Pay Award and Delivery of the Vacancy Management Efficiencies Target in 2020: Allocation of Reserve Funding

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A decision made on 22 May 2020

Decision Reference: MD-TR-2020-0058
Decision Summary Title:	Allocation of Reserve Funding for 2020 Pay Award and Delivery of the Vacancy Management Efficiencies target in 2020		Date of Decision Summary:	19th May 2020
Decision Summary Author:	Specialist – Business Cases		Decision Summary: Public or Exempt?	Public
Type of Report: Oral or Written?	Written		Person Giving Oral Report:	N/A
Written Report Title:	Allocation of Reserve Funding for 2020 Pay Award and Delivery of the Vacancy Management Efficiencies target in 2020		Date of Written Report:	19th May 2020
Written Report Author:	Specialist – Business Cases		Written Report: Public or Exempt?	Public
Subject: The allocation of up to £15,761,800 in 2020 from the “Reserve for Centrally Held Items” to the departments detailed in the attached report, to cover the cost associated with the 2020 Pay Award in respect of all pay groups (except States Members, Doctors & Consultants and Senior managers) and to deliver the Vacancy Management efficiencies target in 2020.
Decision(s): The Minister approved an allocation of up to £15,761,800 from the “Reserve for Centrally Held Items” to the Departments listed in the written report to fund the 2020 Pay Awards for all pay groups (except States Members, Doctors & Consultants and Senior managers) in 2020.
Reason(s) for Decision: Article 15(3) of the Public Finances (Jersey) Law 2019 states that the approval by the States of a government plan authorises the Minister to direct how an approved appropriation for a reserve head of expenditure in the plan may be spent (including on another head of expenditure) in the first financial year covered by the plan. The current Policy for Allocations from the Reserve (published as R.23/2020) sets the requirement for all allocations from Reserve for Centrally Held Items to be reviewed by the Investment Appraisal Team who will provide the Treasurer of the States sufficient information to allow him to reach a recommendation on the use of the funding. This has been reviewed by the Investment Appraisal Team. The proposals were discussed at the Executive Leadership Team (ELT) meeting of 12th May 2020 and on that basis, the Treasurer recommends this allocation to the Minister for approval.
Resource Implications: The “Reserve for Centrally Held Items” to decrease by up to £15,761,800 in 2020 and Departmental revenue heads of expenditure to increase by a total identical amount, as detailed in the table in the written report. In 2020 the pay award allocations have been reduced in order to deliver the vacancy management efficiency. The Government Plan 2021-2024 will need to reflect the recurring nature of the additional pay award funding allocated by this decision, as well as the allocation of the vacancy management efficiency in all years of that Plan. This decision does not change the total amount of expenditure approved by the States in the Government Plan 2020-2023.
Action required: The Head of Financial Governance to advise the Head of Business Planning and the Head of Finance Business Partnering of the receiving departments that this decision is approved.
Signature:		Position: Deputy Susie Pinel Minister for Treasury and Resources
Date Signed:		Date of Decision: