Co-funded payroll scheme (FOI)

Request  

I am requesting data from the payroll co-funding department with what percentage of all self-employed and sole traders that claimed payroll co-funding during the Covid measures (i.e. March 2020 to the end of 2021) have been overpaid, and now have outstanding debts to repay (i.e. the difference between what they were paid to what they should have been paid?)

Secondly, I am requesting the total amount owed to the Jersey government amongst these indebted sole traders / self-employed and the average amount owed.

Response

The Co-Funded Payroll Scheme audit is currently in its final stages and the information requested is scheduled for publication once the audit is complete and the data validated. Article 36 of the Freedom of Information (Jersey) Law 2011 has been applied.

Article applied

Article 36 - Information intended for future publication

(1) Information is qualified exempt information if, at the time when the request for the information is made, the information is being held by a public authority with a view to its being published within 12 weeks of the date of the request.

(2) A scheduled public authority that refuses an application for information on this ground must make reasonable efforts to inform the applicant –

(a) of the date when the information will be published;

(b) of the manner in which it will be published; and

(c) by whom it will be published.

(3) In this Article, "published" means published –

(a) by a public authority; or

(b) by any other person.

Public Interest Test

Article 36 is a qualified exemption, which means that a public interest test has to be undertaken to examine the circumstances of the case and decide whether, on balance, the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information.

Public interest considerations favouring disclosure

•  disclosure of the information would support transparency and promote accountability to the general public
  

Public interest considerations favouring withholding the information

• It is intended to publish all data on gov.je relating to claimants and monies received under the scheme, as well as information regarding those businesses that have claimed funding and have failed any of the audits.
• The scheme is currently still active, so any publication of data now would not be an accurate reflection of those who have passed or failed the audit.