An amendment lodged by Deputy Louise Doublet to draw upon contingency money to invest more in education projects was approved by 21 votes to 20 yesterday.
Deputy Doublet claimed that the Education Minster was legally required to spend £263,200 more than had been budgeted to provide facilities for the increasing number of children in the Island.
She said: ‘We voted to invest in education in the Strategic Plan. I ask members to put the money in to support education.
For (21): Senator Cameron, Constables Gallichan, Le Sueur-Rennard and Taylor, Deputies Martin, Southern, Labey, Hilton, Le Fondré, Lewis, Tadier, Higgins, Maçon, Mézec, Doublet, Labey, Bree, Norton, McDonald, Johnson and McLinton.
Against (20): Senator Routier, Maclean, Gorst, Farnham, Bailhache and Green, Constables Norman, Refault, Paddock, Pallett, Le Troquer, Le Sueur, Pryke, Noel, Vallois, Pinel, Luce, Bryans, Moore and Truscott.
‘This money will have an enormous impact and will allow one, two or three education projects to be invested in.
‘The Education and Home Affairs Panel is very positive that this money will have a tangible, positive impact on children.’
Several backbenchers came out in support of her proposal.
Deputy Sam Mézec said that he believed the extra funding would help the Education Department ‘do its job properly’.
Education Minister Rod Bryans opposed the amendment and was concerned at the impact it could have on his plans
He said: ‘We have created a plan and to change it would cause all sorts of trouble. Distractions can have a real impact.’
Chief Minister Ian Gorst urged the Assembly to be cautious about taking money out of the contingency fund.
He said: ‘It is better to have flexibility in your plans all the way through, which is why we have included contingencies.’
Deputy Andrew Lewis said, however, that he was surprised that the Education Minister was not ‘biting off Deputy Doublet’s hand’ for the extra funding.
The approval of the amendment led to another politician doing a deal with the Education Minister to secure funding for an education project.
Deputy Montfort Tadier withdrew his own amendment which proposed allocating money to fund French speaking assistants in primary schools after Deputy Bryans confirmed he now had the finances to back the scheme.
His amendment had proposed transferring £40,000 spent on the communications unit of the Chief Minister’s Department to provide funding.He said: ‘Learning a foreign language is not just a “nice to have”. It is much more important than that.’
PROPOSALS for a programme of roadworks in St Saviour to be carried out using money from contingency funds were rejected yesterday.
Deputy Jeremy Maçon’s amendment to the Medium Term Financial plan to fund roadworks in his own parish was defeated by 24 votes to 14.
The Deputy had put forward plans for £300,000 from the central contingency fund to be spent improving two roads on which he said work was long overdue.
He said: ‘St Saviour is a gateway parish – everyone goes through it on their way to where they are going. Longueville Road and Bagot Road have needed attention since 2002.
‘I am asking for funding to finish projects that have been going on for so long to help my residents.’
Another St Saviour Deputy, Peter McLinton, backed the amendment, pointing out that it had been 16 years since work had been done on the roads.
Transport Minister Eddie Noel said that the broader needs’ of the Island needed to be considered.
He added: ‘We can’t do everything at once, and we have to make sure it’s the appropriate thing. There are more projects than resources available.
‘We have allocated £890,000 over the next few years in St Saviour for road improvements.’
St Peter Constable John Refault criticised the amendment, saying that the ‘priority order’ for getting work done by the Transport Department should be observed.
He said: ‘There is not a pecking order, but there is a priority order, and to try to leapfrog that by bringing this proposition to the States is the wrong way to go about things.’
A PROPOSAL to boost higher education funding by diverting funds set aside to revive Jersey’s economy have been rejected by the States Assembly.
An amendment to the Medium Term Financial Plan proposed by Deputy Jeremy Maçon was defeated by 21 votes to 18.
The Deputy had proposed that £1.4 million which has been allocated to the Economic and Productivity Growth Drawdown Provision for 2016 be instead used to provide funding for university students from lower and middle-income families.
He pointed out that the Island’s grants systems had not been updated since 2001 and thresholds to qualify for financial support needed to be updated
He said: ‘The threshold hasn’t been touched since 2001. All I’m trying to do is honour the commitment made in that year by updating it to the current year. It has been left too long.
‘For many jobs you have to be a graduate, if you don’t your CV will be thrown in the bin. It is also important for career progression.
For (18): Senator Cameron, Constable Taylor, Deputies Martin, Southern, Labey, Hilton, Le Fondré, Lewis, Tadier, Higgins, Maçon, Mézec, Lewis, Doublet, Labey, Bree, McDonald and McLinton.
Against (21): Senators Routier, Maclean, Gorst, Farnham, Bailhache and Green, Constables Norman, Paddock, Pallett, Le Troquer, Le Sueur, Pryke, Noel, Vallois, Pinel, Luce, Bryans, Moore, Norton, Johnson and Truscott,
‘This amendment is for the future of our young people and the sustainability of our Island.’
He received support from backbenchers, including Deputy Judy Martin, who said Jersey had been ‘waiting for an update since 2001’.
Deputy Sam Mézec said that he ideologically believed that higher education should be ‘available for everyone’.
Education Minister Rod Bryans opposed the amendment, calling it impractical and claimed it would ‘create more problems than it solves’.
He said: ‘The problem with Deputy Macon’s amendment is that it is not sustainable because it is for one year.
‘It is not feasible. It is £1.4 million for one year. This amendment just adds another level of confusion.
‘The costs of this would have to be spread over other departments, which have already been picked clean.’
Chief Minister Ian Gorst backed Deputy Bryans, claiming that the amendment did not look to the long term.
He said: ‘You cannot put people in a position where the threshold is increased and it is only for one year. Contingencies would have to continue being used.’
Senator Gorst did, however, agree to look at setting up a new funding mechanism for future university students next year.
Economic Development Minister Lyndon Farnham pointed out that the funds proposed to be diverted were needed to boost the Island’s economy.
He said: ‘The Fiscal Policy Panel has already raised concerns about Jersey’s productivity. We need to optimise the economy.
‘Twenty million pounds is being provided in this MTFP for new initiatives that can demonstrate and provide positive economic and productivity growth.’
‘This is a sensible amendment. This could make life better for our children. It’s a matter of simple maths’
Deputy Judy Martin on Deputy Louise Doublet’s amendment to provide an extra £263,000 funding for education
‘The Members seem to have forgotten that we are dealing with a situation where money is in short supply’
Senator Philip Bailhache on amendments proposing to use money set aside for contingency funds
‘The vote will have some ministers looking to contingency funds to see if they can keep their assistants’
Deputy Sam Mézec on Wednesday’s vote for funds spent on support staff in the Chief Minister and Treasury Minister’s departments to be redirected to paying for the over-75s’ TV licence
‘We are trying to grow the economy by making cuts, which no economist in the world would support’
Deputy Geoff Southern on the MTFP’s overall strategy
‘This Assembly is criticised on a daily basis on how it spends money. It has asked departments to come back with savings and they have delivered’
Deputy Steve Luce on criticism of the Council of Ministers for over-spending
‘They say always beware the small print. Well, I commend the Chief Minister – this Medium Term Financial Plan has no small print at all’
Constable Chris Taylor on the lack of detail on spending plans in the MTFP
THE Health Department will not receive additional funding to improve dental services after an amendment to the Medium Term Financial Plan was defeated yesterday.
Deputy Geoff Southern had proposed that £500,000 be diverted from the Health Insurance Fund to boost the Dental Fitness scheme for those aged 11 to 18.
The Deputy, whose amendment was defeated by 20 votes to 13, said the scheme had not been updated since it started 23 years ago.
He said: ‘The Dental Fitness Scheme provides £6 a month for regular dental inspections, and that has not changed since 1992. Unless we do something soon, we are going to have worsening dental fitness in the Island. We should encourage more people aged 11 to 18 to join this excellent scheme.’
The Deputy was supported by Senator Zoe Cameron, who said that the scheme would help ‘remove unnecessary suffering’.
Social Security Minister Susie Pinel was concerned that funds controlled by her department were being targeted for use. She said: ‘The Health Insurance Fund is at breaking point already, as expenditure is now exceeding income. An extra £500,000 of spending will make this worse.
‘It cannot afford a new area of funding. This amendment is premature and has a lack of direction.’
She urged the Assembly to wait for a report to be produced by the Dental Action Group before making any decisions on funding for dental care.
Health Minister Andrew Green also opposed the amendment calling it ‘not well targeted and premature’. He added: ‘The intention is to develop a consistent oral health strategy.’
