Request
A
How much is Cathy Hamer being paid in total for her chair and administrative work on the EYCP task and finish group report into means testing early years education in the island?
B
How were the members of the EYCP task and finish group selected? To be specific, who selected or chose them and for what reason was each member chosen?
C
What is the cost, in terms of hours worked, of the person writing and collating the report?
D
What is the financial cost to the tax payer / treasury, of the EYCP task and finish group attending relevant meetings? Please cover how many hours they have spent at these meetings, what their hourly rate of pay is, multiply it out, and give the final figure
Response
A
Dr Cathy Hamer currently fulfils the role of Chair of the Early Years and Childhood Partnership (EYCP) and is paid on a daily basis in order to support and co-ordinate the programme of work for the group. The Minister requested that the EYCP ‘review the education funded services available to children in the academic year in which they turn four years of age and to identify how services for pre-school children (0 to 5 years) should be structured in the future to ensure the needs of the child and family are best met’. This was not a piece of work centred on means testing although the group obviously considered this. The report makes short, medium and longer term recommendations regarding the importance of Early Years Education and how this should be promoted within an Early Years strategy for the States of Jersey.
As the report nears completion, Dr Hamer has chaired six meetings of the task and finish group, written and published the report and attended meetings to present the draft report at a cost of £2,675.
EYCP task and finish group meeting dates (2017)
Thursday 27 April, Wednesday 24 May, Wednesday 28 June, Wednesday 19 July, Thursday 28 September, Wednesday 12 October. Presentation to the Senior Management Team and Minister for Education, 8 and 9 November.
B
Members of the task and finish group were invited by Dr Hamer from established members of the EYCP, based on their expertise in this area and to ensure representation from a number of relevant organisations and viewpoints in order to gain a balanced overview.
C
Support to the task and finish group in term of research and report collation was provided from a member of the Department’s Policy and Planning team. The number of hours worked has not been calculated, as this support function is provided on a resource needs basis. The internal cost therefore cannot be estimated.
D
The requestor provided a list of names as members of this task and finish group. This list has been redacted to protect the privacy of the individuals. One member of the group was omitted from this list. No member of the group was paid any additional fee, nor costs. Four of the seven members of the task and finish group are States of Jersey employees; their work is covered in their existing remuneration.
Article applied
Article 25 – Personal information
(1) Information is absolutely exempt information if it constitutes personal data of which the applicant is the data subject as defined in the Data Protection (Jersey) Law 2005.
(2) Information is absolutely exempt information if –
(a) it constitutes personal data of which the applicant is not the data subject as defined in the Data Protection (Jersey) Law 2005; and
(b) its supply to a member of the public would contravene any of the data protection principles, as defined in that Law.
