Transfer to the Chief Ministers Department of £5,500 for the Social Statistics Unit.

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A decision made (23/07/2007) regarding: Transfer to the Chief Ministers Department of £5,500 for the Social Statistics Unit.

Subject:	Transfer to the Chief Ministers Department of £5,500 for the Social Statistics Unit.
Decision Reference:	MD-PE-2007-0255	Exempt clause(s):		N/A
Type of Report (oral or written):	Written	Person Giving Report (if oral):		N/A
Telephone or e-mail Meeting?	N/A	Report File ref:		Planning & Environment Statistics Transfer for Social Survey
Written Report Title:	Planning and Environment - Transfer of funds to Chief Ministers Department	Written report – Author:		Honey Whiteman, Senior Management Accountant
Decision(s): The Minister decided to approve the following non-contentious transfer: from 2007, a recurring transfer of £5,500 from the Planning and Environment Department to the Chief Minister’s Department to contribute towards the funding of the Statistics Unit for the collation of statistical data.
Reason(s) for decision: To ensure the Statistics Unit is able to continue to provide social statistics data to support and assist the Planning and Environment Department with specific project work and general planning.
Action required: The Finance Director: to notify the Minister for the Chief Minister’s Department of the Minister’s approval to transfer a recurring sum of £5,500 from the Planning and Environment Department to the Chief Minister’s Department to contribute towards the funding of the Statistics Unit. to notify the Treasurer of the States of the above decision to approve the transfer from the Planning and Environment Department to the Chief Minister’s Department for the purpose outlined in the attached report.
Signature: (Minister/ Assistant Minister)			Date of Decision: 23.07.07

Transfer to the Chief Ministers Department of £5,500 for the Social Statistics Unit.

PLANNING AND ENVIRONMENT DEPARTMENT

BUDGET TRANSFER TO THE CHIEF MINISTERS DEPARTMENT FOR THE SOCIAL STATISTICS UNIT

Purpose of the Report

The purpose of this report is to seek the Minister’s approval of the recurring transfer to the Chief Minister’s Department of £5,500 to contribute towards the funding of the Statistics Unit as agreed by the Corporate Management Board at its meeting of 14th June 2006.

Background

JASS provides the means to collect and analyse detailed information on a wide range of social issues on an annual basis. It provides official social statistics about Jersey, allowing everyone in the Island to have a better understanding of social issues and for policy to be made from a more informed standpoint. The information provided is an appropriate tool to assist the Planning and Environment Department with specific project work and general planning.

Discussion

The Corporate Management Board considered a report dated 7 June 2006 from Duncan Millard, Head of Statistics, regarding the funding of social statistics. The minutes of the Corporate Management Board Meeting of the 14th June are as follows:

“The Board noted that over the last two years the Statistics Unit had worked to develop new sources of social data. By undertaking this work on an in-house basis, the Unit had been able to make considerable savings, but there was still a requirement for additional funding to ensure the continuation of the service. The minimum cost of providing this service was £40,000/year, and it was proposed that this should be funded by budget transfers from other departments. The transfer sums for each department would be calculated by referring to the costs applied to these departments during the first two years of the Jersey Annual Social Survey.”

For the Planning and Environment Department this equated to £5,500. The Corporate Management Board agreed with the proposed method of funding.

Recommendations

It is recommended that the Minister:

approves the non-contentious recurring transfer of £5,500 from the Planning and Environment Department to the Chief Minister’s Department to contribute towards the funding of the Statistics Unit;

notifies the Minister of the Chief Minister’s Department of his approval of the transfer of a recurring £5,500 for the purpose of contributing towards the funding of the Statistics Unit; and

notifies the Treasurer of the States of the transfer.

Reason (s) for Decision

To ensure the Statistics Unit is able to continue to provide social statistics data to support and assist the Planning and Environment Department with specific project work and general planning.

Action Required

The Finance Director:

to notify the Minister for the Chief Minister’s Department of the Minister’s approval to transfer a recurring sum of £5,500 from the Planning and Environment Department to the Chief Minister’s Department to contribute towards the funding of the Statistics Unit;

to notify the Treasurer of the States of the above decision to approve the transfer from the Planning and Environment Department to the Chief Minister’s Department for the purpose outlined in the attached report.

Written by:	Honey Whiteman, Senior Management Accountant

Approved by:	Ellen Littlechild, Finance Director

Attachment:	None

Exemption:	N/A

Reference: