The Jersey Medium Term Financial Plan - A suitable case for treatment

This won’t hurt – just a little pryke….

Unfortunately – it always hurts, in-spite of all the promises - and these are currently pouring out of our Ministers’ mouths like super cream milk from a prize Jersey’s udder as the Medium Term Financial Plan (MTFP) feeds the other end of the beast…

Old farming references are never far away in Jersey politics and many of today’s Scrutiny participants (on the “taxpayers’ behalf “as they kept reminding us) had led the cows in for milking in a previous life. So it sort of comes as second nature to milk the public I suppose but the reality of life in this little Island seems to belong to another age so far as most of our elected politicians are concerned.

After all, in the lifetime of many there used to be over 1,100 dairy herds in Jersey whereas there are now just 26…and in the same period the human population has risen from 50,000 to 100,000 and human births are now a buoyant 1,000 per annum (in spite of a maternity theatre that is already not fit for purpose)…

Eleven elected reps in total were sitting at the top table for the two hearings today and only one was a Constable (an Assistant Minister in two Departments). Two of the eight Deputies came from single-seat Parishes and one Deputy sat in on both hearings and one is a Minister with another an Assistant Minister. One of the two Senators is a Minister – the other chaired one Scrutiny panel.

This information is given here as part of my Electoral Commission democracy in action audit service…

Since cows no longer have names – I have not named our elected reps here but hope that their anonymity is useful. After all, it is rather akin to being a member of the anonymous and voiceless public who attend or don’t attend on these occasions. Not in reality – just “akin” of course.

They don’t refer to us by name – at best we are “taxpayers” or the “aging population” or “immigrants” or some other troublesome group. Whatever we are – we seem to be a great burden which our elected reps could do much better without.

Pity we cannot be culled like dairy herds…

Today, one Deputy with a “farming background” (FB) started to question the Deputy with the Ministerial status (another FB) about adaptations of homes so as to be suitable for “care in the community.” The questions seemed to be getting somewhere but missed the point that most residents of Jersey live in rented accommodation – much of appalling inadequacy and totally unsuitable for caring for anybody even if their landlords agreed to any adaptations…

That there are 10,000 working adults in Jersey (many with offspring) who do not even have housing quals just does not seem to get into our reps heads. How on earth shall “they” be adequately cared for if the new style hospital system (cost about £400 Millions in ten years time at today’s rates but fuller details can be made available to Scrutiny at a “private” meeting according to the Minister) requires “them” to heal “at home” from surgery or serious illness…and shall they be required to pay for “home nursing” on a “user pays” basis…

That question was alluded to but not really answered (and nobody even asked about the 20,000 with quals who don’t live in Jersey – how might these affect the “projected figures” if a substantial number return to Jersey as problematical “pensioners”…) but the Deputy (FB) did wonder why £5 to £8 Millions will be spent every year on up-grading and maintaining existing facilities until the super new hospital is complete…especially if past population growth of 1,000 per annum continues in future years…

The Minister (FB) responded to the housing/population line of questions with the comment that future demand “is based upon current usage” and that some residents wanted to downsize from their 6 bedrooms granite farmhouses or something equally absurd…just how far removed from reality is it possible to get in a 9 x 5 Island…

Besides which, the actual cost of providing the proposed new “care in the community” system – even if all the extra trained staff could be harvested from the UK or “grown locally”- was still not at the “final business plan” stage. There are a great many works in progress it seems and so many boundaries yet to be determined…which KPMG will no doubt be pleased to do for a fee…

If the FBs are running the Health service… it is reassuring to know that the Treasury is also run by an FB turned cattle feed speculator. That particular venture was supposedly not a great financial success but should not be taken as a barrier to planning the Island’s economy for the next decade…and the scheme to raise bonds on Jersey’s public property portfolio has already (and unfairly) attracted a view of Jersey’s impending financial doom on one UK specialist blog-site…

Although the presence of the Scrutiny chair in the same room visibly and audibly induces a very high degree of mutual irritation between them both, the Minister’s word-count remains the highest recorded since records began…but as for content and credibility…

Well, of course, the one big question is as always – where the “Phlip” is all the money coming from - and the Minister certainly has dreamed up another cunning plan…Or as my granny used to say, money is like manure, it's only useful if spread around a bit...

