Request
A
Can you please tell me which organ of the States is financially responsible for the States building and specifically what the cost per hour or per diem is when the States are sitting?
I understand that there is a basic 'building cost in use' the annual upkeep expenditure, When the States are sitting then there are extra costs for staff, administration, security, utility services and so on. Can this cost please be quantified, calculated or estimated?
B
What is the Budget for Jersey Property Holdings? Is this voted upon by Members or does it form part of another Ministerial budget? If so which one please?
Response
A
The States building falls within the property portfolio of Jersey Property Holdings. The States Greffe pays an annual facilities management fee of £98,052.00 plus an additional security charge of £9,600.00 to Jersey Property Holdings.
We do not hold information on the cost per hour or per diem of the States building when the States are sitting as this would be regarded as ‘business as usual’ and no different to when the building is being used for other purposes (for example by the Royal Court, for school visits, or for Committee and Scrutiny meetings). Similarly the ‘building cost in use’ during States sitting is not held for the same reasons stated above.
B
The information that has been requested is exempt under Article 23 (Information accessible to applicant by other means) of the Freedom of Information (Jersey) Law 2011.
Please refer to the States Medium Term Financial Plan (MTFP) 2017 to 2019 Addition Annex. Property Holdings is shown as part of the Department for Infrastructure (DfI) budget on page 119.
Members vote on the main MTFP and any subsequent amendments to it.
Annex to the Medium Term Financial Plan 2017 to 2019
Exemption applied
Article 23 Information accessible to applicant by other means
(1) Information is absolutely exempt information if it is reasonably available to the applicant, otherwise than under this Law, whether or not free of charge.
(2) A scheduled public authority that refuses an application for information on this ground must make reasonable efforts to inform the applicant where the applicant may obtain the information.
Justification for Exemption:
Information is absolutely exempt if it is available by other means to the applicant. The States Medium-Term Financial Plan (MTFP) 2017 to 2019 Addition Annex is available on the States Assembly website at the link above and contains the information requested.
This response has been issued on behalf of the States Greffe. The States Greffe is responsible for the information held by (and on behalf of) both itself and the States Assembly. Neither the States Assembly nor the States Greffe form part of the Government of Jersey and the Government was not involved either in the examination and retrieval of any information required for this response, nor in the drafting of the response itself.
