Office Modernisation Project for the Office Strategy: Allocation of Pre-feasibility Vote Funding

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A decision made on 29 May 2020

Decision Reference: MD-TR-2020-0061
Decision Summary Title:	Allocation of Pre-feasibility Vote funding to the Office Modernisation Project for the Office Strategy		Date of Decision Summary:	27th May 2020
Decision Summary Author:	Specialist – Business Cases		Decision Summary: Public or Exempt?	Public
Type of Report: Oral or Written?	Written		Person Giving Oral Report:	N/A
Written Report Title:	Allocation of Pre-feasibility Vote funding to the Office Modernisation Project for the Office Strategy		Date of Written Report:	27th May 2020
Written Report Author:	Specialist – Business Cases		Written Report: Public or Exempt?	Public
Subject: The non-recurring allocation of up to £1 million in 2020 from the Pre-feasibility Vote (PFV) to the Office Modernisation Project head of expenditure for the Office Strategy.
Decision(s): The Minister approved a non-recurring allocation from the PFV of up to £1 million to the Office Modernisation Project head of expenditure for the Office Strategy.
Reason(s) for Decision: Article 18(1)(a) of the Public Finances (Jersey) Law 2019 states that a specified amount appropriated for one head of expenditure may, with the approval of the Minister for Treasury and Resources, be used for the purposes of another head of expenditure that is set out in the government plan. Article 18(4) of the Public Finances (Jersey) Law 2019 states that the Minister shall give the States Assembly at least 4 weeks’ notice before an amount is transferred under paragraph (1)(a). P.28/2020 Draft Public Finances (Amendment of Law) (Jersey) Regulations 202-, approved by the States Assembly on 24th March 2020, agreed a number of temporary modifications to the Public Finances (Jersey) Law 2019 one of which stated; to remove the requirement in Article 18 that if the Minister proposes to give a direction to re-allocate a head of expenditure, the Minister gives the States at least 4 weeks’ notice. Article 18(5) of the Public Finances (Jersey) Law 2019 states that if a direction under this Article would affect a head of expenditure that relates to the responsibilities of any Minister, that Minister must be consulted before the direction is made. The relevant Accountable Officers have approved the transfers and Ministers have been consulted.
Resource Implications: The PFV head of expenditure will decrease by up to £1 million and the Office Modernisation Project head of expenditure will increase by an identical amount. This decision does not change the total amount of expenditure approved by the States in the Government Plan 2020-2023. Funding that has been drawn down and is unspent at the end of the financial year will return to the PFV. Where unspent balances are required for the same purpose in the following year, the Minister for Treasury and Resources may approve a Ministerial Decision to reissue the funding without a need to repeat the funding application process. Any amounts that remain unspent once the pre-feasibility work has been completed will be returned to the PFV or to the Reserve.
Action required: The Head of Financial Governance to advise the Specialist – Business Cases and the Head of Finance Business Partnering of the department that this decision is approved.
Signature:		Position: Deputy Susie Pinel Minister for Treasury and Resources
Date Signed:		Date of Decision: