Education, Sport and Culture - Transfer of Functions - Submission - 18 November 2015

Questions for Ministers

Transfer of Functions

Overall changes: Vision and transition planning

1. P.46 states that the proposed transfers of functions underpin the draft Strategic Plan 2015-2018. Please state what benefits the proposed changes will bring to your department and explain how these will be achieved.

• This transfer will enable the Minister for Economic Development, Tourism, Sport and Culture to make important use of the synergies that exist between tourism, sport and culture in order to boost Jersey's economy by attracting new visitors and business to the Island. These synergies are also vitally important in improving the provision of sporting, leisure and cultural activities in order to encourage more participation in our community and to improve the health and well-being of Islanders.

2. Are you in full agreement with the proposals, or do you have any concerns about them?

• These proposals have been developed following discussions between the relevant Ministers and relevant issues have been addressed.

3. Has a full business case been prepared for the changes as they will affect your department, analysing options, opportunities, resource implications and any potential disadvantages? If so, please attach copies; if not, please explain why not?

• No. The report accompanying the transfer of functions regulations state that there are no resource implications involved, other than department and staff transfers.'

4. What other work has been done within your department to prepare for the transition tothe proposed arrangements? (Please attach copies of all other preparatory work.)

• Consideration of sport' functions that may not transfer with sport – Outdoor Education and disability play schemes. It was agreed that these would remain with Education as they are best fit and are exclusive to young people in School Youth settings.
• School sport facilities – Langford, Oakfield, and Haute Vallee swimming pool and 3G pitch. Meetings held with Head teachers and Memorandum of Understanding put in place between EDTS&C and Education.
• The Principal Youth Officer also reported to the Assistant Director for Sport and Leisure. This has been changed so that he now reports directly to the Director for Education.
• Meetings have been held with EDD officers to consider budget and their transfers, as well as, implications on HR and IT support.
• With regard to sustaining Jèrriais, an agreement has been reached that ESC will provide teachers on a part-time basis to learn and pass on the language in schools. EDD will enter into an agreement with ESC to fund this work and a separate agreement will be made with the Don Balleine for community language work. Otherwise, EDD will enter into new funding agreements with the other third sector bodies.

5. Has your department taken any advice or consulted with any third parties about the proposed changes, if so what was the result?

• Third parties have been informed of the proposed changes but full consultation has not taken place.

6. Have any potential disadvantages to making these changes been identified, if so, what are they and what steps will be taken to mitigate them?

• There has been some apprehension that the sport development team will no longer be part of the Education department as much of their work is done in schools and also with young people. Schools which access facilities managed by the sport division have also raised concerns about sport moving to EDTS&C as there is a perception that EDTS&C is as a more commercial organisation with less concern for the social responsibilities to schools and young people. To mitigate these concerns the Assistant Minister with responsibility for Sport will remain a member of the Ministerial team at Education and a Memorandum of Understanding will be agreed to protect terms that schools currently enjoy.

7. Please identify in detail all of the departmental activities that will be affected by the transfer of functions as proposed, giving details of work currently carried out, numbers of staff involved, budgets allocated, etc.

• The management and operation of sport facilities including Fort Regent, Les Quennevais sport centre and playing fields, Springfield community centre and 3G pitch, Langford Sports Centre, Oakfield Sport centre and playing field, Haute Vallee Pool and 3G Pitch, FB Fields, Grainville Playing Fields, Airport Playing Fields and Crabbé shooting ranges will all be transferred. The number of staff involved in this is 100.
• The Sport Development team will also transfer. They deliver and facilitate programmes which include swimming lessons for primary school children; PE and after school sport programmes; holiday and after school programmes of activity; support for sport clubs to provide good governance, safeguarding and planning; and, Exercise referral programmes.
• The number of staff involved is 19
• Responsibility for maintaining relationships with the funded cultural sector, which involve a single officer, will pass to EDD. Activities with other departments – for instance, the schools States programme developed with the States Greffe, Liberation Day ceremonial organisation with the Bailiff 's Chambers – will be maintained by the Cultural Development Officer, who will be transferring across to the EDTS&C Department.

8. Will the changes involve relocation of staff to different offices or operational areas? If so, please give full details.

• One officer will relocate office from Education to Fort Regent.

9. Have any opportunities for staff reductions / savings been identified as part of the proposals? If so, please give details.

• No. Efficiencies have been made through VR and VS programmes in sport.

10. Have all staff who will be affected been fully informed and consulted about the impact of the changes? If so, what were their reactions?

• Staff have been informed through meetings and also newsletter updates. There have been some reservations mostly associated with the perceived commercial driver for Economic Development.

11. Have any concerns or objections been raised, either by staff who will be directly involved in the changes, or others who feel their work may be affected? If so, please give details, and indicate what steps you have taken / intend to take to address these.

• Concern has been raised internally and also by some external bodies that the driver for Economic Development may be at odds to the social responsibilities that sport and culture currently provides. These concerns are mostly around maintaining pricing levels for sport facilities, ensuring that EDTS&C do not seek to commercialise operation of community facilities and giving full weight to the community activities of the not-for-profit culture sector. There is also concern that EDTS&C will look to outsource the management of facilities. People in Education have also raised concerns that the relocation of responsibility for sport to EDTS&C may reduce the relationship between sport development and schools.

12. Please identify the budgetary implications of the changes, giving full details of any variation from existing department budgets under the proposed new arrangements. (If there are other budget variations arising simultaneously but for separate reasons, please clarify.)

• The budget for sport as identified in the 2016 annex to the budget will transfer. This equates to a near cash net budget of £3,341,600 together with non cash budget of £111,000. The only confirmation is final confirmation of the savings from the VR process compared to the allocation made at the time of the MTFP.
• The budget for culture which comprises the operating grants to Jersey Heritage (£2.4m), Jersey Arts Centre (£453,425), Jersey Opera House (£467,303), Jersey Arts Trust (£159,700) and Don Balleine (£147,500); the Opera House refurbishment loan repayment (£572,000) will transfer.