Public expenditure related to fixed links connecting Jersey with other jurisdictions

​​​Request 735889290

A) The total public expenditure to date related to the exploration, feasibility, or investigation of a fixed link (e.g. tunnel or similar infrastructure) connecting Jersey with another jurisdiction, including but not limited to France, Guernsey, or the United Kingdom.

B) Please provide details of any work, internal or external, carried out or commissioned by the Government of Jersey (including any department, arm's-length body, or adviser) since 2015 relating to the possibility of a fixed transport link (e.g. tunnel, bridge, causeway, or similar infrastructure) between Jersey and another jurisdiction (including but not limited to France, Guernsey, or the United Kingdom). This should include (but not be limited to):

Feasibility studies or pre-feasibility assessments (commissioned or internal), Scoping exercises, desk research, technical reviews,

Internal briefing notes, strategy documents, or economic impact assessments, Correspondence or meeting records involving civil servants, ministers, consultants, or third-party investors.

If no such work has been carried out, please confirm this explicitly.

Response

A)

Details of expenditure relating to the work on the feasibility of a fixed link, are expected to be released as part of a 6 monthly consultancy Report to the States Assembly. The next publication is expected to be imminent. Therefore Article 36 of the Freedom of Information (Jersey) Law 2011 has been applied to this information.

B)

An Options Analysis report on fixed links from the Island is also expected to be released soon by the Economy Department, therefore Article 36 of the Freedom of Information (Jersey) Law 2011 has been applied to this information. Correspondence relating to the feasibility of a fixed link is commercially sensitive, therefore Article 33 has been applied.

Article applied

Article 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).

Article 36 - Information intended for future publication

(1) Information is qualified exempt information if, at the time when the request for the information is made, the information is being held by a public authority with a view to its being published within 12 weeks of the date of the request.

(2) A scheduled public authority that refuses an application for information on this ground must make reasonable efforts to inform the applicant –

(a) of the date when the information will be published;

(b) of the manner in which it will be published; and

(c) by whom it will be published.

(3) In this Article, “published” means published –

(a) by a public authority; or

(b) by any other person.

Public Interest Tests

Article 33 (b) is a prejudice-based exemption. That means that to engage this exemption there must be a likelihood that disclosure would cause prejudice to the interest that the exemption protects. In addition, this is a qualified exemption, and consideration must be given to the public interest in maintaining the exemption.

The Scheduled Public Authority (SPA) considers that providing information could prejudice the commercial interests of the Government of Jersey and / or third parties. There may be public interest in the commercial information, however it was considered that this is outweighed by the potential for commercial and or financial damage.

Article 36 is a qualified exemption, which means that a public interest test has to be undertaken to examine the circumstances of the case and decide whether, on balance, the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information.

Public interest considerations favouring disclosure:

disclosure of the information would support transparency and promote accountability to the general public.

Public interest considerations favouring withholding the information:

​It is intended to publish a report containing this information on www.gov.je within 12 weeks of the receipt of this request. In it is reasonable for government to publish reports in an orderly manner, following completion of appropriate internal processes, and publishing in advance, and in such close proximity to the expected publication date, would potentially undermine the orderly publication and conduct of government work (when the public benefit of earlier publication under the Law would derive limited benefit).​​​