Details of additional savings
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2025.09.30
4.1 Deputy K.M. Wilson of St. Clement of the Chief Minister regarding savings identified in the States of Jersey Group 2024 Annual Report and Accounts (OQ.204/2025):
Will the Chief Minister provide detail of the additional £1.7 million savings identified in the States of Jersey Group 2024 Annual Report and Accounts, generated above the original Government efficiency targets established in the Government Plan 2024-2027?
Deputy L.J. Farnham of St. Mary , St. Ouen and St. Peter (The Chief Minister):
The additional £1.7 million of savings reported for 2024 relate solely to Health and Care Jersey. These were above the original efficiency savings target and were required to mitigate unanticipated budget pressures within the department during the year. The savings were achieved primarily through careful management of the workforce and vacancies, procurement savings from a more centralised buying approach, and an increase in income from private patients. The original target for health and care financial recovery programme was £5 million; in total just over £6.7 million was delivered.
4.1.1 Deputy K.M. Wilson :
Given the additional savings, could the Chief Minister explain why these opportunities were not identified and delivered as part of the original plan? Does this suggest that perhaps the Government's planning and oversight processes are failing to capture some of the potential efficiencies up front and could he tell us what steps he is going to take to prevent such oversights in the future, if this is what happened?
Deputy L.J. Farnham :
I do not think there was any oversight as such when efficiencies and savings plans are put in place. They are based on best estimates and best efforts. Just across every department we will see situations and circumstances where some efficiency savings are not met and some are exceeded, and change in circumstances during the year means sometimes we have to operate on the go, as it were, and that is what happened in this case. As I said before, the additional efficiency savings were made due to budgetary pressure, so the department acted accordingly to get the extra savings required.