Health and Social Services
Department:
Ministerial Decision Report
Implementation Costs of the Sex Offenders (Jersey) Law 2010
- Purpose of Report
This report seeks approval from the Minister to accept funding from Home Affairs
- Background
Proposition P132/2009175/2010 outlined the need for the legislation together with the financial and manpower implications of its enactment. To summarise, this legislation will place more work load on the department’s Community Services in preparing background reports and risk assessments on child(ren) for Child Protection Orders, and risk assessments regarding the threat posed by a registered person within a household where children or a learning-disabled or mentally-ill adult resides. The report detailed the responsibilities of 2 social worker posts which would need to be established to meet the additional work load that would be generated by this legislation.
- Details of the manpower costs to be incurred by H&SS which are to be funded
The table below is an extract of the table included within P132/2009175/2010:
Service | Description | Revenue Costs |
Health and Social Services: | 1 x Senior Practitioner Social Worker 1 X Social Worker Specialist psychiatric reports (Court and Case Costs) | 61,000 55,000 |
The recurrent annual budget transfer has been incorporated within the business plans for HSSD and Home Affairs for 2012, and the part year budget of £37,000 for 2011 is to be accepted by HSSD through Ministerial Decision. This will not be matched by a corresponding Ministerial Decision from Home Affairs (because the CEO for Home Affairs has delegated authority to approve Ministerial Decisions under £100,000), but it will be matched by an email approval.
Headcount for these posts (2 FTE) will be transferred to HSSD through the business planning process for 2012. For the remainder of 2011, Community Services will use the funding to backfill current establishment needed to perform work under this legislation.
- Recommendation
That the Minister accepts the transfer of £37,000 from Home Affairs.
- Reason for Decision
Article 15(1)(a) of the Public Finances (Jersey) Law 2005 states that all or any part of the amount appropriated by a head of expenditure may, with the approval of the Minister for Treasury and Resources, be used for the purposes of another head of expenditure.
Section 5.1 of Financial Direction 3.6 also states that Departments wanting to transfer funds between heads of expenditure must obtain the approval of their minister or of their accounting officer where a scheme of delegation exists.
Permanent transfer of budget from another States department requires approval through Ministerial Decision process.
- Resource Implications
The cash limit for HSSD revenue head of expenditure will increase by £37,000 in 2011 with a corresponding decrease in in cash limit withinthe Home Affairs revenue head of expenditure..
Sarah Howard
Assistant Director of Finance
124th August 2011