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Government Plan Efficiencies Review Panel
Records of Meetings
Year: 2020
The following records of meetings have been approved by the Panel. Signed
Deputy Geoff Southern
Chair
Government Plan Efficiencies Review
Date: 30th January 2020
Present | Deputy Geoff Southern (Chair) Deputy Mike Higgins Connétable Richard Vibert |
Apologies |
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In attendance | Gary Eisner, Committee & Panel Officer |
Agenda matter | Action |
1. Records of Meetings There were no records to approve. |
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2. Panel Documentation The Panel reviewed the draft Terms of Reference and the Scoping Document. The Terms of Reference were approved, while changes were agreed to the Scoping Document. It was noted that the Scoping Document may need to include budget for an adviser, subject to the approval of an engagement brief by the Scrutiny Liaison Committee. | GE |
3. Work Programme The Panel agreed to aim to release its first report on the Efficiencies Programme by 30th June 2020. It was agreed that a letter would be drafted to the Chief Minister asking him to catalogue the information available as supporting evidence for the status of the Efficiencies Programme. The Panel noted that cross-over with the work of other Panels should be avoided, with communication to be undertaken at Chair and officer level on Panel work programmes. | GE |
4. Election of Vice-Chair The Panel voted to elect Deputy Mike Higgins as the Vice-Chair. |
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5. Future Meetings It was decided that meetings would be held each Thursday of non-sitting weeks at 2pm. It was noted that the next meeting of the Panel will be Thursday 13th February at 2pm in the Le Capelain Room. |
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Date: 12th February 2020
Present | Deputy Geoff Southern (Chair) Deputy Mike Higgins Connétable Richard Vibert |
Apologies |
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In attendance | Gary Eisner, Committee & Panel Officer |
Agenda matter | Action |
1. Records of Meetings The minutes from 30th January were approved. |
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2. Panel Documentation The Panel reviewed and approved the revised Scoping Document. It was noted that the Scoping Document may need to include budget for an advisor, subject to the approval of an engagement brief by the Scrutiny Liaison Committee. | GE |
3. Background Material The Panel reviewed the document Government Efficiencies Plan 2020-2023 (R.130/2019) and agreed that it would form the basis of the first review and would also aid in assessing what documentation was required to conduct the review. The Panel agreed to assess the Efficiencies Programme against the definition of efficiencies in R.130/2019 and also focus on the four core areas described in the document. | GE |
4. Engagement Brief The Panel reviewed and approved a draft engagement brief for an advisor. The brief would be submitted to Scrutiny Liaison Committee for endorsement. | GE |
5. Future Meetings It was decided that meetings would be held each Wednesday of non-sitting weeks at 2pm. It was noted that the next meeting of the Panel would be Wednesday 4th March at 2pm in the Le Capelain Room. |
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Date: 1st April 2020
Present | Deputy Geoff Southern , Chair Deputy Mike Higgins |
Apologies | Connétable Richard Vibert |
In attendance | Gary Eisner, Committee & Panel Officer Caro Tomlinson, Committee & Panel Officer |
Agenda matter | Action |
1. Coronavirus outbreak The Panel recalled that it had drafted a letter on 18th March 2020 to the Chairs of Scrutiny Panels via the Scrutiny Liaison Committee, regarding the planned commencement of the Government Efficiencies review. It had also a drafted a letter to the Chief Minister asking him to catalogue the information available as supporting evidence for the status of the Efficiencies Plan 2020-2023 (R.130/2019) and any relevant reports produced as a result of legislative requirement under the Public Finances (Jersey) Law 2019. However, the outbreak of the coronavirus and the Government response to it had evolved rapidly, and the letters had not been sent. The Review Panel's emphasis had been to ensure the Government had a robust and accountable framework in place to progress the Efficiencies Plan as approved by the States Assembly. However the Panel noted that the Government Plan, including the Efficiencies Plan, could change significantly in order to reprioritise and reallocate resources to combat the coronavirus epidemic. It further noted that it could prove difficult to engage an adviser in the current circumstances. The Panel concluded that it did not want to burden the Government at this time with unnecessary work, nor did it wish to duplicate the work of other Panels scrutinising the Government's response to the coronavirus outbreak. It agreed, however, that it should monitor how the Efficiencies Plan might differ from that originally approved. It determined that the Review Panel Officer would request regular updates from her fellow Scrutiny Officers and request relevant reports submitted to the Scrutiny Liaison Committee. The Panel noted that a meeting via videoconference between the Corporate Services Scrutiny Panel (CSSP) and the Chief Minister was due to take place on Friday 3rd April 2020. Having noted that questions to the Chief Minister would include reference to proposed changes to the Efficiencies Plan, it requested that it be invited to observe that meeting. Having further noted that the CSSP was expecting a written response to previous enquiries about the Efficiencies Plan from the Chief Minister by 7th April 2020, it agreed to await that response before determining how it should proceed. | CT |
2. Next Meeting The Panel agreed to meet via videoconference on 8th April 2020 at 2pm. | CT |
Date: 9th April 2020
Present | Deputy Geoff Southern , Chair Deputy Mike Higgins |
Apologies | Connétable Richard Vibert |
In attendance | Gary Eisner, Committee & Panel Officer Caro Tomlinson, Committee & Panel Officer |
Agenda matter | Action |
1. Coronavirus outbreak The Panel recalled that the Review Panel's emphasis had been to ensure the Government had a robust and accountable framework in place to progress the Efficiencies Plan as approved by the States Assembly. However the Panel noted that the Government Plan, including the Efficiencies Plan, could change significantly in order to reprioritise and reallocate resources to combat the coronavirus epidemic. It agreed, however, that it should monitor how the Efficiencies Plan might differ from that originally approved. It determined that the Review Panel Officer would request regular updates from her fellow Committee and Panel Officers and request relevant reports submitted to the Scrutiny Liaison Committee. The Panel noted that a meeting via videoconference between the Corporate Services Scrutiny Panel (CSSP) and the Chief Minister had taken place on Friday 3rd April 2020, although the minutes were not yet available. Having noted that questions to the Chief Minister had included reference to proposed changes to the Government Plan, it had requested to be copied in on the written response from the Chief Minister by 7th April 2020, but that response had not yet been received. | CT |
2. Next Meeting The Panel agreed to meet via videoconference on 15th April 2020 at 2pm, to determine whether to proceed with the Review. | CT |
Date: 6th May 2020
Present | Deputy Geoff Southern , Chair Deputy Mike Higgins |
Apologies | Connétable Richard Vibert |
In attendance | Caro Tomlinson, Committee & Panel Officer |
Agenda matter | Action | |
CT | ||
The Panel recalled that its emphasis had been to ensure the Government had a robust and accountable framework in place to progress the Efficiencies Plan 2020-2023 as approved by the States Assembly. However, the Panel noted that the Government had recently announced that a Recovery Plan would effectively replace the Government Plan, including the Efficiencies Plan, in order to reprioritise and reallocate resources to combat the coronavirus epidemic. It agreed, however, that it should monitor how the Efficiencies Plan might differ from that originally approved, specifically in the following areas:
Having noted that the Council of Ministers meeting papers could now be accessed, including financial updates and Covid-19 response briefings, the Review Panel determined that, as well as circulating those updates, the Review Panel Officer should make contact with the Efficiencies Programme Board, a group of accountable officers that reported on efficiencies throughout Government departments to the Treasury. This should negate the need to contact each Minister and Accountable Officer separately to request their efficiencies savings and assessment of the Covid-19 outbreak and would lessen the risk of duplication of work that other Scrutiny Panels were doing to assess the effects of the Covid-19 outbreak and the Government's response to it. The Review Panel agreed that once a format for the letter to the Chair of the Efficiencies Programme Board had been approved, setting out the information required, it would meet shortly thereafter to discuss its next steps. |
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2020.05.06
Date: 29th May 2020
Present | Deputy Geoff Southern , Chair Deputy Mike Higgins |
Apologies | Connétable Richard Vibert |
In attendance | Caro Tomlinson, Committee & Panel Officer |
Agenda matter | Action |
1. Minutes The Panel approved the record of the meeting of 6th May 2020. | CT |
2. Coronavirus outbreak The Review Panel recalled that the Government had advised that the Efficiencies Plan 2020-2023 (Efficiencies Plan), as approved by the States Assembly, had been |
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developed to demonstrate how joining up services, being more commercial and cutting waste would help free up the investment to fund the Government Plan priorities over four years. The Review Panel also recalled that the emphasis of its review was to ensure the Government had a robust and accountable framework in place to progress the Efficiencies Plan. However, the Review Panel noted that the Council of Ministers had recently proposed to shift the focus of the Government Plan to support Jersey's recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic. The Review Panel expressed its concern that the previously planned efficiencies could be impacted by a loss of revenue and by Departments reprioritising the delivery of certain projects. The Review Panel recalled it had written to the Chair of the Efficiencies Programme Board (the Board) on 11th May 2020 requesting the Board's terms of reference, remit, its membership and its work to date. The Review Panel discussed whether it would be necessary to contact each Department, Ministers and the Accountable Officers on the efficiencies achieved as per the Efficiencies Plan 2020-23, plus how they would be affected by Covid-19, or whether the Board could provide that information centrally. The Review Panel considered an emailed response dated 15 May 2020, from the Programme Director of the Efficiencies Programme, together with the Board's terms of reference. The Programme Director had confirmed there would be a six-monthly report sent to the Review Panel, addressing the following concerns:
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Whether there had been any unintended consequences because of efficiency savings The Programme Director also stated in the response that, in April 2020, the Board agreed the cessation of the current Efficiencies Programme. He advised that a closure report was being drafted which would be provided to the Review Panel by the end of June 2020. He added that the management and oversight of the delivery of 2020 efficiencies had moved from the programme into business as usual' work by the Department. Specifically, project reporting progress would be reported monthly via the Perform platform (each efficiency line was tracked as a project, albeit of varying sizes) alongside financial monitoring. As set out in the Efficiencies Plan 2020, the financial monitoring was embedded within the monthly budget monitor process run by the Treasury and Exchequer Department. In his response, the Programme Director advised that the development of efficiencies for 2021 and beyond had been paused in March 2020 as the Government redirected all focus to its response to COVID-19. Furthermore, officers were in the process of evaluating how this activity would be re-initiated, including the broader response to the need to re-balance Government finances. He confirmed that once a new approach had been agreed with the Council of Ministers, the Review Panel would be informed. The Review Panel noted that the Efficiencies Plan 2020-2023 (P.88/2019) stated that £40 million would be saved through efficiencies in 2020. The Review Panel agreed that it should ask the Efficiencies Programme Board whether that was on track and what the overall targets for efficiencies savings were. Once this information had been received, the Panel agreed that it would ask individual departments what impact Covid- 19 had on their ability to meet efficiency savings targets. The Review Panel expressed its intention to produce a report containing its findings on the above matters by September 2020. | CT |
Date: 10th June 2020
Present | Deputy Geoff Southern , Chair Deputy Mike Higgins Connétable Richard Vibert |
Apologies |
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In attendance | Caro Tomlinson, Committee & Panel Officer |
Agenda matter | Action |
1. Minutes The Panel approved the record of the meeting of 29th May 2020. | CT |
