture and Home Affairs. It was noted that the Panel's subsequent work on the 2009 ABP would cover some of the matters raised by the C&AG in his report.

It was noted that the Chairmen's Committee had requested that each Scrutiny Panel comment on those parts of R.48/2008 pertinent to its remit. It was agreed to advise the Committee that the Panel would cover some of the matters raised by the C&AG during its work on the 2009 ABP. It was also agreed to highlight that the Panel had identified these areas for examination prior to the publication of the C&AG's report.

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