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Minister for Home Affairs
19-21 Broad Street | St Helier Jersey | JE2 3RR
Connétable Mike Jackson
Chairman, Environment, Housing and Infrastructure Scrutiny Panel Via Email
5 November 2020
Dear Connétable Jackson
Government Plan 2021 – Written Questions
Further to your letter, please find below answers to your questions. Prison Improvement Works – Phase 6b
- We note from R.89/2020 that works for Phase 6b are on track. Please could you advise what the spend has been to date?
The current spend is £7026.00 and relates to consultant/planning fees.
A planning application was submitted in June 2020. A number of queries have recently been raised and these are presently being resolved. Accordingly, planning permission remains outstanding.
- The funding requested for 2021 is £90,000, is it your expectation that this work will be complete before the end of 2021 and within budget?
It is envisaged that the tender process will be completed by mid/end December – with a commencement date (on site) in early January 2021.
The contract period is estimated at between 8 and 10 months – so it is anticipated that the works will be fully completed by the end of 2021.
At this stage, there is no reason to expect it will not be delivered within budget. Dewberry House SARC
- We note from R.89/2020 that this project is partially deferred. The progress update contains very little information, please could you provide clarity on what aspects of this project are deferred and what has been spent to date?
The unavailability of Jersey Property Holdings Project Management resources and lockdown have delayed the commencement of the feasibility study.
This has now been resolved and the feasibility study has recently commenced. It is hoped the study will be complete by the end of Q1 2021.
The spend to date has been minimal (less than £10K). The Project Management and Architectural Services are being provided from JPH. Recharges occur quarterly in arrears.
- Please could you provide a breakdown of what the £1,800,000 requested for 2021 covers?
The £1.8 million is one of three tranches: £250K in 2020 (to undertake the feasibility study); £1,800,000 in 2021 and £500,000 in 2022. The total budget is therefore £2.55m.
As the site of the new SARC is currently unknown this is an estimated build cost for a new SARC, with provision to acquire a new site, if required, up to 750k.
- Please could you explain the reason for the increase to £1,800,000 from the £1,550,000 which was forecast in the 2020 Government Plan?
The figure of £1.8 million reflects the fact that the funding of £250,000 for 2020 was deferred to 2021 and the 2020 funding has been added to the money allocated for 2021.
- Do you consider that the revised amount for 2021 of £1,800,000 is sufficient to meet the project's stated aims?
The current estimate is based on the preliminary assessment of the spatial requirements needed for a new SARC and based on a square meter build rate. The outcome of the feasibility study will be to verify this.
- How will delivery of this project ensure value for money?
A Project Manager has been appointed and a Project Board is presently being established. One of their objectives will be to ensure that this project delivers value for money, whilst ensuring we have a facility that meets all of the requirements.
Additionally, the feasibility study will review and validate the current business case brief' and spatial needs. It is proposed to benchmark this new facility with similar facilities in the UK – and if possible, in similar jurisdictions.
Yours sincerely
Connétable Len Norman Minister for Home Affairs
Prison – Phase 8
- Please could you provide a breakdown of the £666,000 funding requested for 2021?
The £666K will cover feasibility, planning and initial enabling work costs.
- What is the rationale for progressing Phase 8 prior to Phase 7 (i.e. requesting funding for Phase 8 in 2021 but indicative funding is given for Phase 7 in 2023)?
Phase 7 in the Master Plan was the consolidated' multi-purpose building that included the new workshops, segregation and healthcare units.
Phase 8 was the pre-release unit.
It was subsequently agreed (after the Master Plan was completed and during the bidding process) that the pre-release unit was more of a priority for the Prison and that it could be constructed at the end of phase 6 and would allow all of the external works to be completed.