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Public Accounts Committee
Record of Meeting (Part A – Open)
Date: 25th November 2013 Meeting No: 37
Present | Deputy T. Vallois, Chairman Senator S.C. Ferguson Deputy R. Rondel Deputy G.C.L. Baudains Mr. J. Mills, C.B.E. Mr. I. Ridgway |
Apologies | Mr. R. Parker |
Absent |
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In attendance | Mrs. K .McConnell, Comptroller and Auditor General Mr. S. Warr en, Jersey Audit Office Mr. I Clarkson, Officer to the Public Accounts Committee |
Ref Back | Agenda matter | Action |
| 1. Records of Meetings The record of the meeting held on 28th October 2013 was approved and signed. |
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512/1(44) | 2. Conflicts of Interest Deputy R. Rondel declared a potential conflict of interest concerning item 5 on this agenda. The Committee was invited to note that its Officer's previous Committee Clerk role had caused him to become involved in 2 matters indirectly linked to item 6 on this agenda. The Committee noted the disclosures and was satisfied that the matters did not give rise to a material conflict of interest. |
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Item 1 18.11.13 512/21 | 3. Car Park Trading Fund The Committee noted that its report had now been presented to the States as P.A.C.3/2013 and that responses could be expected prior to the Committee's meeting on 6th January 2014. | IC |
Item 5 28.10.13 512/20 | 4. Integrated Care Records The Committee noted that the Chairman and lead member Mr. Parker had met on 7th November 2013 to complete the scoping document and devise appropriate terms of reference. These had been referred to the Chairmen's Committee for endorsement. The Committee was advised that existing files were being reviewed by the Committee's new Officer in order that a suitable initial briefing pack and covering report might be collated and circulate to members as soon as possible. Initial indications were | IC |
| that the scope of the review was sufficiently broad as to make completion prior to the summer of 2014 challenging. In this regard, it would be important to reach an agreed position on the period 2004 – 2009 as soon as possible, so as to allow the Committee to concentrate on the post-2009 period. The Committee endorsed the terms of reference and noted the position pending receipt of the initial briefing pack and covering report. |
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Item 6 28.10.13 512/19 | 5. Grants and Subsidies The Committee noted that Mr. Mills, lead member and the Committee's Officer were devising a public call for evidence and a provisional programme of public hearings. Having revisited the 4 case studies selected previously and having acknowledged that the Minister for Education, Sport and Culture had recently published the Sports Strategy 2014 – 2018, the Committee invited the lead member to consider whether the sports grants case study should be replaced with an alternative. In this regard, the Committee suggested that claw-back procedures for higher education grants might be a suitable substitute case study. The Committee noted that the lead member and Committee Officer would consider the above matter prior to the Committee's next scheduled meeting on 16th December. | JM IC JM IC |
Item 2 28.10.13 512/18 | 6. Canbedone Productions Limited Grant The Committee recalled - (a) that the internal audit report concerning the grant to Canbedone Productions Ltd. had been finalised on 7th November 2013 and had been forwarded to the Committee on the same day, and (b) that the Economic Development Department had notified the Committee of the status of the film production, the name of which had changed. Regarding (a) above, the Committee was most seriously concerned to note that the scope of audit as recorded in the report indicated a deliberate intention to review the findings and recommendations raised in the PAC report to ascertain if [they were] reasonable and based on fact.' The Committee was clear that it was solely accountable to the States in such matters. It was nevertheless pleased to learn that the Comptroller and Auditor General had already offered relevant advice to the Audit Committee regarding the scope of audit. Turning to the findings of the internal audit report, the Committee concluded that these were not dissimilar to those outlined in the Committee's own report P.A.C.2/2013. The Committee agreed that it should invite the Treasurer of the States and the Chief Internal Auditor to a final series of public hearings to be held before Christmas 2013 and to discuss matters arising from P.A.C.2/2013 and the associated internal audit report. The Committee noted that the Chairman and Deputy R. Rondel | IC Chairman, |
| would meet with the Officer in early course to prepare for the forthcoming hearings and to determine whether the Chief Executive should also be invited to attend a public hearing. | RR, IC |
Item 9 2.9.13 512/1(8) | 7. Comptroller and Auditor General: work programme The Committee received and noted the following documentation concerning the ongoing work programme of the Comptroller and Auditor General -
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512/1(8) | 8. Comptroller and Auditor General: presentation concerning Annual Report and Accounts 2012. The Committee received a confidential presentation, delivered by S. Warr en, Jersey Audit Office concerning the Financial Report and Accounts 2012. Having endorsed in principle the recommendations and next steps as outlined, the Committee noted that it would receive a further related report early in 2014. |
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Item 8 28.10.13 | 9. Future meetings The Committee noted that its last meeting of 2013 would commence at 12:30 pm on 16th December in the Blampied Room. It further endorsed the following revised schedule of meetings for 2014 – 13th January 3rd February 3rd March 31st March 28th April 3rd June 23rd June 21st July 18th August 15th September 13th October 8th December. |
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