Public Accounts Committee - Approved Committee Minutes - 3 March 2014

Present

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

Mr. J. Mills, C.B.E.

Mr. I. Ridgway

Mr. R. Parker

Apologies

Absent

In attendance

Mrs. K .McConnell, Comptroller and Auditor General

Mr. I. Clarkson, Officer to the Public Accounts Committee Mrs. E. Turner, Scrutiny Officer, States Greffe

Ref Back

Agenda matter

Action

1.  Records of Meetings

The  record  of  the  meeting  held  on  3rd  February  2014  was approved and signed.

Item 2 03.02.14

512/1(44)

2.  Conflicts of Interest

Deputy R. Rondel declared a potential financial interest in respect of the Committee's pending review of grants and subsidies.

Mr. I Ridgeway declared that he might need to declare a conflict of interest  in  the  event  that  the  Committee  was  to  formally recommence  work  on  a  formal  review  of  procurement.   The Committee noted the position.

Item 3 03.02.14

512/20

3. Integrated Care Records

The  Committee  received  a  second  bundle  of  documentation supplied by the Health and Social Services Department (HSSD). Included  within  the  bundle  were  Programme  Board  minutes, financial  breakdowns  and  various  other  post-implementation reports.

The Committee was advised that its officers had met with the Director of Finance and Information, Health and Social Services Department  and  the  former  ICR  Programme  Manager  on  5th February to discuss the history of the ICR programme and the scope of the Committee's review.

The Committee agreed that individual members should review the additional  documentation  supplied  and  forward  any  specific comments  to  its  officer  by  10th  March,  so  as  to  inform  the

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preparation of a draft programme of public hearings to be held in late March or April 2014.

Item 1 28.02.14

512/18

4. Canbedone Productions Limited Grant

The Committee noted that its final report was to be presented to the States on 4th March 2014 and that the Chairman would make a supporting statement in the Assembly on the same day.

The  Committee  authorised  its  officer  to  supply  a  complete electronic copy of the report to all relevant Departmental Scrutiny Liaison Officers once hard copies of the same had been prepared and  had  been  forwarded  to  the  States  Assembly  Information Centre for distribution.

Chairman IC

Item 5 03.02.14

512/19

5. Grants and Subsidies

The  Committee  considered  a  progress  report  concerning  the review of grants and subsidies.

It was reported -

1. that the Education, Sport and Culture Department had responded to an enquiry regarding the policy applied in cases where recipients of higher education grants do not complete their selected course, and
2. that the lead member and the Officer to the PAC had met  with  the  Chief  Officer,  Economic  Development Department to discuss the various grants and subsidies established by or maintained under the Rural Economy Strategy 2011 – 2015 (R.4/2011 refers).

The Committee agreed that its primary focus during March would be the ongoing review of the Integrated Care Records programme but that several of the case studies planned as part of the grants and subsidies review could be progressed as discrete reviews during  the  second  and  third  quarters  of  2014,  subject  to  the availability of departmental resource.

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Item 6 03.02.14

512/1(8)

6. Comptroller and Auditor General: work programme

 The Committee –

1. noted  a  draft  project  specification  for a  review  of management information in Health - Operating Theatres
2. noted an oral update regarding progress against the Jersey Audit Office Audit Plan, and
3. received a presentation concerning the status of a review of the internal audit function, and
4. received a presentation concerning the status of a review of procurement.

Documentation received by the Committee regarding the above was  classified  as  confidential  in  accordance  with  paragraph 3.2.1(b)  of  the  Code  of  Practice  on  Public  Access  to  Official Information.

Item 5 30.09.13

1443/10 (57)

7. Comptroller and Auditor General Report: Public Audit in Jersey (R.77/2013)

The  Committee  was  briefed  by  the  Chairman  regarding  an exchange of correspondence between the Comptroller and Auditor

General, the Chief Executive, States of Jersey and the Chairman.

The Committee was concerned to note an apparent deviation from the position reported to the Committee on 30th September 2013, particularly,  but  not  exclusively,  regarding  the  proposal  to consolidate and update Jersey's public audit legislation within a separate Law and which would fall within the administration of the Chief Minister.

The Committee agreed –

1. that the Chairman should secure a meeting with the Chief Minister  in  early  course  with  a  view  to confirming  his position  regarding  the  recommendations  made  in R.77/2013,
2. that  the  Chairman  should  report  the  outcome  of  that meeting to the Committee as soon as practicable, and
3. in the event the Chief Minister was not inclined to support implementation  of  the  recommendations  made  in R.77/2013,  the  Committee  should,  at  its  31st  March meeting, consider lodging a draft report and proposition requesting the States to –

1. endorse those recommendations in full and
2. instruct  the  executive  to prepare  the  necessary legislation without delay.

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Item 7 03.02.14

8. Future meetings

The Committee noted that its next meeting would commence at 12:30 pm on 31st March in the Blampied Room.

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