Criminal Offences Conviscation Fund: Grant to Freedom for Life Ministries (P.123/2014)

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A decision made 12 May 2015:

Decision Reference: MD-HA-2015-0030
Decision Summary Title:	Application of COCF Funding for a Grant to the Freedom for Life Ministries in 2015		Date of Decision Summary:	27 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:	Grant to the Freedom for Life Ministries from the COCF – Drawdown of Funds in 2015		Date of Written Report:	27 April 2015
Written Report Author:	Finance Director Home Affairs		Written Report : Public or Exempt?	Public
Subject: The financial transaction required to facilitate the transfer of funds from the COCF to the Home Affairs Department for a grant to the Freedom for Life Ministries as approved in P123/2014.
Decision(s): The Minister agreed to seek the approval of the Treasurer to use the income of £200,000 received from the COCF to provide a grant to the Freedom for Life Ministries.
Reason(s) for Decision: An application for funding from the COCF has been approved to provide a grant to the Freedom for Life Ministries in order to facilitate the refurbishment of the Life Centre drop-in facility. Article 19(1)(a) of the Public Finances (Jersey) Law 2005 states that if, during a financial year, the Minister is satisfied that the income of a States funded body is likely to exceed its estimated income, the Minister may authorise the body to withdraw from the consolidated fund during that year an amount not exceeding the likely excess of income.
Resource Implications: The 2015 HAD income target budget and the HAD revenue head of expenditure will increase by £200,000. There are no manpower implications.
Action required: Finance Director to seek the necessary approval from the Treasurer of the States.
Signature:		Position: Minister for Home Affairs
Date Signed:		Date of Decision (if different from date signed):

Criminal Offences Conviscation Fund: Grant to Freedom for Life Ministries (P.123/2014)

Grant to the Freedom for Life Ministries from the COCF – Drawdown of Funds in 2015

Home Affairs Department

Report for Minister

Subject: Grant to the Freedom for Life Ministries from the COCF – Drawdown of Funds in 2015

Exempt Category: n/a Date: 27 April 2015

Author: Finance Director

Introduction

The purpose of this report is to ask the Minister to seek the approval of the Treasurer to use income of £200,000 received from the Criminal Offences Confiscation Fund (COCF) in 2015 to provide a grant to the Freedom for Life Ministries.

Background

The COCF was established under the Proceeds of Crime (Jersey) Law. The Fund holds monetary amounts confiscated under the Law and asset sharing agreements following successful legal action before they are distributed in accordance with applicable legislation. Responsibility for administering the Fund rests with the Treasury and Resources Department which manages the application process.

Applications may be made to the COCF for projects which:

prevent, suppress or otherwise deal with criminal conduct;
deal with the consequences of criminal conduct;
facilitate the enforcement of any enactment dealing with criminal conduct.

Freedom for Life Ministries

On 24 September 2014 the States adopted P123/2014 (lodged by Deputy Higgins), Freedom for Life Ministries: Grant from Criminal Offences Confiscation Fund. The proposition asked the States ‘to request the Minister for Treasury and Resources, following consultation, as required, with the Attorney General and other persons or bodies (including other Ministers) as he considers appropriate, to make a grant of £200,000 from the Criminal Offences Confiscation Fund to the Freedom For Life Ministries to cover the one-off cost of refurbishing their Life Centre drop-in facility (formally Nelson Hall, Nelson Street, St. Helier) for ex-prisoners and other ex-offenders’

An application for funding was made to the COCF on 26 September 2014.

On 8 January 2015 the Attorney General confirmed that ‘the purpose set out in Deputy Higgins’ Proposition accords with the statutory purposes for use of the COCF’.

The Treasurer’s approval is required for the financial transaction to facilitate the transfer of funds of £200,000 from the COCF to the Home Affairs Department.

Income from the COCF

Article 19(1)(a) of the Public Finances (Jersey) Law 2005 states that if, during a financial year, the Minister [for Treasury and Resources] is satisfied that the income of a States funded body is likely to exceed its estimated income, the Minister may authorise the body to withdraw from the consolidated fund during that year an amount not exceeding the likely excess of income.

Approval, in all non-contentious cases where any such additional income matches additional expenditure, has been delegated to the Treasurer.

Recommendation

It is recommended that the Minister seeks the approval of the Treasurer to use income of £200,000 received from the COCF in 2015.