Covid Vaccine to include Vaccine Booster: Extension of use of Reserve Funding

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A decision made on 29 November 2021

Decision Reference: MD-TR-2021-0131
Decision Summary Title:	Extension of use of Reserve funding for Covid vaccine to include vaccine booster		Date of Decision Summary:	18th November 2021
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:	Extension of use of Reserve funding for Covid vaccine to include vaccine booster		Date of Written Report:	18th November 2021
Written Report Author:	Specialist – Business Cases		Written Report: Public or Exempt?	Public
Subject: Approval of extension to the use of Reserve funding for the Covid vaccine to now include the vaccine booster in 2021.
Decision(s): The Minister approved the extension to the use of Reserve funding for the Covid vaccine to now include the vaccine booster.
Reason(s) for Decision: Article 15(3) of the Public Finances (Jersey) Law 2019 states that the approval by the States of a Government Plan authorises the Minister to direct how an approved appropriation for a reserve head of expenditure in the plan may be spent (including on another head of expenditure) in the first financial year covered by the plan. The current Policy for Allocations from the Reserve, presented to the States Assembly as R.60/2021, sets the requirement for all allocations from the General Reserve (Covid-19) once recommended for approval by the Treasurer of the States, to be referred for review to either the Council of Ministers or the relevant Competent Authorities Ministers and to seek comments from the Principal Accountable Officer (PAO) prior to submission to the Minister for approval. The original business case included delivery of vaccine doses 1 and 2 but did not include the booster. Costs for the first two doses is forecast to be lower than anticipated and the remaining balance is sufficient to cover the booster costs for those islanders that are eligible in 2021. The Investment Appraisal Team has reviewed the business case for the booster 1 and 2 as part of the Government Plan 2022-25 revenue investment workstream and recommends it for approval on the basis that it has been agreed as a strategic priority by the Council of Ministers as part of the Government Plan process. The future years effect of this business case will be addressed and resourced in the Government Plan 2022-2025, subject to approval of the States Assembly. Following these reviews, the Treasurer, taking into account comments from the PAO, recommends this extension to the Minister for approval within the original funding allocation.
Resource Implications: The extension of the Covid vaccine to include booster 1 is forecast to be met within the initial allocation of £5,474,000 in the 2021-24 Government Plan within the Covid-19 Response head of expenditure, so there are no additional resource implications arising from this decision. The future years effects of this allocation for remainder of booster 1 and all of booster 2 will be addressed and resourced in the Government Plan 2022-2025, subject to approval of the States Assembly. This decision does not change the total amount of expenditure approved by the States in the Government Plan 2021-24. The marginal costs of delivering booster 1 in 2021 are estimated to be between £200,000 and £300,000.
Action required: The Head of Financial Governance to advise the Specialist – Business Cases and the Head of Finance Business Partnering for HCS that this decision is approved.
Signature:		Position: Deputy S J Pinel, Minister for Treasury and Resources
Date Signed:		Date of Decision: