Criminal Offences Consfication Fund: Application of funding to Justice and Home Affairs Police and Judicial Greffe to assist with the 2020 Capital Programme

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A decision made on 13 November 2020

Decision Reference: MD-TR-2020-0140
Decision Summary Title:	Application of COCF funding to JHA – Police and Judicial Greffe to assist with the 2020 Capital Programme		Date of Decision Summary:	4th November 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:	Application of COCF funding to JHA – Police and Judicial Greffe to assist with the 2020 Capital Programme		Date of Written Report:	4th November 2020
Written Report Author:	Specialist – Business Cases		Written Report: Public or Exempt?	Public
Subject: The allocation of up to £260,000 from the Criminal Offences Confiscation Fund (COCF) with up to £250,000 and up to £10,000 to the Dewberry House SARC (DH0GP20024) and Conversion Courtroom 1 Magistrate’s Court (B00GP20023) heads of expenditure respectively, thereby releasing £260,000 back to the Consolidated Fund.
Decision(s): The Minister approved the allocation of up to £260,000 from the Criminal Offences Confiscation Fund (COCF) with up to £250,000 and up to £10,000 to the capital heads of expenditure: Dewberry House SARC within the Justice and Home Affairs - Police department and Conversion Courtroom 1 Magistrate’s Court in Judicial Greffe department respectively, thereby releasing £260,000 back to the Consolidated Fund.
Reason(s) for Decision: Article 21 of the Public Finances (Jersey) Law 2019 states that if, during a financial year, the Minister is satisfied that the income of a States funded body or area of operation is likely to exceed the estimate for that income, the Minister may authorise the withdrawal of that excess amount from the Consolidated Fund during that year. A case for funding from the COCF has been made by the departments. The Attorney General has consented to the use of the Fund for these projects in an email to the Treasurer of the States dated 11th September 2020.
Resource Implications: The COCF to decrease by up to £260,000 and the Consolidated Fund to increase by an identical amount. This does not change the total amount of expenditure proposed in the Government Plan 2020-2023.
Action required: The Head of Financial Governance to advise the Specialist – Business Cases that this decision is approved.
Signature:		Position: Deputy Susie Pinel Minister for Treasury and Resources
Date Signed:		Date of Decision:

Criminal Offences Consfication Fund: Application of funding to Justice and Home Affairs Police and Judicial Greffe to assist with the 2020 Capital Programme

Treasury and Exchequer

Ministerial Decision Report

Applications of COCF funding to JHA – Police and Judicial Greffe to assist with the 2020 Capital Programme

Purpose of Report

To enable the Minister to approve the allocation of up to £260,000 from the Criminal Offences Confiscation Fund to Justice and Home Affairs (JHA) – Police and Judicial Greffe as detailed below.

Background

A report titled “Capital Programme Restart” was presented to the Executive Leadership Team on 23rd June 2020. The purpose was to review and to release or defer some funding from the capital programme. The following projects, as part of the lodged Government Plan 2021-2024 have deferred £750,000 and £440,000 to 2021. This decision will approve up to £260,000 to be transferred from the COCF and an identical amount can be returned to the Consolidated Fund to assist with the 2020 cash flow.

Dewberry House SARC - £250,000

The SARC provides a holistic service to victims of rape and sexual assault, irrespective of whether or not these cases are reported to the police. To date over 200 victims have been supported through the SARC. The service includes a 24-hour Crisis Support and Forensic Examination service along with a fully supportive evidence gathering process. It is staffed with crisis workers, Forensic Medical Examiners and domestic and sexual violence advisors providing a fully integrated system of support through the whole process.

The current facilities are inadequate and not fit for purpose and therefore improvements are required to enable provision of a full range of services.

Note: There are future amounts in the Capital Programme in the Lodged Government Plan 2021-2024 also to be funded from the COCF.

Conversion Courtroom 1 Magistrate’s Court - £10,000

Courtroom 1 within the Magistrate’s Court building on Union Street will be converted to enhance the capability to accommodate Assize trials (Jury trial). At present the Royal Court Building has three courtrooms and on occasion extends to using the States Assembly for additional court space. Of the four courtrooms only the Royal Courtroom is capable to accommodate a Jury Trial and this limited resource causes restrictions.

Note: There are future amounts in the Capital Programme in the Lodged Government Plan 2021-2024 also to be funded from the COCF.

The Attorney General has consented to the use of the COCF for both these projects in an email to the Treasurer of the States dated 11th September 2020.

Recommendation

Based upon the advice of the Attorney General, the Minister is recommended to approve the allocation of up to £260,000 from the Criminal Offences Confiscation Fund (COCF) with up to £250,000 to the Dewberry SARC (DH0GP20024) and up to £10,000 to Conversion Courtroom 1 Magistrate’s Court (B00GP20023) capital heads of expenditure to assist with the Capital Programme in 2020, thereby releasing £260,000 back to the Consolidated Fund.

Reasons for Decision

Article 21 of the Public Finances (Jersey) Law 2019 states that if, during a financial year, the Minister is satisfied that the income of a States funded body or area of operation is likely to exceed the estimate income for that income, the Minister may authorise the withdrawal of that excess amount from the Consolidated Fund during that year.

A case for funding from the COCF has been made by the department. The Attorney General has consented to the use of the Fund for these projects in an email dated 11th September 2020.

5. Resource Implications

The COCF to decrease by up to £260,000 and the Consolidated Fund to increase by an identical amount.

This does not change the total amount of expenditure proposed in the Government Plan 2020-2023.

Report author: Specialist – Business Cases

Document date : 4th November 2020

Quality Assurance / Review:

Group Director, Strategic Finance / Head of Financial Governance

File name and path: L:\Treasury\Sections\Corporate Finance\Ministerial Decisions\DS, WR and SD\2020-0140 - COCF to various projects

MD sponsor: Treasurer of the States