PCR tests for Jersey travellers (FOI)

Request

Does the Government of Jersey intend to offer Jersey residents a PCR test at a net cost to government so that residents can travel on carriers that serve the islands? Given that travellers to Jersey are given a test free of charge at a cost to jersey tax payers.

Response

In the Government Plan 2021-24 the Government of Jersey committed to covering the costs of the Test and Trace Programme until June 2021, and stated “We … anticipate that other jurisdictions will increasingly seek to move some aspects of Covid-19 costs onto a more sustainable basis, such as charging some travellers for testing services. Jersey is likely to follow suit as this becomes the norm”.

The information requested is currently under review and therefore cannot be released at this time. Article 35 (Formulation and development of policies) of the Freedom of Information (Jersey) Law 2011 has therefore been applied.

Article applied 

Article 35 - Formulation and development of policies

Information is qualified exempt information if it relates to the formulation or development of any proposed policy by a public authority.

The Scheduled Public Authority (SPA) is withholding the release of the information as it relates to the formulation and development of policy and procedure by the public authority.

Public Interest Test

Public interest considerations favouring disclosure

• disclosure of the information would support transparency and promote accountability to the general public, providing confirmation that the necessary discussions have taken place

• disclosure to the public fulfils an educative role about the early stages in procedural development and illustrates how the department engages with parties for this purpose

Public interest considerations favouring withholding the information

• in order to best develop policy, officials need a safe space in which free and frank discussion can take place – discussion of how documentation is presented and provided is considered as integral to policy and procedural development as iterations of documents are demonstrative of the development process

• the need for this safe space is considered at its greatest during the live stages of a project

• disclosure of this information may limit the willingness of parties to provide their honest views and feedback. This would hamper and harm the policy and procedure making process not only in relation to this subject area but in respect of future project development across wider Departmental business

Taking into account these various factors, the SPA has decided to maintain this exemption.