2. Efficiencies Programme Board The Review Panel recalled that it had received an emailed response dated 15th May 2020, from the Programme Director of the Efficiencies Programme Board (the Board) in response to its request for the Board's terms of reference, remit, its membership and its work to date. It noted the Programme Director had agreed to attend a private briefing on 12th June 2020, to expand upon the responses given in the email. The Review Panel, having noted that the Corporate Services Scrutiny Panel had also been invited to attend the briefing, approved a question plan and asked that it be circulated to all attendees in advance. | CT |
Date: 12th June 2020
Present | Deputy Geoff Southern , Chair Deputy Mike Higgins Connétable Richard Vibert |
Apologies |
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In attendance | Senator Kristina Moore , Chair, Corporate Services Scrutiny Panel (CSSP) Deputy Steven Ahier , CSSP Jonathan Williams, Programme Director, Efficiencies Programme Board John Quinn, Chief Operating Officer, Chief Operating Office (COO) Caro Tomlinson, Committee & Panel Officer Katie Griffiths, Committee and Panel Officer |
Agenda matter | Action |
1. Private Briefing by Efficiencies Programme Board The Review Panel welcomed members of the CSSP to receive a private briefing from officers of the Efficiencies Programme Board (the Board), Jonathan Williams, Programme Director, and John Quinn, Chief Operating Officer, Chief Operating Office (COO). The Review Panel noted that a closure report for the current Efficiencies Programme would be produced by the end of June 2020. The Programme Director advised that there would still be a six-monthly report produced on efficiencies, the first due by the end of August 2020. He confirmed that officers were in the process of evaluating how the Programme would be re-initiated, including the broader response to the need to re-balance Government finances and that he would inform the Review Panel as soon as the new rebalancing programme' approach had been agreed by the Council of Ministers. Having noted that the Chief Minister was the Chair of the Political Oversight Group overseeing the Efficiencies Programme Board, the Review Panel agreed to arrange a public hearing with him in the next two weeks. This meeting was held in private in accordance with the Freedom of Information (Jersey) Law 2011 (as amended) under Qualified Exemption Article 35. |
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Date: 24th June 2020
Present | Deputy Geoff Southern , Chair Deputy Mike Higgins Connétable Richard Vibert |
Apologies |
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In attendance | Caro Tomlinson, Committee & Panel Officer |
Agenda matter | Action |
1. Minutes The Review Panel approved the private and public records of the meetings held on 10th and 12th June 2020. |
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2. Efficiencies Programmes Board The Review Panel recalled it had held a private briefing with officers from the Efficiencies Programme Board (the Board), Jonathan Williams, Programme Director, and John Quinn, Chief Operating Officer, Chief Operating Office (COO), which the Chair of the Corporate Services Scrutiny Panel had also attended. It noted that a response to its email to them following the briefing, seeking points of clarification, was expected by 2nd July 2020. The Review Panel noted that a closure report for the current Efficiencies Programme would be produced by the end of June 2020. Having noted reports and presentations from the Council of Ministers' meeting of 10th June 2020, including a Rebalancing Report, an Efficiencies Report and a Government Plan timetable, the Review Panel agreed to hold its next meeting to consider a way forward once all the above information had been collated. |
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Date: 8th July 2020
Present | Deputy Geoff Southern , Chair Deputy Mike Higgins Connétable Richard Vibert |
Apologies |
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In attendance | Caro Tomlinson, Committee & Panel Officer |
Agenda matter | Action |
1. Minutes The Review Panel approved the record of the meetings held on 24th June 2020. |
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2. Efficiencies Programmes Board The Review Panel received an email from Jonathan Williams, Efficiencies Programmes Director, dated 3rd July 2020, which responded to queries made by the Review Panel following its briefing with officers from the Efficiencies Programme Board (the Board), on 24th June 2020. The Review Panel also considered a closure report produced on behalf of the Efficiencies Programme Board, dated 1 July 2020. It recalled it had already received a Rebalancing' Report, an Efficiencies Report and a Government Plan timetable, from the Council of Ministers' meeting of 10th June 2020. Having noted the above information, it agreed it should receive a private briefing with the Chief Minister in his role as the Chair of the OneGov Political Oversight Group with oversight of the Efficiencies Programmes Board. The Review Panel agreed to consider questions to put to the Minister and that it should meet with him before the summer recess. | CT |
