Budget transfer from restructuring provision to Office Modernisation Project via Central Planning Vote

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A decision made 1 February 2016:

Decision Reference: MD-TR-2016-0006
Decision Summary Title:	Public Sector Reform –Allocation from Restructuring Provision to the Office Modernisation Project via the Central Planning Vote		Date of Decision Summary:	12th January 2016
Decision Summary Author:	Head of Decision Support		Decision Summary: Public or Exempt?	Public
Type of Report: Oral or Written?	Written		Person Giving Oral Report:
Written Report Title:	Public Sector Reform –Allocation from Restructuring Provision to the Office Modernisation Project via the Central Planning Vote		Date of Written Report:	12th January 2016
Written Report Author:	Finance and Information Manager – Jersey Property Holdings		Written Report : Public or Exempt?	Public
Subject: The 2016 allocation of £350,000 from the Restructuring Provision to the Central Planning Vote and a budget transfer to a new capital head of expenditure entitled Office Modernisation Project to enable feasibility work to be undertaken.
Decision(s): The Minister approved the 2016 allocation of £350,000 from the Restructuring Provision to the Central Planning Vote and a subsequent budget transfer to a new capital head of expenditure entitled Office Modernisation Project to enable feasibility work to be undertaken.
Reason(s) for Decision: In accordance with States of Jersey policy and the Public Finances Law (Jersey) Law 2005, funding for work to scope or assess the feasibility of proposed capital projects that the States have agreed, in principle, will start in the future must be allocated from the Central Planning Vote. The £350,000 from the Restructuring Provision must therefore be transferred to the Central Planning Vote to enable an allocation to the Office Modernisation Project. The Council of Ministers agreed on 22 July 2015 that funding should be transferred from the Restructuring Provision to the Office Modernisation Project to enable feasibility to be undertaken on the early stages of the project in support of the Public Sector Reform Programme. The States recognised the need to invest funds to achieve success in the PSR Programme when it approved a Restructuring Provision in the Medium Term Financial Plan. This decision will enable initial site appraisal and feasibility work to progress on the Office Modernisation Project. Article 17(2) of the Public Finances (Jersey) Law 2005 states that the Minister for Treasury and Resources is authorised to approve the transfer from contingency expenditure or the insurance fund of amounts not exceeding, in total, the amount available for contingency expenditure in a financial year. Article 16 (3A) states that the approval by the States of a central planning vote authorizes the Minister to approve – (a) capital heads of expenditure to fund work to scope or assess the feasibility of proposed capital projects that the States have agreed, in principle, will start in the future; and (b) the transfer of amounts to such capital heads of expenditure, for such purposes, from the central planning vote.
Resource Implications: The Restructuring Provision will decrease by £350,000 and the Central Planning Vote will increase by an identical amount. Following a subsequent budget transfer of £350,000 from the Central Planning Vote, the newly created Office Modernisation Project capital head of expenditure will increase by £350,000 and the Central Planning Vote will decrease by £350,000. This decision does not change the total amount of expenditure approved by the States for 2016 in the Medium Term Financial Plan.
Action required: The Head of Decision Support to notify the Finance and Information Manager – Jersey Property Holdings and the Head of Financial Performance that the decision has been approved.
Signature:		Position: Senator A J H Maclean, Minister for Treasury and Resources
Date Signed:		Date of Decision: