Skip to main content

Education and Home Affairs - Approved Panel Minutes - 23 April 2012

This content has been automatically generated from the original PDF and some formatting may have been lost. Let us know if you find any major problems.

Text in this format is not official and should not be relied upon to extract citations or propose amendments. Please see the PDF for the official version of the document.

Education and Home Affairs Scrutiny Panel

Record of Meeting

Date:   23rd April 2012 Meeting No:  9

 

Present

Deputy J. M. Maçon, Chairman

Connétable M. P. S. Le Troquer, Vice Chairman Connétable S. W. Pallett

In attendance

M. Haden, Scrutiny Officer

 

Ref Back

Agenda matter

Action

 

1. Minutes

The Minutes of the meetings held on 12th March 2012 were approved as a true record and signed accordingly.

 

Item 2 12.03.12

516/1(44)

2. Work Programme

The Panel received an update report from the Scrutiny Officer on its work programme.

 

Item 2 09.02.12

516/1(51)

3. Quarterly hearing with Minister for Home Affairs

The Panel received notes of the Quarterly Hearing with the Minister for Home Affairs on 22nd March 2012 and noted related correspondence from the Assistant Minister for Home Affairs, dated 30th March 2012, and the Minister, dated 16th April 2012.

The Panel was concerned at the level of uncertainty regarding certain CSR  projects  and  whether  the  target  savings  set  for  2013  were achievable  without  significant  effect  on  frontline  services.  Members agreed  that  further  discussions  were  necessary  in  order  to  better understand the context and difficulties faced by the department.

 

Item 7 12.03.12

516/29

4. Review of Issues surrounding the financial management of Operation Rectangle

The Panel considered the independent legal advice which had been received by the Chairmen's Committee in relation to the publication of a redacted version of the transcript of the public hearing with Mr. S. Syvret in October 2011.

The  Panel  noted  the  view  of  the  Chairmen's  Committee  that  the transcript  should  be  redacted  to  remove  any  inappropriate  and irrelevant statements and that the Panel should ensure that whatever remained was applicable to the Terms of Reference of the review and determine  whether  there  was  sufficient  remaining  evidence  which merited publication.

Having considered the transcript and the redactions as agreed by the previous Sub Panel, members agreed to endorse the decision of the previous Sub Panel.

Having also noted the serious nature of the allegations made by Mr.

 

 

Syvret, the Panel agreed to request assurance from the Law Officers that the matters had been fully investigated.

 

Item 9 09.02.12

516/27

5. Camera Surveillance – topic proposal

The  Panel  considered  and  approved  in  principle  a  draft  scoping document  for  a  review  of  camera  surveillance  and  requested  the Scrutiny Officer to identify a suitable adviser to assist with this review.

MH

Item 8 12.03.12

516/32

6. Tasers: Proposed introduction into the Island

The Panel noted and approved the schedule of witnesses for the public hearings on 27th April 2012.

Members  agreed  to  meet  on  Thursday  26th  April  to  consider  the Question Plan for the public hearings

 

Item 11 09.02.12

516/5(15)

7. Jersey Fire and Rescue Service – consultation feedback

The Panel considered a briefing paper from the Scrutiny Officer and noted that further clarification had been requested of the response of the Service to the consultation feedback

 

Item 3 09.02.12

516/1(51)

8. Quarterly hearing with Minister for Education, Sport and Culture

The Panel received the Minister for Education, Sport and Culture for its first quarterly Briefing with the Minister for Education, Sport and Culture.

Members noted that the Minister had been unable to update the Panel on  his  department's  plans  in  relation  to  meeting  its  targets for the Comprehensive Spending Review. However, he was due to make a presentation to the Council of Ministers on the pressures facing the department. Members requested a briefing from the Minister as soon as possible thereafter.

Members  noted  the  increasing  numbers  of  young  people  attending courses at Highlands as well as the success of programmes such as Advance to Work. Members agreed to request further information from the Minister on student numbers at Highlands and on his plans to develop apprenticeship schemes.

Members also requested information on the Minister's plans for funding for sports grants in 2013.

MH MH

 

9. Date of next meeting

Members noted that a briefing had been arranged with the department on 11th May 2012 on the Social Inclusion report commissioned in 2009.