Date: 22nd July 2020
Present | Deputy Geoff Southern , Chair Deputy Mike Higgins Connétable Richard Vibert |
Apologies |
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In attendance | Item 2 only: Senator John Le Fondré, Chief Minister Peter Styles, Head of Group Reporting, Treasury and Exchequer Jonathan Williams, Programmes Director, Efficiencies Programmes Board Caro Tomlinson, Committee & Panel Officer |
Agenda matter | Action |
1. Minutes The Review Panel approved the record of the meeting held on 8th July 2020. |
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2. Private Briefing with the Chief Minister The Review Panel welcomed the Chief Minister to a private briefing in his role as the Chair of the One Gov Political Oversight Group with oversight of the Efficiencies Programmes Board. This meeting was held in private in accordance with the Freedom of Information (Jersey) Law 2011 (as amended) under Qualified Exemption Article 35. | CT |
Date: 3rd September 2020
Present | Deputy Geoff Southern , Chair Deputy Mike Higgins |
Apologies | Connétable Richard Vibert |
In attendance | Caro Tomlinson, Committee & Panel Officer |
Agenda matter | Action |
1. Minutes The Review Panel approved the public and private records of the meeting held on 22nd July 2020. |
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2. Six-Month Progress Report on Government Plan The Review Panel noted the six-month progress report on the Government Plan 2020- 2023 and agreed to consider it further prior to the public hearing with the Chief Minister on 17th September 2020. The Review Panel also agreed to seek views from a select number of Ministers as to how the efficiencies programme had affected departmental budgets or been actioned in the light of Covid-19. | CT |
3. Public Hearing with Chief Minister 17th September 2020 The Review Panel recalled it had invited the Chief Minister to a private briefing, in his role as the Chair of the One Gov Political Oversight Group with oversight of the Efficiencies Programmes Board, on 22nd July 2020. It agreed it would wish to question the Chief Minister in public on several issues pertaining to the recently published six- month progress report of the Government Plan, in particular the Efficiencies Plan section, and agreed to invite him to a public hearing on 17th September 2020. The Review Panel noted a draft question plan for the hearing and agreed to send suggested amendments to the officer prior to the hearing. | CT |
Date: 17th September 2020
Present | Deputy Geoff Southern , Chair Deputy Mike Higgins |
Apologies | Connétable Richard Vibert |
In attendance | Caro Tomlinson, Committee & Panel Officer |
Agenda matter | Action |
1. Minutes The Review Panel approved the public record of the meeting held on 3rd September 2020. |
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2. Six-Month Progress Report on Government Plan The Review Panel further considered the six-month progress report on the Government Plan 2020-2023. It agreed to formulate questions to the Chief Minister on areas of the report where there appeared to be inconsistencies between the efficiency savings and the strategic priorities of the Government. | CT |
3. Public Hearing with Chief Minister The Review Panel recalled it had postponed the public hearing with the Chief Minister scheduled for 17th September and agreed to amend the draft question plan to form the content of a letter to him. The Review Panel agreed it would await the draft Government Plan, which would include up-to-date efficiency savings and projected efficiencies, to be sent to Scrutiny prior to lodging au Greffe, on 28th September 2020. The Review Panel also recalled it had sent letters to the Ministers of Children and Housing, Education, and Environment, asking for their views on the impact of efficiencies on their departments. Their responses were expected by 18th September 2020. This information, together with the Chief Minister's responses to his letter would form the basis of a question plan to be put to him in a public hearing in early October 2020. | CT |
4. Date of next meeting The Review Panel agreed to meet in Le Capelain Room, States Buildings, on 30th September 2020. | CT |