Budget transfer to Chief Minister's Department from Economic and Productivity Growth Drawdown Provision (EPGDP) within Central Contingencies

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A decision made 19 August 2016:

Ministerial decision reference MD-C-2016-0100
Decision summary title EPGDP Funding Request.
Decision summary author	Finance Manager - Corporate Group	Is the decision summary public or exempt?		Public
Report title EPGDP Funding Request.
Report author or name of person giving report	Finance Manager - Corporate Group	Is the report public or exempt?		Public
Decision and reason for the decision The Chief Minister accepted a budget transfer of up to £177,166 in 2016, up to £177,050 in 2017 and up to £77,050 in 2018 to the Chief Minister’s Department revenue head of expenditure from the Economic and Productivity Growth Drawdown Provision (EPGDP) within Central Contingencies. Following review and recommendation by the EPGDP Officer Group, on Tuesday 26 July the Economic Policy Political Oversight Group recommended that the Treasury Minister should approve funding from the EPGDP for proposals CMD 01 – Additional Funding for Data Protection and CMD 02 - Digital Jersey hub. 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 to heads of expenditure of amounts not exceeding, in total, the amount available for contingency expenditure in a financial year.
Resource implications The CMD revenue head of expenditure will increase by up to £177,166 in 2016, up to £177,050 in 2017 and up to £77,050 in 2018 and Central Contingences will decrease by the same amounts. This decision does not change the total amount of expenditure approved by the States for 2016, 2017 and 2018 in the Medium Term Financial Plan.
Action required Research and Policy Officer to advise Finance Manager – Corporate Group that this decision has been approved.
Signature			Position Senator A K F Green M.B.E. Deputy Chief Minister

Date signed			Effective date of the decision

Budget transfer to Chief Minister's Department from Economic and Productivity Growth Drawdown Provision (EPGDP) within Central Contingencies

Chief Minister’s Office

Ministerial Decision Report

Economic and Productivity Growth Drawdown Provision FUNDING REQUEST

Purpose of Report

To enable the Chief Minister to accept non-recurring budget transfers of up to £177,166 in 2016, up to £177,050 in 2017 and up to £77,050 in 2018 to the Chief Minister’s Department revenue head of expenditure in respect of funding from the Economic and Productivity Growth Drawdown Provision (EPGDP) within Central Contingencies.

Background

Following review and recommendation by the EPGDP Officer Group, on Tuesday 26 July the Economic Policy Political Oversight Group recommended that the Treasury Minister should approve funding from the EPGDP within Central Contingencies in respect of proposals CMD 01 – Additional Funding for Data Protection and CMD 02 - Digital Jersey hub.

Funds will be spent in line with the business cases submitted but a high-level overview of each project and a summary of the timing of spend is detailed below:

CMD 01 – Additional funding for data protection

Proposal to:

- ensure the Island maintains EU adequacy in data protection by supporting the Office of the Information Commissioner (OIC) to respond to the increased regulatory requirements associated with the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation;

- explore funding models that could enable the OIC to become self-funding; and

- pursue the economic opportunities the may derive from a differentiated data protection regime.

	2016	2017	2018	2019	Total
Data Protection Policy Officer	-	37,050	37,050	-	74,100
Specialist Research	60,000	-	-	-	60,000
OIC Senior Policy Officer	40,000	80,000	40,000	-	160,000
OIC Administrative and IT Changes	-	30,000	-	-	30,000
Total	100,000	147,050	77,050	-	324,100

Funding will be allocated to the Chief Minister’s Department, which will have responsibility for ensuring that the project outcomes are achieved. Up to £190,000 will be incurred by the Office of the Information Commissioner, which will undertake some of the work required.

Part of the 2018 funding is contingent upon research planned for 2016 successfully identifying viable funding models for the OIC and/or economic opportunities linked to a differentiated data protection regime. The EPGDP Officer Group will determine whether contingent funding will be released when the outcomes of the research are known.

CMD 02 Digital Jersey hub

A programme of digital skills courses to address an identified digital skills shortage by expanding the digital workforce and enhancing the technical skills of existing digital employees. The request also includes initiatives to increase capacity within the Digital Jersey Hub for co-working, networking events, lectures and the delivery of skill courses.

	2016	2017	2018	2019	Total
Digital Skills Courses	30,000	30,000	-	-	60,000
Digital Skills Zone	32,366	-	-	-	32,366
Enhanced Co-working space	14,800	-	-	-	14,800
Total	77,166	30,000	-	-	107,166

Funding will be allocated to the Chief Minister’s Department, which will be responsible for ensuring the project outcomes are achieved. The Department will subsequently commission services from Digital Jersey.

Recommendation

The Chief Minister is recommended to accept non-recurring budget transfers of up to £177,166 in 2016, up to £177,050 in 2017 and up to £77,050 in 2018 to the Chief Minister’s Department revenue head of expenditure in respect of funding from the EPGDP within Central Contingencies for Data Protection and Digital projects.

Reasons for Decision

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 to heads of expenditure of amounts not exceeding, in total, the amount available for contingency expenditure in a financial year.

Resource Implications

The Chief Minister’s Department revenue head of expenditure will increase by up to £177,166 in 2016, up to £177,050 in 2017 and up to £77,050 in 2018 and Central Contingences will decrease by the same amounts.

This decision does not change the total amount of expenditure approved by the States for 2016, 2017 and 2018 in the Medium Term Financial Plan.