Fiscal Stimulus Plan: Budget allocation to Education, Sport and Culture for additional student places

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A decision made 1 December 2010 regarding: Fiscal Stimulus Plan: Budget allocation to Education, Sport and Culture for additional student places.

Decision Reference: MD-TR-2010-0165
Decision Summary Title:	Fiscal Stimulus Budget Allocation – Department for Education, Sport and Culture		Date of Decision Summary:	29th November 2010
Decision Summary Author:	Interim Treasurer of the States		Decision Summary: Public or Exempt?	Public
Type of Report: Oral or Written?	Written		Person Giving Oral Report:	N/A
Written Report Title:	Fiscal Stimulus funding for additional places at Highlands College for academic years 2010/2011 and 2011/2012		Date of Written Report:	29th November 2010
Written Report Author:	Fiscal Stimulus Programme Manager		Written Report : Public or Exempt?	Public
Subject: Fiscal Stimulus Plan: budget allocation to the Department for Education, Sport and Culture for additional student places at Highlands College.
Decision(s): The Minister approved the allocation of Fiscal Stimulus funding of £496,380 to the Department for Education, Sport and Culture (ESC) to enable Highlands College to offer an additional 39 full time student places for the 2010/2011 academic year and 40 places for those students completing the second year of a two year course during the 2011/12 academic year. The Minister further instructed the Skills and Training project group to report on spend of all stimulus monies, and project progress/performance, on a monthly basis in accordance with guidelines set by the Treasury and Resources Department, and for the Director of ESC to provide a quarterly audit report that specifies that all funded monies are spent on the specified Fiscal Stimulus project. Unspent funds on completion of each academic year must be returned to the Fiscal Stimulus fund. The Minister also approved Highlands request to increase their manpower by 3 temporary contractors for the 2011/2012 academic year, under the Regulation of Public Sector Employees P67/1999.
Reason(s) for Decision: A discretionary Fiscal Stimulus allocation from the Stabilisation Fund of £44m has already been approved [P.55/2009]. Further to this, the Minister for Treasury and Resources is required to approve individual project allocations. The increase in full time student numbers at Highlands meets the key criteria for fiscal stimulus funding, being timely, targeted and temporary. It will benefit local individuals and help achieve the third and fourth objectives of the fiscal stimulus, these being: (3) preparing the foundations for economic recovery through a more highly skilled workforce, and (4) achieving longer term economic benefits as well as fiscal stimulus benefits in the short term. Under the Regulation of Public Sector Employees P67/1999, the Minister is required to regulate the number of persons that may be employed by the States, and approve any increase in departmental manpower.
Resource Implications: The additional 2010/2011 students will be taught by current lecturers, teaching additional hours, while 2011/2012 students will be taught by 3 temporary lecturers. All costs are included in the funding request. This is the last submission for additional places at Highlands College.
Action required: The Fiscal Stimulus Programme Manager to inform the Department for Education, Sport and Culture and the Head of Financial Performance Reporting that this Decision has been approved.
Signature:		Position: Senator P F C Ozouf, Minister for Treasury and Resources
Date Signed:		Date of Decision: