Transfer of Safety Grants Fund from the Home Affairs Department.

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A decision made (07/03/2007) regarding: Transfer of Safety Grants Fund from the Home Affairs Department.

Subject:	Transfer of Safety Grants Fund From The Home Affairs Department
Decision Reference:	MD-T-2007-0024	Exempt clause(s):		N/A
Type of Report (oral or written):	Written	Person Giving Report (if oral):		N/A
Telephone or e-mail Meeting?	N/A	Report File ref:		I:Minister:2007:Ministerial Decisions:MD 00 Transfer of Safety Grants Fund
Written Report Title:	Transfer of Safety Grants Fund From The Home Affairs Department	Written report – Author:		Honey Whiteman, Management Accountant
Decision(s): The Minister decided to approve the transfer of the balance on the Safety Grants Fund from the Home Affairs Department (£250,865 as at 31 December 2006).
Reason(s) for decision: To enable the transfer of the balance on the Safety Grants Fund (£250,865 as at 31 December 2006) from the Home Affairs Department to the Transport and Technical Services Department.
Action required: The Finance Director: · to notify the Minister for the Home Affairs Department of the Minister’s approval to the transfer of the balance on the Safety Grants Fund from the Home Affairs Department. · to notify the Treasurer of the States of the decision to approve the transfer of the balance on the Safety Grants Fund from the Home Affairs Department to the Transport and Technical Services Department.
Signature: (Minister/ Assistant Minister)			Date of Decision: 7 March 2007

Transfer of Safety Grants Fund from the Home Affairs Department.

TRANSPORT AND TECHNICAL SERVICES

TRANSFER OF SAFETY GRANTS FUND FROM THE HOME AFFAIRS DEPARTMENT

Purpose of the Report

The purpose of this report is to seek the Minister’s approval of the transfer of the balance on the Safety Grants Fund from the Home Affairs Department.

Background

The Community Safety Grants Panel was set up under the Defence Committee Act No. 7, dated 9 July, 1998. The Driver and Vehicle Standards Department had raised income from the sale of cherished registration numbers by auction and the Committee wished to use these funds to establish a special Community Safety Fund to enable grants to be made for projects to improve safety in the Island. The use of the income was approved by the Treasurer of the States.

The balance on the fund was not transferred from the Home Affairs Department when responsibility for functions under the Motor Vehicle Registration (Jersey) Law 1993 and other functions formerly carried out by Home Affairs was transferred to the Transport and Technical Services Department. The Safety Grants Panel under the Home Affairs Department has not met since before responsibility for Driver and Vehicle Standards transferred to form Transport and Technical Services in December 2005.

Following correspondence between the Minister and Assistant Minister and Minister for the Home Affairs Department, it was agreed that the balance on the Safety Grants Fund (£250,865 as at 31 December 2006) should be transferred to the Transport and Technical Services Department.

Discussion

The Minister of the Home Affairs Department wrote to the Minister for Transport and Technical Services on 20 December 2006, suggesting that he reconstitute the panel and advising him that the Department would be in a position to transfer the balance on the Fund in January 2007. The Minister received further correspondence from the Minister for the Home Affairs Department on 26 January 2007 notifying him that the balance on the Fund would be released.

The administration of the balance on the fund will be the subject of a further Ministerial Decision; however it is not envisaged that additional resources will be required to administer the fund. Appropriate procedures for awarding grants and allocating funds to improve community safety will be established.

Section 5.6 of Financial Direction 3.6 – Variations to Heads of Expenditure states that ‘Transfers arising from the transfer of responsibility and administration of a service agreed by the States will not require further approval by the Minister for Treasury and Resources on the understanding that:-

· Both the relevant ministers party to the transfer must agree the associated financial and manpower transfers; and

· All such transfers must be notified to the Treasurer of the States. ‘

Recommendations

It is recommended that the Minister:

(i) approves the transfer of the balance on the Safety Grants Fund from the Home Affairs Department (£250,865 as at 31 December 2006);

(ii) notifies the Minister of the Home Affairs Department of his approval of the transfer of the balance on the Safety Grants Fund from the Home Affairs Department;

(iii) notifies the Treasurer of the States of the transfer.

Reason (s) for Decision

To enable the transfer of the balance on the Safety Grants Fund (£250,865 as at 31 December 2006) from the Home Affairs Department to the Transport and Technical Services Department.

Action Required

The Finance Director:

· to notify the Minister for the Home Affairs Department of the Minister’s approval to the transfer of the balance on the Safety Grants Fund from the Home Affairs Department.

· to notify the Treasurer of the States of the decision to approve the transfer of the balance on the Safety Grants Fund from the Home Affairs Department to the Transport and Technical Services Department.

Written by:	Honey Whiteman, Management Accountant

Approved by:	Ellen Littlechild, Finance Director

Attachment:	None

Exemption:	N/A

Reference: