Saudi and Gulf Co-operation Council funding (FOI)

Request

A

Could you please provide a financial breakdown of the total funding provided by the States of Jersey through the grant system to establish the Saudi and Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) presence?

B

Could you also provide a summary and breakdown in total over the years whether and how much funds have gone directly to each of the following states: United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar and Kuwait? 

In summary I want to ascertain the total amount of funds that have gone to the above Gulf states from the States of Jersey, whether through Jersey Finance or not.

Response

A and B

The States of Jersey does not provide funding directly or indirectly to any of the GCC countries. 

Jersey's government maintains strong and positive relations with the governments of GCC countries. Jersey's government believes it is in the interests of the Island, and its international partners, to encourage the development of relationships and business flows from a number of global markets. The GCC countries are an important and long-standing element of this strategy and this is supported through diplomatic engagement by States of Jersey Ministers and officials. 

Jersey Finance Limited (JFL) has a programme of market development activity in the GCC that is funded through a combination of a States of Jersey grant and contributions from its membership. This is deployed on a range of activities including regional visit programmes, event public relations and direct marketing activity. Consistent with the Financial Services Policy Framework, the States of Jersey provided additional funding of £350,000 per annum to Jersey Finance for a deepening of this programme in 2013. 

A detailed breakdown of States of Jersey expenditure on visits to this region is commercially and economically sensitive. Publishing this information might assist competitors in replicating our success and threatening existing business. Accordingly the States of Jersey (as a scheduled public authority) may refuse a request for information under Articles 33 and 34 of the Freedom of Information (Jersey) Law 2011:  

33   Commercial interests

Information is qualified exempt information if –

(a) it constitutes a trade secret; or

(b)  its disclosure would, or would be likely to, prejudice the commercial interests of a person (including the scheduled public authority holding the information).

34   The economy

Information is qualified exempt if its disclosure would, or would likely to, prejudice:-

(a)  The economic interests of Jersey; or 

(b)  The financial interests of the States of Jersey.

In addition to the States of Jersey, over the past decade part of the overall grants made by the States of Jersey to JFL have been used to support JFL’s business development activities in the GCC region. 

Whilst the Freedom of Information (Jersey) Law 2011 does not extend to JFL on the basis that it does not fall within the definition of a Scheduled Public Authority under that Law, the States of Jersey Treasury & resources accounts webpage shows the total grant amounts paid to JFL over those years.

States of Jersey accounts

As JFL is a private business that is operated independently from the States of Jersey, the States of Jersey is unable to break these figures down any further in response to this request.