Restructuring Provision Bid – States of Jersey Police Mobile Technology Project (SMARTPolice)
Department for Community and Constitutional Affairs
Report for Minister for Home Affairs
Subject: Restructuring Provision Bid – States of Jersey Police Mobile Technology Project (SMARTPolice)
Exempt Category: Qualified Exempt, Article 35 Freedom of Information Jersey) Law 2011
Date: 15 March 2017
Author: Finance Director
Introduction
The purpose of this report is to request that the Minister seeks the approval of the Minister for Treasury and Resources for a budget transfer of £1,220,000 across the years 2017 and 2018 from the Restructuring Provision to the Community and Constitutional Affairs minor capital head of expenditure to fund the States of Jersey Police Mobile Technology Project (SMARTPolice).
Background
The Minister will recall that at its meeting on 9 December 2015 the Council of Ministers approved the States of Jersey Police’s bid of £1,445,000 from the Restructuring Provision for the Mobile Technology Project (SMARTPolice). The Council agreed funding as proposed for 2016 and approved in principle the requests for funding in 2017 and 2018. Funding for 2017 and 2018 has now been approved.
A subsequent Ministerial Decision was signed (MD-HA-2016-0025) requesting the corresponding budget transfers and in 2016 an amount of £225,000 was drawn down for 2016 (MD-HA-2017-004). This was a lesser amount than originally anticipated as, although much work was undertaken in 2016 to:
- identify the most suitable types of connectivity to deliver mobile working;
- develop applications to streamline and automate key police processes and activities;
- trial mobile devices;
some projected expenditure has slipped from 2016 to 2017.
The balance of funds from 2016 (£548,000), which have been carried forward in the Restructuring Provision, and the 2017-2018 allocation (£672,000) is required to continue to fund the project across the years 2017 and 2018.
In the absence of a capital head of expenditure being created for Restructuring Provision bids the funds are managed within the CCA Minor Capital Head of Expenditure on a discrete business unit.
Recommendation
It is recommended that the Minister seeks the approval of the Minister for Treasury and Resources for a budget transfer of £1,220,000 across the years 2017 and 2018 from the Restructuring Provision to the Community and Constitutional Affairs minor capital head of expenditure to fund the States of Jersey Police Mobile Technology Project (SMARTPolice).
Reason for Decision
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.
The Contingency Allocation Policy published by the Minister for Treasury and Resources (R.10/2012) states that all requests for Allocation from Contingency will be considered by the Council of Ministers and this restructuring provision bid was approved at its meeting on 8 February 2017 and 9 December 2015.
Resource Implications
This decision will result in the Community and Constitutional Affairs minor capital head of expenditure increasing by £1,220,000 in total across the years 2017 and 2018 and the Restructuring Provision to decrease by an identical amount.
This decision does not change the total amount of expenditure approved by the States for 2017 – 2019 in the Medium Term Financial Plan.