Apparently people in the Middle East, Asia and somewhere else are just gagging to give us their money and although 20/20 (whatever that is) ends next year, fulfilment is seeking new directions, tourism is down, GST yields and growth  are diminishing and CSR did not achieve the savings anticipated (besides which our rugger team has not yet won a match) and we have no idea how to fund the new health plan and hospital, road repairs or liquid waste treatment plant – but we do have a plan to deal with tax-avoidance and the failed “deemed distribution” policy that the EU ruled as not acceptable.

Details cannot be revealed before the budget (in spite of the need to tell States Members in time for the debate on the MTFP) of course but in broad terms it kills 2 birds with one stone…as a sort of anti-tax avoidance measure that encourages investors to pay more tax as a device to reduce their tax contribution…it still needs some fine tuning but we have every confidence of success…

And finally, following the closure of our London Jersey Finance Office we are to open a new one in the name of the States of Jersey…

This will allow the Minister (FB) to engage more often with the likes of Vince Cable, the Swedish Ambassador (who he met last week) the UK Minister of Justice and other like minded, self-important personages on an equal basis…

Full details are not yet finalised but there might also be an opportunity to introduce a herd of milking Jerseys onto Hyde Park emblazoned with advertising material sponsored on a user pays basis…all subject to Data Protection Laws and Client confidentiality and all of

our International Human Rights obligations…

Any further questions before I conclude he said…at which point the Minister was reminded that it was for the Chair to close the meeting, not him…

Just a little pryke indeed…

Constable Pallett of St Brelade - what happened?

Yesterday’s Scrutiny Panel hearing concerned the Economic Affairs Panel, the Medium Term Financial Plan and the Economic Development Department.

Almost everything that is wrong with Jersey government was on display. Some of the shortcomings are discussed in the interview here with Constable Pallett of St Brelade but in the light of the current Electoral Commission’s work, there is much more that needs to be said in other places.

Quite how the politically progressive Steve Pallett has become transformed into an ultra-conservative Constable in such a short time is a mystery to me, especially since he is evidently the same decent thinking and friendly chap.

His views as expressed here on the role of Constables both in and outside the States certainly cause me to be even more concerned about any future activities for this powerful group.

The fact that his fellow Panel member Constable Paddock of St Ouen sat through the entire 75 minutes of this public hearing without contributing anything beyond  speaking his name – says a great deal to me. But why was he there?

Much the same could be asked about Assistant Minister Deputy Baker (sitting in for the EDD Minister absent for legitimate family reasons) but he spoke for only a few sentences – 2 minutes at most – whilst the EDD CO Mike King hogged the entire proceedings.

Even when Deputy Baker asked to be able to “say a few words regarding question three” his request was ignored. The discussion carried on without him!

Of course the whole scrutiny hearing was led by Deputy Luce of St Martin as chair of the Panel but he clearly sees the purpose to be just a friendly, well-rehearsed PR chat.

When ever the questions seemed to ruffle the feathers of CO King, Deputy Luce was apologetic – saying we don’t mean to be critical etc….!

A case in point was when Steve Pallett raised the international human rights question (which was presumably not according to the prepared script) and this was obviously intended – as a political question – for Deputy Baker – but King took over and Luce moved the discussion on to other matters, just as soon as he could.

If Scrutiny has managed to make their pod-cast system work then this full discussion can be accessed on-line.

But why are the Committee of Constables allowed to meet in total secrecy with no published agenda and no public participation etc etc and why oh why does a  formerly progressive chap such as Steve Pallet believe  this to be satisfactory?

We should all be very worried – but at least we have Friday 28 September to look forward to when we can all vent our frustrations in the proper place – in public – and discuss such things and many more whilst getting organised for change with or without our elected representatives…..

