Nearly 40 government staff fly back to UK during lockdown

Monday 18 May 2020

Nearly 40 people on the government's payroll - half of whom are consultants - are now working from the UK after flying back during lockdown, it has emerged, raising questions over whether an opportunity to save money by pausing certain contracts was missed.

The revelation came following questions to the Chief Minister from Senator Kristina Moore, after which he admitted that no contracts had been put “on hold”.

However, Senator Le Fondré defended the work being carried out away from the island as essential.

He explained that there were 30 consultants (including interims) working on what he described as "a number of critical projects and programmes of work". 

Pictured: "Senator Le Fondré defended the work being carried out off-island as essential."

Of the 30, eight are Jersey residents and 22 are UK-based. Three of the latter group decided to remain in Jersey, while 19 are said to be "delivering their contractual obligations from the UK".

Although a breakdown was not provided, the Chief Minister said that "a number" were "supporting critical work for the island's covid-19 response, including the emergency resourcing provision within Health and Community Services, People and Corporate Services and our network and systems infrastructure".

Asked how many contracts had been put on hold and an estimate of the savings this would achieve, Senator Le Fondré confirmed: "There have been no consultancy contracts put on hold during this period as we have been able to maintain our work plans to a large extent. Contracts that were due to end have been ended."

Officials confirmed to Express that two of the consultants remaining in Jersey work in Health, while the other works in HR.

One of the Health consultants is having their accommodation paid for during lockdown at a cost of £1,300 a month, while the other two have "made their own arrangements".

Pictured: One health consultant is having their accommodation paid for at the cost of £1,300 a month. 

Initially, the government only disclosed numbers of consultants working from the UK, despite Senator Moore asking for the numbers of full-time staff that were working from the UK.

Following an intervention from the Bailiff last week, who ruled the reply unacceptable for not addressing this, the Chief Minister revealed that as many as 20 permanent workers had returned to the UK.

The majority were concentrated in the Strategic Policy, Planning and Population Department (4) and Children, Young People, Education and Skills (4).

Health, the Chief Operating Office and the Treasury Department each have three full-time employees working from the UK.

At the moment, anyone entering the island is required to self-isolate for 14 days whether they are showing symptoms or not.

Pictured: The breakdown of full-time staff based in the UK currently.

However, exemptions can be granted by the Customs and Immigration team for certain essential workers. In this scenario, if work takes one day, for example, the individual will only be exempt for this time and have to self-isolate for the rest of their stay.

The External Relations Department decides which public sector workers are approved for necessary travel.

Under a week before Jersey entered lockdown, Deputy Kirsten Morel asked the Chief Minister what assessment had been made of the risks in allowing certain government employees to travel between their homes in the UK and Jersey to work during a period when travel was being restricted to essential journeys.

Senator Le Fondré replied: "The status of workers coming from the U.K. has been kept under continuous review and assessed against the advice being received by the Medical Officer for Health. As part of business continuity arrangements, a Government-wide assessment has been undertaken, which resulted in a recommendation accepted by the Emergency Council to suspend all non-essential business travel.

"We have identified all such travellers. Guidance was provided to Departments about what constituted non-essential travel, along with those considered essential workers who would be permitted to travel. We are in the process of reassessing that position in light of advice that there will be a likely requirement, as we are now seeing, of social distancing and possible further restrictions on travel to and from the UK. So, depending where we are, we will be requiring workers to remain in either the UK or Jersey once restrictions remain in place."

Pictured: Senator Kristina Moore asked the consultancy questions of the Chief Minister.

Senator Moore told Express she asked the questions about the number of government employees returning to the UK to “gain an understanding of the landscape that we are really working in”, given “concerns that the island’s unique identity is being eroded”.

“As States Members, we see time and time again people developing policy without a proper understanding of the fabric of island life and the public see and feel this too.”

"I go back to the findings of the Transition Team, who provided Charlie Parker with a report before he started to work here in Jan 2018. The report said that there were “good, committed and capable people” working in the States of Jersey. It went on to identify that it is the system that was letting those people down and preventing them from performing to the best of their abilities," she said.

"However, islanders have seen the morale of employees of the States of Jersey decline and many (those who were able to) have left the organisation, taking with them their knowledge, skills and passion for the island.

"We have then seen a large number of new people brought in from outside and contracts blatantly being given to their former colleagues who have also started to commute to the island to work. This has occurred to such an extent that the Appointments Commissioner drew attention to it as a problem in her annual report."