Government Plan 2022-2025 Scrutiny Review (Children, Education and Home Affairs Scrutiny Panel) (S.R.16/2021): Response of the Minister for Home Affairs.

Findings

Comments

3

The  Minister  for  Home  Affairs  has explained that a target of a £406,000 reduction  in  non-staff  expenditure across the Department for Justice and Home  Affairs  has  been  set  and  is intended  to  identify  waste  and duplication across the service. This is intended to be confirmed by the middle of 2022.

Noted. This remains to be identified.

4

The  Minister  for  Home  Affairs  has confirmed that an estimated £184,000 income in respect of visa, work permit and  passport  applications  has  been profiled for 2022 by the Customs and Immigration Department as part of the rebalancing  measures.  There  is, however, no certainty at this stage as to whether this target is achievable, and the Minister will be required to monitor this carefully throughout 2022.

Noted. Covid remains a factor in the uncertainty of passport income, but JCIS is expecting a surge in  the  Spring.  Looking  at  historic  trends,  this target does appear to be a reasonable one.

5

It  is  intended  for  a  recurring  spend reduction of £315,000 from 1st January

Noted.

Findings

Comments

2022 (3% of the services budget) to be made within the States of Jersey Prison Service as part of a new target operating model for the service. However, this new  operating  model  has  yet  to  be finalised and there is a presumption that it will be undertaken with a view to achieving this level of saving.

6

It is intended for the States of Jersey Police Force to make savings totalling £459,000 across the non-staff budget of £3.1 million. Taking into the account the transfer of Police IT which occurred earlier in 2022, this would reduce the non-staff  budget  to  £2.9  million  in 2022. The Chief of Police has identified several areas where these savings can be found and is confident that they can be achieved.

Noted, although the transfer of Police IT occurred in 2021, not 2022.

7

It  is  intended  to  make  an  efficiency saving  of  £377,000  within  Civilian Roles  in  the  States  of  Jersey  Police Force in 2022. This does not relate to a removal of posts, but to posts which have  been  frozen  following  a  staff review  into  civilian  roles  within  the Police Force. It is noted that the savings are not as a direct result of the staff review but have been put in place due to the  requirement  for  all  Government Departments  to  make  3%  savings across budgets in 2022

Noted. There is a plan in place to deliver this saving for 2022. 7 posts have been identified and frozen'. It has been assessed these gaps can be managed without having an adverse impact on service delivery.

20

It  is  still  intended  for  the  States  of Jersey Police Force to recruit with the intention of meeting the target of 215 Police Officers and proposed efficiency savings do not impact the funding for this target. There is, however, concern that the impact on police officers will still be felt as a result of civilian roles not being recruited to which will need to be monitored closely by the Minister for Home Affairs.

It  remains  the  intention  to  recruit  to  the  215 Officer target. At the time of writing in January 2022  215  Officers  are  currently  in  post.  It  is acknowledged that this number will rise and fall across the year as Officers leave and join, and as such there is an expectation that efficiency savings will  be  realised  due  to  timing  differences  in officers leaving and being replaced (a vacancy management factor).

Findings

Comments

21

A new people model for the Combined Control Room is due to be consulted on during November 2021 with a view to identifying  the  model  to  be implemented. It is intended for the new Computer-Aided Dispatch System to be purchased  and  implemented  in  2022 with  funding  allocated  to  the  capital project. It is expected that both of these changes will realise efficiency savings.

The remit for the new People Model is to ensure a new  structure  with  appropriate  management layers, opportunity for training and development, and an efficient shift pattern. The aim is to ensure it  is  within  the  current  expenditure  for  the function. It may not realise efficiency savings to enable a budget reduction. In relation to the CAD, it is (as of January 2022) unclear whether the money allocated for 2022 will be sufficient to procure a new system during this year, but it is hoped to gain a clearer understanding of the cost of a new system by the end of March, and then reappraise the options.

25

The new revenue funding allocated to the  Jersey  Police  Authority  (JPA) within the Government Plan 2022 – 25 is  in  order  to  increase  the  resources available to it in order to ensure the States  of  Jersey  Police  Force  is operating as efficiently and effectively as  possible.  It  is  also  noted  that  the funding  provided  in  the  Government Plan is one third of what was requested by  the  JPA.  This  will  require monitoring by the Minister for Home Affairs  to  ensure  the  funding  is adequate for the role of the JPA.

