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Reports by the Interim CEO containing recommendations on how to simplify Government processes and save money will be shared with the public, the Chief Minister has confirmed in an apparent U-turn.
Appearing before a sold-out Chamber of Commerce business lunch on Thursday, Kristina Moore outlined her five priorities for 2024 including investment in St Helier and major commitments in housing and health – and a pledge to reduce the number of projects to save £30m.
However, no details were provided on where those cuts would land.
Many of the priorities outlined came off the back of recommendations in papers produced by Interim Government CEO, Dr Andrew McLaughlin, as part of his objectives for the last quarter of 2023.
Despite being chased by Express since 11 December, the Government confirmed on Wednesday – the day before Deputy Moore was due to speak at that the business lunch – that the Chief Minister would not be making these three reports public at the present time or in future.
Pictured: Dr Andrew McLaughlin is Interim CEO on secondment from NatWest bank, where he co-leads its ‘Commercial and Institutional’ division.
Dr McLaughlin was set to provide two key papers "which provide a strategic view and set the strategic vision for the Government of Jersey and inform the 2024 planning cycle" by December 2023.
He was also to provide the Chief Minister with an options paper "which identifies five pragmatic and deliverable options to simplify public service delivery with material efficiencies by the end of 2025".
These papers provided policy advice to the Chief Minister, and the parts that she accepted were revealed in her public speech at the Chamber of Commerce last Thursday.
However, the Government said it would not be publishing Dr McLaughlin's full papers – meaning that any recommendations not accepted by Deputy Moore would remain secret.
In an interview shortly after her speech at the Chamber of Commerce business lunch, the Chief Minister appeared to do a complete U-turn and said that she was "committed to publishing [the papers] when they are ready".
At the time, she said she could not provide a timescale for their release, but said that she would "endeavour" to provide "a distinct date".
When asked to confirm that the three papers would be published in full and not censored in any way, Deputy Moore said: "I think they are written with that intention because that's what we set out to do."
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