Jersey First Scrutiny Podcast - WORLD EXCLUSIVE

JERSEY ROYAL GREEN SLIME saves the day and the Jersey economy….

Architecturally speaking we always used to say – if it’s a mistake then make a feature of it.

Thus we have Le Carbuncle on the Waterfront whereas the world at large has the legacy of Charles-Edouard Jeanneret aka Le Corbusier to grapple with (and if you saw the size of his nose you would understand why he was nick-named after the crow)…

Meanwhile today was full of excitement (or was it excrement?) and it was so handy because of the launching of the new Pod-Casting of Scrutiny hearings (but not meetings) so that we can all enjoy the Scrutiny experience from the comfort of our own armchairs.

First up today was Deputy Green the Housing Minister trying to justify his Housing Transformation programme in the context of the Medium Term Financial Plan (MTFR).

He batted bravely for an hour but it is obvious to anybody that his grand plans (that have already been kicking around for years), are virtually dead in the water.

As he kept saying, we have had discussions with the Treasury minister aka Ozo le Crocquodile and the funding is there!!!! Oh yes – pull the other sausage and in spite of some very deep and consistent probing by Deputy Reed he would not confirm that Le Crocque had confirmed as much in writing.  And he also needed the Planning Minister to re-zone more land for urgently needed building sites too. Some hope!

Wonder why he is called Green…

Next it was the Assistant Minister for Health – who looked so much like Constable Refault the Assistant Housing Minister who had appeared with Deputy Green - that they must surely be twins? Anyway relationships did not matter very much because it was his Finance Officer “Jason” who did most of this team’s talking on the MTFP and once again it was more about faith than factual evidence of funding for the famous “White Paper” proposals.

The role of charities aka the “Third Sector” was a strong undercurrent theme because of recent reductions in grants and the supposed need to “purchase services” with SLAs (aka Service level Agreements) after “robust tendering”…but it was evident that nobody wanted to utter the words SILKWORTH LODGE because that was still a weeping sore.

Also it was clear that the true cost of providing private services in the hospital was sensitive because it seems that there are long waiting lists for the general public needing surgery but private patients are a better earner.

So good in fact that the operating theatres may be running at 90% capacity which not only exceeds the UK average of only 60% (what a load a shirkers) but also creates a risk of nasty infections (oh dear)…

Once again it was pretty much apparent that the creature with the teeth was in control behind the curtain and that all these grand plans for a new hospital “needed in 10 years time” are just a dream or something to talk about during the long winter nights….

Next it was Deputy Duhamel’s turn again and we have watched him defending his little Planning & Environment Department on a previous occasion. This was his Quarterly grilling before the Environment Scrutiny Panel and the heat was turned full up for an hour’s thorough basting. He must enjoy it.

Deputy Young was in a surprisingly aggressive mood for an ex Planning Chief Officer (did he leave under a cloud harbouring a grievance?) and wanted all the muck exposed – and there was certainly plenty of it.  Excrement – human and animal – ash – fly and bottom – asbestos - nitrates and pesticides - you name it and we have it in Jersey in abundance and there are hidden leeching wonders buried at Mont Mado that we have not yet even dreamed of.

What are you going to do about it? Was the main questioning line as can be imagined.  In fact, it transpires there are all sorts of interesting options and some of them might even comply with International Conventions, which was nice to hear….

Unfortunately yours truly had to leave at this point to attend Royal Court No 2 where Harcourt Ltd (under various names) was due to challenge Le Crocquodile in legal combat!

It was great pity because Deputy Duhamel was just about to explain that it was the new CEO of the States who – in a former role – had made the decision to dump tons of asbestos waste in steel containers on the reclaimed land near La Collette industrial zone and the corrosive sea.

Quelle horreur!!! Who shall pay for this folly? Let’s hope he will accept his £500,000 severance pay in instalments because the treasure chest must be nearly empty by now…

The Court proceedings were a disappointment.  Neither Harcourt nor their lawyers (Ogier) appeared – much to the dismay of Commissioner Clyde-Smith who even asked yours truly if I was representing them. I declined the offer although the pay would have been nice and after a short recess (when we gather that some hasty e-mails were exchanged) the decision was to adjourn the hearing until 27 September in order to allow for Mr Power or his company to appoint fresh lawyers. In the meantime a fixed sum of £600 towards costs was payable within 7 days.

The very youthful looking Solicitor-General Sharp had acted out his call for the action to be struck-out and the Judge condemned Mr Power’s lack of courtesy for non-attendance but due to the substantial amount of Harcourt’s claim and the complex nature of the case felt that there should be another chance to appear to justify their action.

Ogiers were criticised for failing to answer to the SG’s letters (which might even be against be against the Law Society’s Code!) and the SG was mildly rebuked for failing to include all his legal authorities in “the bundle” but quite why Ogiers had fallen out with Harcourt was unknown… ….perhaps it was all a result of the infill pollution that was still troubling the Planning Minister when I returned to that hearing which had at least attracted a public audience of 15 concerned about the Green Slime…after all, there have been instances of death caused by the rotting stuff near St Malo.

Also revealed was that the water we receive through our taps from Jersey Water is actually more polluted by nitrates than the stuff that flows into St Aubin’s Bay to feed the algae that turns everything green! The figures are apparently 50mgs per litre max for drinking water but only 10mgs per litre for all that excrement polluted waste water that pours out from Bellozanne every day under TTS rules.

Of course this does not include the entire chemical and excrement polluted run-off from agri- activities etc that finds its way into the Island’s foremost bay to such a visible and smelly result.

By 3.55pm, other dire tales of heavy metals and sludge being spread on fields or put into the new incinerator to create yet more fly ash had just about put the tin hat on this Minister’s future career. There was simply too much bad news being revealed here – the States PR machine would have to be working overtime for months ahead if this continued…

But the Minister had a trump card yet to play – the Slime was a valuable commodity.

Not only did the Japanese want it by the ton to eat but it was also good for cleaning teeth (after a bit of modification) and a multitude of other uses besides spreading it on spud fields as every Jerseyman knew already.

So out of adversity there was good news – the day’s proceedings ended on a happy note. Punch loves Judy. The economy is sound. The future is GREEN…

Cast

Mr Punch….Deputy Duhamel

Ozo Le Crocquodile….himself

1^st sausage….Deputy Moore

2^nd sausage…Deputy Reed

Other sausages….themselves

Judy…..Deputy Martin

Clown…Deputy Hilton

Invisible man….Senator Gorst

Sound effects and unsound affects… Constable Refault

Next instalment will feature the “Man from Mars” on space travel at speeds in excess of 40 mph and managing economic development.

NO CHARITY FOR THE JERSEY THIRD SECTOR

SILKWORTH LODGE CHARITY at Scrutiny

Scrutiny has been rumbling along for the past few weeks looking at the Health and Housing White Papers and the Medium Term Financial Plan (MTFP).

The same Ministers and their teams of officers have been appearing more often than a number 18 bus as witnesses to explain their proposed policies.

Tomorrow (Wednesday 1 August) Sen Ozouf will be in the hot seat again to justify his MTFP before the Corporate Services Panel (3pm) and he will be followed by CM Gorst (4.30pm).

Same old PR stuff again I expect. Everything is wonderful. Times are tough but Jersey is still the leading Finance Centre in the world and our economy is as sound as a bell…

Yesterday however there was an extraordinary and different account from witnesses before the Health, Social Security and Housing Panel. The Panel consisted of just Deputies Hilton and Reed (with an adviser who mumbles his name). The witnesses were Frank Laine and Jason Wyse from the Silkworth Lodge Charity Group and they delivered a startling and shocking criticism of Health Department policies and behaviour.

Constable Murphy of Grouville sat in the public seats as an observer and Trustee of the Charity.

To say that the whole room was shocked by their account is no exaggeration.

Silkworth has been delivering an essential re-habillitation service in Jersey for alcoholics and drug users for decades.

Such is their level of expertise at Silkworth that many clients are referred to them from outside Jersey. In fact Guernsey sends more than any other agency and UK regulators say that Silkworth would be in the top three of similar establishments if it was on the mainland.

