Skip to main content

Review of States Annual Report and Accounts 2019 (P.A.C.2/2020): Executive response (P.A.C.2/2020 Res)

The official version of this document can be found via the PDF button.

The below content has been automatically generated from the original PDF and some formatting may have been lost, therefore it should not be relied upon to extract citations or propose amendments.

The Chief Executive and Director General, Treasury and Exchequer's response to Public Accounts Committee Review of States Annual Report and Accounts 2019

September 2020

Chief Executive/Treasurer of the States Response:

Review title:  PAC Review of States Annual Report and Accounts 2019- Executive Response by 4th September 2020 please. Summary of response

The Chief Executive Officer and Treasurer welcome the report of the PAC. All recommendations are accepted and will be in place for the 2020 Annual Report and Accounts. Continuous improvement of both content and timeliness of all published financial information is a key objective on an ongoing basis.

Action Plan

Recommendation

Action

Target date

Responsible Officer

R1: The Chief Executive should ensure that the branding of key States documents is clear and demonstrates recognition that the terms (States of Jersey and Government of Jersey) are not interchangeable.

This will be clearer for the 2020 Annual Report and Accounts and other key documents which pertain to both Government and States group departments.

28/10/2020

Head of Marketing, Design and Digital

R2:  (a)  The  weaknesses  in  systems  and processes should be identified at an early stage so that they can be remedied in good time and not  impede  the  faster  close  of  accounts  for 2020;

(b) Every effort should be made to significantly reduce the  number  and  extent  of  disclosure errors;

(c)There should be effective timetabling and effective contingency timetabling to enable all parties to have sufficient time to comment on versions of the Annual Report and Accounts and to enable officers to respond more completely and more effectively to the comments that are raised.

  1. Key processes and judgement areas are being documented and shared with the external auditors in the planning phase of the 2020 audit.
  2. Materiality and reporting clarity judgment will continue to be applied. Qualitative not quantitative measures are applied to the disclosure points.
  3. A detailed project management timetable has been produced for the Annual Report and Accounts. This includes review points for the Risk and Audit Committee and external audit team as well as other stakeholder.
  1. December 2020
  1. March 2021
  2. Jan/Feb 2021

Head of Group Reporting

 

R3: The requirement (for the Chief Executive to sign  off  the  Performance  Report  within  the States Annual Report and Accounts) should be reinstated for the 2020 Performance Report, in accordance  with  best  practice  as  it demonstrates  public  ownership  and accountability for the data contained within the performance report.

This will be clarified and implemented for the 2020 Annual Report and Accounts, although the 2019 Annual Report and Accounts were signed as a single document that included performance indicators.

February 2021

Chief Executive and Head of Group Reporting

R4: Baselines (in performance data) should be established at the outset, so that performance improvement  can  be  meaningfully  measured and reported for the 2020 Annual Report and Accounts.

Baseline data and value is being defined for each indicator in Jersey's performance framework and any variance will be reported against this baseline in the Annual Report and Accounts 2020

March 2021

Director of Strategic Planning and Performance

R5: The laying of the States Annual Report and Accounts should be expedited as soon as practicable after the audit is complete and the Comptroller and Auditor's certificate has been issued.  

This will again be part of the 2020 Annual Report and Accounts.

April 2021

Head of Group Reporting