Covid-19: Various Unavoidable Pressures in 2021: Reserve Funding

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A decision made on 22 December 2021

Decision Reference: MD-TR-2021-0149
Decision Summary Title:	Reserve funding for various unavoidable Covid-19 pressures in 2021		Date of Decision Summary:	15 December 2021
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:	Reserve funding for various unavoidable Covid-19 pressures in 2021		Date of Written Report:	15 December 2021
Written Report Author:	Specialist – Business Cases		Written Report: Public or Exempt?	Public
Subject: The allocation in 2021 of up to £6,791,000 from the General Reserve (Covid) to the Covid-19 Response head of expenditure.
Decision(s): The Minister approved an allocation in 2021 of up to £6,791,000 from the General Reserve (Covid) to the Covid-19 Response head of expenditure.
Reason(s) for Decision: Article 15(3) of the Public Finances (Jersey) Law 2019 states that the approval by the States of a Government Plan authorises the Minister to direct how an approved appropriation for a reserve head of expenditure in the plan may be spent (including on another head of expenditure) in the first financial year covered by the plan. The current Policy for Allocations from the Reserve, presented to the States Assembly as R.60/2021, sets the requirement for all allocations from the General Reserve (Covid-19 contingency) once recommended for approval by the Treasurer of the States, to be referred for review to either the Council of Ministers or the relevant Competent Authorities Ministers and to seek comments from the Principal Accountable Officer (PAO) prior to submission to the Minister for approval. The Investment Appraisal Team has reviewed the business case for this request and recommended it for approval. Following this review, the Treasurer, taking into account comments from the PAO, recommends that the Minister allocates funding from the General Reserve. The Treasurer of the States, under delegation from the Principal Accountable Officer, will appoint the Directors General for: Children, Young People, Education and Skills, Strategic Policy, Planning and Performance, Infrastructure, Housing and Environment and Justice and Home Affairs and the Chief Officer, Bailiff’s Chambers as the Accountable Officers for the allocations to the Covid-19 Response Head of Expenditure as detailed in the table below.
Resource Implications: The Covid-19 Response head of expenditure to increase by up to £6,791,000 and the General Reserve (Covid-19 contingency) to decrease by an identical amount. This decision does not change the total amount of expenditure approved by the States in the Government Plan 2021-24.
Action required: The Head of Financial Governance to advise the Specialist – Business Cases and the Heads of Finance Business Partnering for the relevant departments that this decision is approved.
Signature:		Position: Deputy S J Pinel, Minister for Treasury and Resources
Date Signed:		Date of Decision: