Income Support (Amendment No. 13) (Jersey) Regulations 201-

Information about the publication of Ministerial Decisions

A formal published “Ministerial Decision” is required as a record of the decision of a Minister (or an Assistant Minister where they have delegated authority) as they exercise their responsibilities and powers.

Ministers are elected by the States Assembly and have legal responsibilities and powers as “corporation sole” under the States of Jersey Law 2005 by virtue of their office and in their areas of responsibility, including entering into agreements, and under any legislation conferring on them powers.

An accurate record of “Ministerial Decisions” is vital to effective governance, including:

demonstrating that good governance, and clear lines of accountability and authority, are in place around decisions-making – including the reasons and basis on which a decision is made, and the action required to implement a decision
providing a record of decisions and actions that will be available for examination by States Members, and Panels and Committees of the States Assembly; the public, organisations, and the media; and as a historical record and point of reference for the conduct of public affairs

Ministers are individually accountable to the States Assembly, including for the actions of the departments and agencies which discharge their responsibilities.

The Freedom of Information Law (Jersey) Law 2011 is used as a guide when determining what information is be published. While there is a presumption toward publication to support of transparency and accountability, detailed information may not be published if, for example, it would constitute a breach of data protection, or disclosure would prejudice commercial interest.

A decision made 8 May 2015:

Decision Reference: MD-S-2015-0044
Decision Summary Title :	DS Income Support (Amendment No. 13) (Jersey) Regulations 201-		Date of Decision Summary:	06 May 2015
Decision Summary Author:	Policy Principal		Decision Summary: Public or Exempt?	Public
Type of Report: Oral or Written?	Written		Person Giving Oral Report:	NA
Written Report Title :	WR Income Support (Amendment No. 13) (Jersey) Regulations 201-		Date of Written Report:	06 May 2015
Written Report Author:	Policy Principal		Written Report : Public or Exempt?	Public
Subject: Lodge the draft Income Support (Amendment No. 13) (Jersey) Regulations 201-
Decision(s): The Minister decided to lodge ‘au Greffe’ the draft Income Support (Amendment No. 13) (Jersey) Regulations 201-
Reason(s) for Decision: The improving economic climate and the success of the back to work initiatives over the last three years have provided the Department with the opportunity to enhance the support available to parents under the Income Support scheme and to coordinate the rules for parents more closely with current nursery provision available through the Education, Sport and Culture Department. A set of three separate amendments to the Income Support legislation combine to provide the following changes: • The alignment of the beginning of jobseeking activities for parents and the start of nursery education for the child. • An increase in the rate of funding for child care paid through Income Support, • A broader definition of childcare that can be supported through Income Support • Flexibility in actively seeking work responsibilities to allow both parents to share the care of a young child. The opportunity is also taken to make a number of separate, minor changes to Income Support legislation to ensure that the legislation is up-to-date and minor anomalies are removed. Therefore, the proposed regulations seek to increase the standard hourly rate at which child day care is paid through Income Support. They also increase the component for hostel accommodation and refine the rules around a fresh claim for Income Support for people who have lost all Income Support by repeatedly breaching a written warning about their activities in looking for work. They also update the impairment component and the carer’s component.
Resource Implications: There are no manpower considerations arising from these changes. The annual cost of the increase to the hostel rate in the accommodation component is estimated to be approximately £30,000. The annual cost of the increase to the child day care components is estimated to be approximately £45,000. However, the combination of all the proposed changes for parents will also lead to an increase in employment income and a reduction in Income Support benefit for some families. It is difficult to predict the net effect accurately, but an initial assumption is that the overall impact of the changes will be cost neutral. The Department already has the necessary staff required to deal with a greater number of parents requiring assistance with returning to the workforce. The other changes do not represent an additional cost to Income Support.
Action required: Policy Principal to request the Greffier of the States to arrange to lodge the draft Regulations ‘au Greffe’ on 12 May, to be listed for debate at the States sitting of 23 June 2015.
Signature:		Position: Deputy S.J. Pinel Minister for Social Security
Date Signed:		Date of Decision (If different from Date Signed):