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Public Accounts Committee - Approved Committee Minutes - 30 September 2013

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Public Accounts Committee

Record of Meeting

Date: 30th September 2013 Meeting No: 34

 

Present

Deputy T. Vallois, Chairman Senator S.C. Ferguson Deputy R. Rondel

Deputy G.C.L. Baudains Mr. I. Ridgway

Mr. R. Parker

Apologies

Mr. J. Mills

Absent

 

In attendance

Mrs K .McConnell, Comptroller and Auditor General

Mrs K. Tremellen-Frost, Scrutiny Manager (for item 1)

Mr. M. Robbins, Officer to the Public Accounts Committee

Mr. I Clarkson, Acting Officer to the Public Accounts Committee Ms. P. Brown, Scrutiny Officer

 

Ref Back

Agenda matter

Action

 

1.  Records of Meetings

The records of meetings held on 2nd and 6th September 2013 were approved and signed.

 

512/18

2.  Canbedone Productions Limited Grant

The Chairman reported that she had written to the Treasurer of the States seeking confirmation of the status of a relevant internal audit  and,  further,  that  she  had  been  advised  informally  that Canbedone Productions Limited expected to start filming on 4th October 2013.

The Committee noted the position.

 

 

3. Conflicts of Interest

No  conflicts  of  interest  were  declared  in  respect  of  the Committee's agenda for 30th September.

 

Item 7 02.09.13

512/1(46)

4.   Financial  Report  and  Accounts  2012:  Report  of  the Comptroller and Auditor General [C&AG]

The  Committee  noted  correspondence,  dated  23rd  September 2013, from the Treasurer of the States. Having further noted that the Comptroller and Auditor General planned to prepare a related briefing paper for the Committee, the Committee resolved to give further consideration to the matter at its next scheduled meeting.

C&AG

Item 8 02.09.13

5. R.77/2013 "The Office of Comptroller & Auditor General [C&AG] and Public Audit in Jersey"

 

1443/10 (57)

The  Committee  noted a  report  summarising  the  outcome  of a meeting  between  the  Chief  Minister  and  the  Chairman  of  the Committee  concerning  actions  to  be  taken  in  response  to  the report  of  the  Comptroller  and  Auditor  General  entitled:  Public Audit in Jersey.' In particular it noted that the Chief Minister had agreed  to  lift  from  the  Public  Finances  (Jersey)  Law  2005 provisions relating to the office of the  Comptroller  and Auditor General  and  to  pursue  the  drafting  of  standalone  legislation, responsibility for which would rest with the Chief Minister.

The  Committee  agreed  that  the  Chairman  should  seek confirmation from the Chief Executive, States of Jersey that the above  was  being  pursued  and  confirmation  of  the  relevant timescale for drafting.

Chairman

512/1(8)

6. Comptroller and Auditor General: Preparation of Briefing Notes

The Committee noted and endorsed a proposal of the Comptroller and  Auditor  General  that  the  Committee  be  provided  with  a summary briefing note, to be produced by the Jersey Audit Office, on  future  reports  produced  by  the  Comptroller  and  Auditor General.

C&AG

512/1(8)

7. Comptroller and Auditor General: Recruitment of Affiliates and Provision of Specialist Assistance

The  Committee  noted  that  recruitment  of  affiliates  and identification of specialist individuals to assist with the progression of forthcoming reviews by the Comptroller and Auditor General was progressing well.

 

1443/10 (58)

8. R.118/2013 - Management of Major Property Transactions - Learning from the proposed acquisition of Lime Grove House

The Committee noted that R.118/2013 had been presented to the States by the Comptroller and Auditor General on 24th September 2013 and, further, that the report contained 17 recommendations concerning  not  only  the  management  of  major  property transactions but also the management of all major projects across the States of Jersey.

 

Item 4 02.09.13

512/20

9. Integrated Care Records

The  Committee  considered  a  report  which  summarised  the outcome of a meeting held on 26th September and which had been attended by the Chairman and Mr. Parker. It endorsed a proposal  to  request  that  the  Health  and  Social  Services Department facilitate a tour of departmental premises and deliver a presentation concerning the integrated care records system.

The Committee was mindful that the report of the Comptroller and Auditor General concerning management of property transactions (R.118/2013) highlighted the importance of taking certain actions to  enhance  the  likelihood  of  a  successful  project. It  was anticipated, should the Committee decide to launch a review of the integrated care records system, that it would wish to evaluate the project with direct regard to the best practice measures set out in R.118/2013.

IC / PB

 

Item 1 512/21

10. Car Park Trading Fund

The Committee agreed that, having completed its programme of public hearings, it was in a position to commence drafting a final report.

IC

Item 6 02.09.13

512/19

11. Grants and Subsidies

The Committee considered and endorsed a report which proposed

that the review be advanced by way of the following 4 case studies –

  • quality  milk  payments  (Economic  Development Department)
  • energy efficiency service (Environment Department)
  • sports  travel  grants  (Education,  Sport  and  Culture Department)
  • Overseas grant aid (Overseas Aid Commission).

The  Committee,  having  provisionally  agreed  a  revised  target completion date of December 2013 for the review, resolved to revisit  its  ongoing  work  programme  following  delivery  of  the presentation and visit cited at item 7 above.

IC

IC

512/1(29)

12. Esplanade Quarter: review proposal

The Committee considered a report concerning correspondence received regarding the business case underpinning the planned construction, by the States of Jersey Development Company, of new office blocks on the Esplanade Square site, St. Helier .

The Committee concluded that the issues raised appeared to fall more readily within the remit of the Corporate Services Scrutiny Panel. On that basis, the Committee noted that the Chairman of that Panel would review the correspondence received.

SF

 

13. Future meetings

28th  October  2013:  Committee  meeting,  Blampied  Room, 12.30pm-2.30pm.