Infrastructure, Housing and Environment and Justice and Home Affairs: Reserve Funding and Use of Additional Income for Unavoidable Pressures in 2021

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A decision made on 22 December 2021

Decision Reference: MD-TR-2021-0148
Decision Summary Title:	Reserve funding and use of additional income for unavoidable pressures in 2021		Date of Decision Summary:	14 December 2021
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:	Reserve funding and use of additional income for unavoidable pressures in 2021		Date of Written Report:	14 December 2021
Written Report Author:	Specialist – Business Cases		Written Report: Public or Exempt?	Public
Subject: The allocation of up to £978,100 from the General Reserve (DEL) to the Infrastructure, Housing and Environment (IHE) head of expenditure and the use of additional income of up to £450,000 by the Justice and Home affairs (JHA) head of expenditure as detailed in the attached report.
Decision(s): The Minister approved: an allocation of up to £978,100 from the General Reserve (DEL) to the IHE head of expenditure as detailed below; and use of additional income of up to £450,000 by the JHA head of expenditure.
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. Article 21 of the Public Finances (Jersey) Law states: Article 21 – Power to allocate excess income (1) This Article applies if – (a) an approved government plan includes, under Article 9(8), the estimated income that will be earned by, or be attributable to, a States body or by an area of operation of a States body during the first financial year covered by the plan; and (b) income in excess of that estimate is earned by, or attributable to, the States body or area of operation during that financial year. (2) Despite the approved government plan, the Minister may direct that the excess income referred to in paragraph (1)(b) be allocated to a head of expenditure set out in the plan. The current Policy for Allocations from the Reserve, presented to the States Assembly as R.60/2021, sets the requirement that all allocations from the General Reserve (DEL) are recommended for approval by the Treasurer of the States, taking into account comments from the Principal Accountable Officer (PAO), prior to submission to the Minister for approval. Where a request for funding is made by Treasury and Exchequer, the Policy requires that the Principal Accountable Officer also recommends the request to the Minister. This has been circulated to the Council of Ministers in accordance with the requirements of the policy. The Investment Appraisal Team has reviewed the business cases for these requests. Following these reviews, the Treasurer, taking into account comments from the PAO, recommends that the Minister allocates up to £978,100 from the General Reserve (DEL) to the Infrastructure, Housing and Environment (IHE) head of expenditure and approves the use of additional income of up to £450,000 by the Justice and Home affairs (JHA) head of expenditure as detailed in the attached report.
Resource Implications: The General Reserve (DEL) to decrease by up to £978,100 and the IHE head of expenditure to increase by up to the same amount. The JHA head of expenditure will increase by up to £450,000 in 2021 – which is matched by additional income. This decision does not change the total amount of expenditure approved by the States in the Government Plan 2021-24.
Action required: The Head of Financial Governance to advise the Specialist – Business Cases and the relevant Heads of Finance Business Partnering that this decision is approved.
Signature:		Position: Deputy S J Pinel, Minister for Treasury and Resources
Date Signed:		Date of Decision: