Training materials provided to Government Communications staff (FOI)

​​Request 685074611

Good afternoon,

Could I please request:

- A copy of training materials provided to Government staff working in Communications, Marketing, or the Press Office, which relate to dealing with members of the press.

- A copy of any guidelines, staff handbook extracts and similar given to civil servants in Communications, Marketing, or Press Officers, which relate to dealing with members of the press.

- The number of government employees in the above-named categories who were disciplined for their media engagement during each of the past 5 years.

- The annual spend on media training for the above-mentioned employees for each of the past five years, split by provider, with details of purpose and who received the training.

Thank you.

Response

1. After careful consideration, we have determined that the requested information is exempt from disclosure under Article 35 of the Freedom of Information (Jersey) Law 2011. Therefore, Article 35 of the Freedom of Information (Jersey) Law has been applied.

2. Please find the attached document titled About the Government of Jersey Communications Service.

About the Government of Jersey Communications Service.pdf​

​3. No employees working in Communications, Marketing or the Press Office have been subject to the formal disciplinary process, where Case Management has been involved, for their media engagement during each of the past 5 years.   

There is no recording of instances of the informal process being run.  

4. £nil has been spent on media training for the above-mentioned employees during the past five years.

Article applied 

Article 35 - Formulation and development of policies

Information is qualified exempt information if it relates to the formulation or development of any proposed policy by a public authority.

Public Interest Test

Article 35 is a qualified exemption, meaning that a public interest test has been conducted to assess whether the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosure. While there is a public interest in government transparency and accountability, it is also in the public interest that policy discussions remain protected to ensure well-informed and effective decision-making. Premature disclosure could have a detrimental impact on the quality of policy decisions and the ability of officials to provide full and candid advice.

Therefore, on balance, it has been determined that the public interest in withholding this information outweighs the public interest in disclosure at this time.