Budget transfer from Restructuring Provision to Education Department: Review of Secondary Education: Public Sector Reform

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A decision made 17 February 2017:

Decision Reference: MD-TR-2017-0019
Decision Summary Title:	Public Sector Reform –Budget transfer from Restructuring Provision for the Review of Secondary Education		Date of Decision Summary:	15th February 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:	Public Sector Reform –Budget transfer from Restructuring Provision for the Review of Secondary Education		Date of Written Report:	15th February 2017
Written Report Author:	Head of Decision Support		Written Report : Public or Exempt?	Exempt Article 35
Subject: Public Sector Reform – Budget transfer of £5,000 in 2017, £105,000 in 2018 and £43,000 in 2019 from the Restructuring Provision to the Education Department for the Review of Secondary Education.
Decision(s): The Minister approved a budget transfer of £5,000 in 2017, £105,000 in 2018 and £43,000 in 2019 from the Restructuring Provision to the Education Department for the Review of Secondary Education.
Reason(s) for Decision: As part of the measures adopted by the States to balance the Consolidated Fund by 2019, all departments have been asked to identify savings over the Medium Term Financial Plan 2017-2019. The Education department’s savings allocation will be delivered through a combination of efficiencies across all service areas and where appropriate a fundamental change in the way services are delivered. Secondary Education is one area where significant savings could potentially be made and funding for a full time project manager was requested to lead on this review. 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 or the insurance fund of amounts not exceeding, in total, the amount available for contingency expenditure in a financial year. The Council of Ministers approved this restructuring provision bid at its meeting on 6th July 2016. The Contingency Allocation Policy published by the Minister for Treasury and Resources (R.10/2012) states that all requests for Allocation from Contingency will be considered by the Council of Ministers. The Council of Ministers originally agreed on 9th December 2015 to funding of £238,000 from the Restructuring Provision for the Review of Secondary Education. Funding of £85,000 was approved for 2016 (MD-TR-2016-0024) together with indicative approval for the balance of £105,000 in 2017 and £48,000 in 2018. This phasing has been amended to £85,000 in 2016, £5,000 in 2017, £105,000 in 2018 and £43,000 in 2019.
Resource Implications: The Restructuring Provision will decrease by £5,000 in 2017, £105,000 in 2018 and £43,000 in 2019 and the Education Department’s budget will increase by identical amounts. The £153,000 in total is proposed to be drawn down as £5,000 in 2017, £105,000 in 2018 and £43,000 in 2019 but the amount for each year may be varied without exceeding the total amount for the three years. This decision does not change the total amount of expenditure approved by the States in the Medium Term Financial Plan 2017-2019.
Action required: Head of Decision support to advise the Head of Finance - Department for Education once this decision has been approved.
Signature:		Position: Senator A J H Maclean, Minister for Treasury and Resources
Date Signed:		Date of Decision: