Budget Transfers to various Departments: Initatives for support of vulnerable children

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A decision made 20 January 2017:

Decision reference: MD-TR-2016-0112
Decision Summary Title:	Transfer of funding from Central Contingencies for investment in initiatives that support vulnerable children		Date of Decision Summary:	18th January 2017
Decision Summary Author:	Head of Decision Support		Decision Summary: Public or Exempt?	Public
Type of Report: Oral or Written?	Written		Person Giving Oral Report:	N/A
Written Report Title:	Transfer of funding from Central Contingencies for investment in initiatives that support vulnerable children		Date of Written Report:	18th January 2017
Written Report Author:	Head of Decision Support		Written Report : Public or Exempt?	Public
Subject: Transfer of funding from Central Contingencies for Investment in initiatives that support vulnerable children.
Decision(s): The Minister approved non-recurring budget transfers of up to £723,850 in 2017, £768,400 in 2018 and £768,400 in 2019 to various departments for investment in initiatives that support vulnerable children. The Minister further approved increases to staffing levels associated with these transfers.
Reason(s) for Decision: The MTFP and Addition 2016-2019, as adopted by the States Assembly, included the allocation of £1.65 million per year from central contingencies for initiatives that support vulnerable children (£4,950,000 in total over the period from 2017 to 2019). Further to that, on 9th November 2016, the Council of Ministers agreed that a number of projects (Category 1) should receive early funding approval as they are time critical. Article 17(2) of the Public Finances (Jersey) Law 2005 states that the Minister for Treasury and Resources is authorised to approve the transfer from contingency expenditure or the insurance fund of amounts not exceeding, in total, the amount available for contingency expenditure in a financial year. Some increases to staffing levels as a result of allocation of this funding also require approval. P67/1999 charges the Minister for Treasury and Resources to regulate the number of persons that may be employed by the States.
Resource Implications: Various departments’ revenue heads of expenditure to increase by a total of up to £723,850 in 2017, £768,400 in 2018 and £768,400 in 2019 and Central Contingencies to decrease by the same amounts. This decision does not change the total amount of expenditure approved by the States for the period of the current MTFP 2016 to 2019. The transfers, and associated increases in staffing levels, are detailed in the attached report.
Action required: The Head of Decision Support to notify the Finance Directors of all relevant departments that the Decision has been approved.
Signature:		Position: Senator A J H Maclean Minister for Treasury and Resources
Date Signed:		Date of Decision: