£6.9m Of Unspent Govt Money For 'Emerging Priorities'

Friday, 28 July 2023 08:45

£6.9 million of unspent public money has been reallocated by the Treasury Minister, to what he calls 'emerging priorities.'

Deputy Ian Gorst has confirmed that Health and Community Services will receive just under £2.8m to help tackle waiting lists for hospital treatments.

Patients are waiting up to 6 months for treatment across a number of departments.

£1.96 million is to be given to fund the upgrade and maintenance of the island's sewage network.

A report published in May said that investment, to the tune of £34 million pounds in the next four years, is needed to avoid a 'catastrophic failure' of the liquid waste system.

The 1950s builts network is struggling to cope with Jersey's population and could hinder ministers' plans to build nearly 8,000 homes by 2030.

Deputy Gorst says that the purpose of the fund is to 'react to unforeseen challenges'

"After careful consideration, it is clear that funding is urgently needed to allow the investment in our drainage network – unlocking housing development.

We must maintain our ongoing focus on strong and prudent financial management by departments to manage expenditure within their cash limits.

The scale of challenges faced by the Health department mean that additional resource is needed to make sure there is adequate financial grip and control to deliver value for taxpayers."