Budget Transfer: Central Contingencies to External Relations and Chief Minister's Department for Brexit

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A decision made 19 May 2017:

Decision Reference: MD-TR-2017-0054
Decision Summary Title:	EPGDP funding allocation ER01 - Brexit		Date of Decision Summary:	19th April 2017
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:	EPGDP funding allocation ER01 - Brexit		Date of Written Report:	19th April 2017
Written Report Author:	Head of Decision Support		Written Report : Public or Exempt?	Public
Subject: A non-recurring budget transfer of up to £604,000 in 2017 and up to £534,000 in 2018 to the Ministry of External Relations revenue head of expenditure and up to £120,000 in both 2017 and 2018 to the Chief Minister’s Department revenue head of expenditure, from the Economic and Productivity Growth Drawdown Provision (EPGDP) within Central Contingencies.
Decision(s): The Minister approved a non-recurring budget transfer of up to £604,000 in 2017 and up to £534,000 in 2018 to the Ministry of External Relations revenue head of expenditure, and up to £120,000 in both 2017 and 2018 to the Chief Minister’s Department revenue head of expenditure, from the Economic and Productivity Growth Drawdown Provision (EPGDP) within Central Contingencies. The Minister further approved a staffing increase of 5.0 FTE in the External Relations Department to the end of 2018.
Reason(s) 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. The current Contingency Allocation Policy (published as R.10/2012) sets the requirement for all allocations from Contingency to be considered by the Council of Ministers prior to submission to the Minister for approval. To comply with P.67/1999 which charges the Minister for Treasury and Resources to regulate the number of persons that may be employed by the States. The Council of Ministers agreed at their meeting of 7th September 2016 to recommend to the Minister for Treasury and Resources to allocate up to £135,000 in 2016, up to £724,000 in 2017 and up to £654,000 in 2018 to the Chief Minister’s Department revenue head of expenditure from the Economic and Productivity Growth Drawdown Provision (EPGDP) within Central Contingencies, together with an increase in staffing of 5.0 FTE. MD-TR-2016-0074 was signed by the Minister for Treasury and Resources on 14th September 2016 to effect this allocation. From 2017 External Relations has become a separate department and head of expenditure (per the MTFP Addition 2017-2019 (P.68/2016) approved by the States Assembly on 1st December 2016), hence there is a need to allocate the previously approved funding between the Chief Minister’s and External Relations revenue heads of expenditure in accordance with the Council of Ministers’ decision. Decision MD-C-2017-0053 was signed by the Chief Minister on 12th May 2017 and decision MD-ER-2017-0015 was signed by the Minister for External Relations on 4th May 2017.
Resource Implications: The Ministry of External Relations revenue head of expenditure to increase by up to £604,000 in 2017 and up to £534,000 in 2018 and the Chief Minister’s Department revenue head of expenditure to increase by up to £120,000 in both 2017 and in 2018. The EPGDP within Central Contingences will decrease by the same amounts. Staffing levels in the External Relations Department will increase by 5.0 FTE until the end of 2018 This decision does not change the total amount of expenditure approved by the States in the Medium Term Financial Plan.
Action required: Head of Decision Support to advise the Finance Officer – Corporate Group once this decision has been approved.
Signature:		Position: Senator A J H Maclean, Minister for Treasury and Resources
Date Signed:		Date of Decision: