PAC encourages further government work on resilience in emergencies
Scrutiny
16 April 2026
The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) is encouraging further work from the next government on resilience planning, following its COVID-19 follow-up Review.The Committee sought to establish whether any significant actions remained outstanding and to identify areas requiring further scrutiny by the next Committee following the June 2026 election. Evidence was gathered through written responses from the Chief Executive and questioning during the quarterly public hearing held on 4 March 2026.
Overall, from the evidence provided, the Committee found that most of the COVID-19 recommendations have been implemented. However, the review highlighted areas for future scrutiny, including the importance of resilience testing and financial reserves.
Vice-Chair of the Committee, and Lead Member of the Review, Deputy Karen Wilson said:
“Emergency preparedness and organisational resilience remain central responsibilities for the Government of Jersey. Given the significant impact that the COVID-19 pandemic had on the Island, the Committee felt it was it was important to follow up the recommendations made to government - from the Committee, the Comptroller and Auditor General, and other stakeholders - due to the continued importance of emergency response and wider Island resilience.
“One of our core recommendations is for the Chief Executive Officer to consider conducting a review of COVID-19 recommendations by the end of this year, to see if any have been closed prematurely and to take the appropriate action.
“Health service readiness, cross‑government incident coordination, clear accountability, infrastructure resilience, and legislative preparedness will all require sustained oversight to ensure that capacity is strengthened and lessons from the COVID‑19 pandemic and other emergency situations are fully embedded.
“Whilst it is encouraging to see improvements in wider resilience structures, such as updates to Crisis Resilience Improvement Plan, and joint-exercises with the UK government, we would encourage further scrutiny of the Government’s implementation of the Civil Contingencies (Resilience) Law once agreed, and the continued development of emergency preparedness through exercises alongside ensuring adequate long term financial planning.
Read the PAC report here: Interim Report -COVID-19 Follow up
Find out more about the Review here: bit.ly/3PETX6A