Noted. The Comptroller and Auditor General is currently  doing  a follow  up  audit,  which  it  is understood  will  consider  appropriate  funding levels for the JPA.

26

The additional funding for the Jersey Field Squadron has been identified in order to cover an historic issue whereby funding of £1 million was provided on an annual basis that did not take into account  RPI,  salary  increases  and inflation.  The  additional  funding  is intended to bring the overall budget up to date.

Noted.

27

The  fund  as  required  project  Brexit Transition – Policy and Legal Support' seeks to provide funding for reactive work in relation to implications arising from Brexit. An estimate of £172,000

Following the approval of the business case, funds from the Reserve should now be made available to resource a Legal Policy Principal for Jersey Customs  and  Immigration  and  an  Immigration Advisor  for  the  Law  Officers'  Department  to manage the transitional implications of Brexit. In

Findings

Comments

has been set aside for 2022, however, there is no certainty over this level of funding.

this respect there is an element of certainty over funding.

30

The allocated funding for the Fire and Ambulance  Headquarters  in  2022  is based on the Rouge Bouillon site being allocated for the project. At present, the school site review is ongoing and there is no certainty as to which project the site  will  be  allocated  to  as  it  is dependent  on  the  outcome  of  this review.  In  the  event  the  site  is  not allocated  to  the  Fire  and  Ambulance Headquarters project, further work and funding will be required to identify and carry out pre-feasibility work on a new site.

Noted.

31

A new site for the Army and Sea Cadets Headquarters is due to be selected so that  pre-feasibility  work  can  be undertaken in 2022. The current details of  the  site  are  commercially confidential, so the Panel cannot state at this time whether the funding identified will  meet  the  requirements  for  the project in 2022 at this time.

Noted.

Recommendations

To

Accept/ Reject

Comments

Target date of action/

completion

3

The  Minister  for  Home Affairs should ensure that no  front-line  service  is directly  affected  as  a result  of  efficiency savings made in respect of  non-staff  spend  and that any structural budget

MH A

Partially accept

The Minister is committed to protecting front  line  services  and  it  remains  the intention that these services should not be  adversely  affected  by  the  need  to make efficiency savings.

The Minister therefore agrees with the spirit  of  this  recommendation.  The Department must make an effort to make

Ongoing

Recommendations

To

Accept/ Reject

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Target date of action/

completion

concerns arising from this saving are addressed as a matter of priority.

efficiency savings, along with the rest of the Government.

It will be necessary to review whether budgets  are  structurally  appropriate going  forward,  and  the  Minister  will closely monitor this.

4

The  Minister  for  Home Affairs should monitor on a  monthly  basis  the number  of  applications for  visas,  work  permits and  passports  and associated  income against  the  rebalancing target  of  £184,000. Should this figure not be achievable,  then  the Minister must take action to  identify  additional income from across other areas of the department.

MH A

Partially accept

The  Head  of  the  Customs  and Immigration  Service  will  ensure  that Immigration casework is appropriately resourced  to  ensure  no  revenue  loss. Monthly  income  and  forecast  reports will be provided to the JHA Director General  and  so  ensure  the  target objective is regularly assessed. It should be noted that the majority of the income is generated by JCIS, and opportunities to identify additional areas of income across the Department are limited.

Monthly

5

The  Minister  for  Home Affairs should provide a briefing to the Children, Education  and  Home Affairs Panel as soon as the new Target Operating Model  for  the  Prison Service  is  completed, outlining the structure of the service and the total level of funding required in order to implement it by end of January 2022.

MH A

Partially accept

The Minister will be pleased to provide a briefing to the Panel on the Prison's new Operating Model. This is intended to be a wholesale reform, not just of the people model of the prison, but of all processes and policies in relation to the operation of the prison, drawing on the evidence from around the world as to What works' with a clear ambition to be the best prison in the world in terms of Reducing Reoffending outcomes.

As such, it is not intended to be subject to  the  same  timescales  of  previous TOMS, which were largely isolated to implementing a new management, and people, structure.

In terms of implementing the new people model, the anticipated timeframe is Q1

End of Q1 to brief Panel and end of 2022 for new operating model to be impleme nted.

