Common Strategic Policy 2026 – 2030 (P.75/2026): tenth amendment. Transparency and clear benefits to government financial support to businesses

COMMON STRATEGIC POLICY 2026-2030 (P.75/2026): TENTH AMENDMENT

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1 PAGE 2 –

After the words "report accompanying this Proposition" insert the words –

", except that, on page 9 of the report, after paragraph four, there should be inserted the following new paragraph –

"Where investment involves Government financial support to businesses, we will ensure  that  public  money  delivers  clear  public  benefits.  This  will  include publishing the recipients, value and purpose of financial support, and the public benefits it is expected to secure."".

DEPUTY A.F. CURTIS OF ST. CLEMENT

Note: After this amendment, the proposition would read as follows –

THE STATES are asked to decide whether they are of opinion

in accordance with Article 18(2)(e) of the States of Jersey Law 2005, to approve the statement of the Common Strategic Policy of the Council of Ministers as set out in the report accompanying this Proposition, except that on page 9 of the report, after paragraph four, there should be inserted the following new paragraph –

"Where investment involves Government financial support to businesses, we will ensure that public money delivers clear public benefits. This will include publishing the recipients, value and purpose of financial support, and the public benefits it is expected to secure.".

REPORT

Summary

The 2026 – 2030 Common Strategic Policy (the CSP) includes the following text under Pillar 3 - Secure Jersey's competitive edge for the local economy;

We will develop sector-specific investment proposals and reprioritise existing revenue budgets to focus resources on the actions most likely to support sustainable economic growth. (P.75/2026 - Common Strategic Policy 2026-2030 – page 9)

This narrative line indicates a policy direction towards Government support to private businesses through investment, including through the use of existing budgets. The specific forms of this are not specified, however it is known the Government has and continues to operate a range of grant-based schemes for businesses including the two year Better Business Support Package'.

This amendment seeks to ensure that any current or future grant or financial support schemes that operate during this Assembly term – using Government (public) money, deliver both clear and published benefits, and with transparency about who received it.

Context and Background

The wording of the CSP, as drafted, uses the phrase "develop sector-specific investment proposals".

It should be recognised that whilst this amendment focuses on any future direct financial support to businesses, the policy direction by the Government could be delivered in other ways including;

- Investment in economic development through States-Owned Entities (SoEs) or Arms-Length Organisations (ALOs) – such as Ports Route Development'

- Investment in public infrastructure that benefits businesses (such as the Public Realm)

It could also refer to ways to drive sector-specific investment from within the Private Sector, as was alluded to by the Minister for Economic Development in Oral Question 102/2026 (Hansard 20thOctober 2026 Point 4.2.5 – page 112).

The proposed additional wording covers one particular type of investment' – direct funding of private businesses through grants or similar.

Grant-based funding - or similar financial support to businesses, are not new techniques to support and deliver in the local economy. Jersey already operates several funding schemes, including the Rural Support Scheme (RSS), and the Better Business Support Package to name just two.

Publishing the recipients and use of funds is not uncommon. Examples include the publication of RSS Recipients in Written Question 231/2021, the publication of all large grants to organisations by report to the States Assembly, and the publication of a range of other funds across Government, such as the Ecology Trust Fund'.

The Better Business Support Package

The Better Business Support Package (BBSP), launched in 2025, illustrates why this principle needs to be established at the beginning of a grant scheme or when it is renewed. Publication of BBSP recipients and the purpose of their grants was sought after the scheme launched, but this was considered to not be possible because the scheme had been set up without the necessary data-sharing agreements (Oral Question 82/2025). As a result, there is no public record of how several million pounds of public money was allocated.

Publication of this data does not need to be onerous, highly detailed or intrusive to a business. The example illustrative table below is one way of simply presenting and publishing the data.

* The recipient's name could be the legal trading name of the Business.

Publishing this information also has economic value in its own right. It shows how businesses  have  used  support  to  invest  in  productivity,  cost  savings  and  quality improvements, and gives other businesses practical examples to learn from.

What about business confidentiality?

Simply put – if a business wants to receive public money, it should be understood that a level of reasonable public recognition is attributed. If a business does not want this exposure, they remain able to use the private markets for investment and loans.

Agreement to publication should therefore form part of the terms of any scheme, with applicants informed at the point of application that the recipient, value and purpose of any award will be published. For existing schemes, this should be introduced at the next funding round or renewal

Conclusion

Ensuring that financial support provided to private organisations is published, and that their benefits are explained, is not a high bar to expect from the use of public money. Establishing this principle early is key to making all schemes capture the relevant consent from businesses for publication.

Members are asked to support this amendment. Financial and staffing implications

There are no forecast financial implications to the amendment. Should schemes exist during the life of the CSP in which grants and financial support are provided to businesses, the necessary information would be expected to be collected from recipients in any case.

There is a minor immediate staffing implication in publishing this data however it is considered this will be offset by the benefits in proactive data publication, such as improved delivery and a reduction in Freedom of Information (FOI) submissions.

Children's Rights Impact Assessment

I consider that this amendment has no direct or indirect impact on children and that the duty to have due regard to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child does not arise. Accordingly, a Children's Rights Impact Assessment is not required under the Children (Convention Rights) (Jersey) Law 2022.