Home Affairs: Allocation of 2014 Carry Forward Funds

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A decision made 14 April 2015:

Decision Reference: MD-HA-2015-0025

Decision Summary Title:

Allocation of 2014 Carry Forward Funds

Date of Decision Summary:

9 April 2015

Decision Summary Author:

Finance Director

Home Affairs

Decision Summary:

Public or Exempt?

Public

Type of Report:

Oral or Written?

Written

Person Giving

Oral Report:

n/a

Written Report

Title:

Allocation of Home Affairs 2014 Carry Forward Funds to Accounting Officers

Date of Written Report:

9 April 2015

Written Report Author:

Finance Director

Home Affairs

Written Report :

Public or Exempt?

Public

Subject:

The allocation of Home Affairs 2014 Carry Forward funds to Home Affairs Accounting Officers.

Decision(s):

The Minister approved the allocation of the Home Affairs Department’s 2014 Carry Forward funds to the Home Affairs Accounting Officers as detailed in the accompanying report.

Reason(s) for Decision:

As the Treasurer of the States agreed that the Chief Officer, States of Jersey Police, should be appointed as an accounting officer with effect from 1 January 2012 it is necessary to agree the allocation of the Home Affairs Department’s 2014 Carry Forward funds between the Home Affairs Accounting Officers – Chief Officer, Home Affairs and Chief Officer, States of Jersey Police.

Resource Implications:

None as a result of this decision.

Action required:

The Home Affairs Finance Director to allocate the Home Affairs 2014 Carry Forward funds accordingly.

Signature:

Position:

Minister for Home Affairs

Date Signed:

Date of Decision (If different from Date Signed):

Home Affairs: Allocation of 2014 Carry Forward Funds

Allocation of 2014 Carry Forward Funds to Accounting Officers

Home Affairs Department

Report for Minister

Subject: Allocation of Home Affairs 2014 Carry Forward Funds to Accounting Officers

Exempt Category: n/a Date: 9 April 2015

Author: Finance Director

Introduction

The purpose of this report is to seek the Minister’s approval of the allocation of the Home Affairs Department’s 2014 Carry Forward funds to the Home Affairs accounting officers.

Background

The Public Finances (Jersey) Law 2005 provides for the administration of the public finances of Jersey and for related purposes. Article 37 requires ‘each States funded body to have an accounting officer

(1) The chief officer of a States funded body is also its accounting officer.

(2) If the Minister [Treasury and Resources] is satisfied that there are exceptional circumstances that justify doing so, the Minister may –

(a) appoint a person other than its chief officer to be the accounting officer of a States funded body; or

(b) appoint an additional accounting officer for a States funded body.’

Article 17(5) of the States of Jersey Police Force Law 2012 states that ‘The Chief Officer, or any person carrying out the functions of the Chief Officer under Article 8, shall be the sole accounting officer of the States Police Force for the purposes of the Public Finances (Jersey) Law 2005, notwithstanding anything in Article 37 of that Law to the contrary.’

The Treasurer of the States and Minister for Treasury and Resources agreed that the Chief Officer, States of Jersey Police, should be appointed as an accounting officer with effect from 1 January 2012 and so it is necessary to agree the allocation of the Home Affairs Department’s 2013 Carry Forward funds between the Home Affairs accounting officers – Chief Officer, Home Affairs and Chief Officer, States of Jersey Police.

The Minister allocated the Home Affairs Department’s 2015 Net Revenue Expenditure in MD-HA-2014-005.

Allocation of Home Affairs 2014 Carry Forward Funds

The Department’s 2014 year end underspend was £1,105,076 compared to a forecast amount of £735,000. As part of the proposed measures to balance the Consolidated Fund presented in the 2015 Budget Statement 50% of Departments’ forecast underspends are to be returned to the Consolidated Fund.

The Minister for Treasury and Resources approved the carry forward of unspent funds of £686,030 to 2015 in Ministerial Decision MD-TR-2015-0045 as follows:

	£	£

Actual Underspend		1,105,076

Forecast Underspend	735,000
50% Returned to Consolidated Fund		(367,500)

Underspend on JCIS Court and Case Costs to be returned to the Smoothing Fund		(51,546)

Amount carried forward to 2015		686,030

The 2014 carry forward is to be split between accounting officers as follows:

Home Affairs		359,730
States of Jersey Police		326,300

Monitoring of Home Affairs 2015 Net Revenue Expenditure

The Minister receives a quarterly financial report for the Home Affairs Department. The report will bring any funding issues to the Minister’s attention and make recommendations if an adjustment between accounting officers is required.

An adjustment may be made between accounting officers at any time with Ministerial approval, or in accordance with delegated powers agreed in MD-HA-2014-0070.

Recommendation

It is recommended that the Minister approves the allocation of the Home Affairs Department’s 2014 Carry Forward funds to the Home Affairs accounting officers.