Silkworth in Jersey claims never to turn anybody away who needs help but its 12 bed spaces are costed-out at up to £2,000 each per week – although six are offered locally at £600 - and this unique service is an essential facility in this Island where alcohol and drug abuse is such a seriously destructive problem.

The “Priory” in England charges £5,000 they explained, so Silkworth is providing a top-notch service at a very reasonable cost.

Thousands of people have benefited from the work at Silkworth over the years – not just those directly treated because as the witnesses explained, the tentacles of destruction affect so many relatives and friends of those who receive treatment.

Yet the Health Department has pulled the financial bung. The Service Level Agreement appears to have been arbitrarily cancelled and no more clients have been referred to Silkworth this year by the Health Department or its agencies.

As the witnesses explained, Silkworth had actually been paid the final payment of £200,000 of public money but no more clients have been sent and as they said - any other charity would be afraid to declare this in public because it would be damaging to the relationship with government.

That was the most frightening thing because the witnesses were not just complaining about the failure of the Health Department to communicate or negotiate with them – they were also expressing disgust that the whole Jersey charitable sector was in danger of being sucked into government control. A large part of the third sector is in a state of anxiety about what is going in, with threats of withdrawal of SLAs or contracts between government and charitable providers.

And they spoke too about “Roseneath”, the Charitable home closed down before last Xmas after Health had pulled out the financial rug.

The witnesses had attempted to secure Roseneath after the failure to join with Silkworth but in spite of negotiations and meetings with Health Department officers had only just this week, read in the local media, that Health had trumped them and secured it for itself.

The irony is of course that the Health White Paper declares that it – the Health Department - will provide alcohol and drug treatment in Jersey as part of the whole new package of care in the community etc.

But who, asked the witnesses, is actually going to provide this treatment, if Silkworth does not?

We hope to return with a video report on this matter shortly….

Deputy Bob Duhamel and OZO's latest cunning plan...

Click on video - Bob is there but is hiding....

M*T*F*P* Scrutiny Review Hearing No1

Today – 23 July – it was Deputy Bob Duhamel who opened the batting for the good guys v the Council of Ministers and Senator Ozouf’s latest brainwave, namely the “Mid-Term Financial Plan.”

OZO has cunningly arranged for this to be sprung upon the “nation” during the summer hols so that even the Environment Scrutiny Panel had only had a few hours to study the vast document.

Rest assured that the paying Jersey public will have virtually zero chance to discuss it or learn to love it or hate it before the States Assembly endorse it in October or November.

With all the current and recent “public consultations” going on with electoral, social security, housing, health, Taser issues etc – nobody but a glutton could possibly have any appetite to swallow this latest offering. And, of course OZO and his team know that very well.

As always, yours truly was the only member of the public to sit through today’s 90 minutes of concealed despair from Bob Duhamel – hung out to dry for following the CSP aims and achieving the demanded savings of 19% so it seems. Now his Planning Department just does not have the funds or resources to carry out even the minimal tasks set down in the recently agreed Island Plan!

Well and truly shafted – all in the name of USER PAYS – because as Bob explained Jersey Planning and Building Control fees are probably already the highest on the planet and they are about to be increased considerably yet again.

Never mind that Building Control fees are already down 50% on last year's and if they do not pick up there will have to be further savings or yet more price hikes.

Other Departments and their Ministers will now trudge through the same Scrutiny rooms to appear before other Panels. Tomorrow it will be Sen Le Marquand explaining why the Fire and Ambulance service will want proof of an Insurance Policy before turning out for an emergency and why the Prison is being emptied through “repatriation” to save costs.

Later in the day it will be TTS – and they are sure to be asked about their composting and scrap yard costs because Bob flagged those up today as examples of funding that will be agreed and then diverted to other uses (just a matter of £3 millions so nothing serious!).

On Thursday the Minister for Education will be looked at and perhaps he will have a cunning plan to make all schooling USER PAYS too and maybe nobody will even notice?