Recommendations

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for  the  Senior  Team,  with  Job Descriptions  approved  and  people mapped  or  recruited  to  substantive positions.  We  expect  middle management to be achieved in Q2 or Q3 (contingent on how purdah effects SEB decision  making  timeframes)  and  the rest of staff  (prison officers, teachers, administrators) to be done in Q4. It is therefore  anticipated  that  the  new operating model will be in place for the end of 2022.

The Prison is expected to be able to work within the budget allocated for this year.

The Minister therefore proposes to brief the  Panel,  along  with  the  Prison Governor, on the intentions for this work during Q1 2022.

6

The  Minister  for  Home Affairs  should,  in collaboration  with  the Chief  Officer  of  the States  of  Jersey  Police, Jersey  Police  Authority and  States  of  Jersey Police Force Association monitor the impact of the non-staff  budget  spend reduction  within  the Government  Plan  on  a monthly basis to ensure it is not directly impacting front line services within the police.

MH A

Accept

This will be closely monitored in 2022. A rebalancing tracker is completed and held  by  Treasury  for  monthly monitoring.

Monthly

7

In the event that the Chief Officer  of  the  States  of Jersey Police identifies a significant impact on the operation  of  the  police

MH A

Reject

This will be closely monitored in 2022. If  the  Chief  Officer  identifies  a significant impact on the operation, he will  inform  the  Minister  and  provide options  and  recommendations.  The

N/A

Recommendations

To

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Comments

Target date of action/

completion

force  as  a  result  of  the £377,000  rebalancing measure in civilian roles, the  Minister  for  Home Affairs  should immediately  seek  to release funding in order for the frozen posts to be recruited to as a matter of priority.

Minister will consider these as they arise and take the action deemed appropriate at  that  point.  The  Minister  will  not commit in advance to the singular course of action recommended by the Panel.

The Minister will also be guided by the JPA  in  this  regard  which  has  a  duty under the law, to seek from the Minister any  additional  resources  needed  to enable the Force to deliver is aims and objectives.

8

The Minister should also report to the Panel, on a quarterly  basis,  an assessment  of  how  the cuts are affecting Police Officers.  Consultation with  the  Jersey  Police Authority States of Jersey

Police Force Association should be undertaken on a regular basis to inform this assessment.

MH A

Accept

The  Minister  is  content  to  consult regularly with the States of Jersey Police Force Association, and the Jersey Police Authority, and report back to the Panel.

Ongoing

18

The  Minister  for  Home Affairs  should,  in partnership  with  the Jersey  Police  Authority, Jersey  Police  Force Association and Chief of Police,  monitor  the impact  of  the  proposed efficiency  savings  in respect  of  civilian  roles on  a  monthly  basis  and report to the Panel on a quarterly  basis  the outcomes  of  these discussions  and  any actions taken as a result.

MH A

Accept

This will be closely monitored during 2022. The Minister will ask the Chief of Police to keep him updated about the impact of the Staff Review.

Ongoing

Recommendations

To

Accept/ Reject

Comments

Target date of action/

completion

19

The  Minister  for  Home Affairs  should  provide details of the final people model  in  respect  of  the Combined Control Room to  the  Children, Education  and  Home Affairs Panel as soon as the  consultation  process is completed.

MH A

Accept

Accepted.  The  Minister  would  be pleased to brief the Panel on the final people  model  once  the  consultation closes  and  the  response  has  been determined.

End of Q1 2022

20

Should  any  efficiency savings in respect of the Combined Control room be identified as a result of the  new  people  model' then  the  Minister  for Home  Affairs  should ensure  that  these  are included within the next iteration  of  the Government  Plan  2023- 2026.

MH A

Reject

Whilst cost reductions may arise once in operation, efficiency savings to enable a reduction  in  the  budget  are  not anticipated.  It  will  be  for  the  next Minister to make determinations around the  efficiencies  included,  or  not included, in the next Government Plan.

N/A

23

The  Jersey  Police Authority should, within its annual report, make a statement  as  to  whether the funds provided to it are  sufficient  for  it  to meet its duty in regard to the States of Jersey Police Force Law 2012.

MH A  / JPA

Accept

Under the Law the Authority must seek from  the  Minister  any  additional resources needed to enable

the Authority to perform its duties.

Whilst the Law does not require the JPA to report on itself, it is the intention of the JPA to submit an annual report to the Minister demonstrating its activities and financial statements at the end of this reporting period.

March 2023 for 2022 report