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19-21 Broad Street | St Helier Jersey | JE2 3RR
Via Email: Environment, Housing and Infrastructure Scrutiny Panel 19 January 2023
Dear Chair,
Re: Proposed Government Plan 2023-2026
I write in response to your request for a response from the Minister for the Environment to two of the recommendations made by the Panel in its comments paper (P97 Com) of 8 December 2022 on the Government Plan 2023-2026.
Recommendation 2: The Minister for the Environment should update the States Assembly before the end of June 2023 on steps taken to progress the delivery of a long-term financing strategy for the Climate Emergency Fund including: the options being explored and whether progress is still on track to deliver this by lodging of the next Government Plan 2024-27.
Ministerial response: Accept
Work on the long-term financing strategy will be commencing early in Q1 2023 with the aim of feeding into the Government Plan 2024. Therefore, we should be in a position to provide an update on progress by the end of June 2023.
Recommendation 3: The Minister for the Environment should, in future Government Plans (or the Annex), provide a more detailed breakdown of proposed expenditure on initiatives to be drawn from the Climate Emergency Fund for the following year. The aim of doing so is to provide greater transparency of what the money will be spent on, as well as assurance to the States Assembly and the public that the Fund is being utilised in line with its agreed Terms of Reference.
Ministerial response: Reject
The expenditure from the Climate Emergency Fund (CEF) was agreed by the States Assembly in the Carbon Neutral Roadmap and is confirmed in the subsequent Government Plan. The Carbon Neutral Roadmap shows allocated CEF budget against each policy for 2022-2025 and detailed expenditure comes forward as the agreed projects and policies are developed in line with the principles of each Carbon Neutral Roadmap policy.
Policies across the CNR continue to be worked up as per the implementation schedule. In order to feature in the government plan, content needs to be agreed in Q2 for inclusion in the following year's plan. Policy development continues at pace, but we will not be in a position to know the detailed breakdown of spend for each individual policy by June for 2024 as this will be dependent on research and development work (such as pilots) being completed this year.
The Minister and the Carbon Neutral Programme governance boards are responsible for ensuring any new projects or policies meet the established terms of reference for Climate Emergency Fund spend and align with the agreed Carbon Neutral Roadmap policies. Any such projects will need to demonstrate this through a supporting business case. In agreeing the Carbon Neutral Roadmap and the governance process within it, the expenditure routes have been agreed and a requirement to provide further details within the Government Plan will add unnecessary complexity to the Government Plan process.
We are committed to continuing to work in a transparent manner and look forward to consulting with Scrutiny on the developing plans and associated spend under the Carbon Neutral Roadmap throughout the coming year.
I hope this information is helpful to the Panel. I am grateful for your engagement in relation to the Government Plan and look forward to keeping you updated as the various workstreams progress.
Yours sincerely
Deputy Jonathan Renouf Minister for the Environment