Jersey's Public Services

Introduction

Jersey has its own education, health, police, transport, utilities and other public services. These differ in material respects from those of the UK but are run in such a way as to be compatible.

Overview

The services that the public need in any jurisdiction can be divided broadly into those provided by the public sector and largely financed by taxation, those provided by the private sector on the open market and those provided by the “third sector” – such as charities, financed by a mixture of government grants, private donations and voluntary activity. But the dividing lines between the sectors are blurred, for example some private sector activities are heavily regulated. There are significant differences between jurisdictions in respect of what services fall into which sector.

In respect of Jersey the following categorisation is useful –

• Services provided entirely by the public sector and funded out of taxation. These include the emergency services (policy, fire and ambulance) and a number of regulatory and promotional activities as well as the machinery of government itself.
• Services provided largely the public sector and largely financed by taxation, but with some private sector finance and involvement. Heath and education come into this category.
• Services provided directly by the government or private sector and which are largely funded by user costs although with significant tax payer funded subsidy. Social housing comes into this category.
• Essential services such as telecommunations, gas, water, electricity, waste disposal and transport. These are provided either by the public sector directly or more commonly by private companies either regulated by a government body, subject to scrutiny by the Jersey Competition Regulatory Authority, or under contract with a government body. These are largely paid for by user charges although there may be some government subsidy.
• Services provided by the third sector, typically to disadvantaged groups, which are funded by a mixture of government grants, user charges and voluntary activity.
• Services provided entirely by private sector institutions subject only to general legislation, such as food production and distribution and personal and professional services.

It is helpful here to note that a number of public services are provided by “arm’s length organisations (AMLOs)” or “quangoes” as they are sometimes known. These organisations are established by government or with government influence, but run as stand-alone organisations with their own boards and management. The relationship between the government and the AMLOs is typically governed by memoranda of understanding covering sensitive items such as board and executive remuneration as well as approval of budgets and business plans. Appointments to the boards to such bodies generally require government approval.

There are considerable variations in the nature of the relationship between the Government and AMLOs and scope for significant tensions between the priorities of government and the operational independence of the organisations. These tensions have been covered in a number of reports by the Comptroller and Auditor General: Governance and accountability of independent bodies and office holders: a thinkpiece (December 2022), The States as shareholder(March 2019) and Oversight of arm’s length organisations (June 2017). The Comptroller and Auditor General has also published a number of reports on individual arm’s length organisations.

In 2021 public administration accounted for 10% of economic activity. In June 2023 the public sector employed 9,270 people, 14.3% of the labour force. However, these figures understate the size of the public sector. Taxation raised accounts for around 16% of total income in the Island.

In Jersey almost all public services are provided by the Government of Jersey directly or by organisations effectively controlled by the government. A small number of services, including refuse collection and some licensing, are provided by the parishes. This is in contrast to the UK where services may be provided by the UK government, devolved governments, metro mayors, county councils, district councils and unitary authorities. Many people do not know which organisation is responsible for providing a particular service whereas in Jersey it is much clearer although with some confusion as to the respective authorities of the parishes and the Government.

The principal sources of information on the provision of public services are the annual government plan, currently the Government Plan 2024 - 2027 which was approved by the States Assembly on 12 December 2023 and published 0n 8 March 2024, together with websites and annual reports of the various Government departments and AMLOs bodies that provide public services.

The Jersey Government does not publish figures for particular public services but rather aggregate figures for the various departments. Planned revenue expenditure by department in 2023 is shown in Table 1

Table 1 Planned revenue expenditure by department, 2024

It will be seen that two areas account for nearly half of public expenditure – health and community services (27%) and children, young people, education and skills (largely education) (21%). Put another way, health and community services accounts for 4.9% of national income and children, young people, education and skills for 3.7%.

Although the Government Plan and Government accounts record expenditure by department, a new report gives a breakdown of expenditure by function. The Jersey Classification of the Functions of Government Report 2022 was published on 21 November 2023. The report classifies expenditure in accordance with the United Nations Functions of Government system. The system enables comparisons to be made between jurisdictions and over time.

The definition of “government” includes the government departments, non-ministerial bodies, States funds, Andium Homes and the parishes. Trading businesses such as Ports of Jersey and the Jersey Development Company are excluded.

The following table shows the key data for Jersey for 2022 and, for comparison, the figures for the UK for 2021, the latest year for which figures are available.

Table 2 Classification of government expenditure, Jersey and the UK

It should be noted that “housing and community affairs” covers the administration of housing development and housing standards. Andium Homes provides subsidised accommodation and is included in the “social protection” category.

Health, education and social protection accounted for 73% of Jersey government expenditure and 19% of gross value added.

The comparison with the UK shows –

Total government expenditure was 25.5% of GVA in Jersey, less than half the UK figure of 53.9%. In almost every category of expenditure the Jersey proportion was below the UK proportion. However, it is also necessary to compare actual levels of expenditure. Using 2021 figures for both jurisdictions, Jersey’s GVA per capita was 60% higher than the UK’s. Expenditure per capita was £13,800 in Jersey, 16% less than the UK figure of £16,400.

As a proportion of total government expenditure the main differences are in defence (0.1% in Jersey as against 4.5% in the UK) and economics (largely to support particular industries) (4.5% as against 12.5%).

The report gives a wealth of detailed information, which will facilitate a better understanding of government expenditure. Over time comparisons with other jurisdictions will also be useful. Neither Guernsey nor the Isle of Man currently produce comparable figures.

Government structure

According to the Government website 12 Government departments operate as part of a unified civil service. Each is headed by a Director General who report to a Chief Executive Officer and Head of the Public Service (currently Andrew McLaughlin).

• Office of the Chief Executive
• Chief Operating Office
• Cabinet Office
• Strategic Policy, Planning and Performance
• Treasury and Exchequer
• External Relations
• Children, Young People, Education and Skills
• Customer and Local Services
• Infrastructure and Environment
• Health and Community Services
• Justice and Home Affairs
• Department of the Economy

However, another part of the Government website also gives details of a “Cabinet Office” established in 2022 –

The Cabinet Office supports the effective running of the Government which includes:

• development of good policy
• delivery of corporate functions
• ensuring good governance and communications
• the delivery of the Council of Ministers' agenda

The Chief Executive leads the Cabinet Office and wider government, with two Chief Officers designated as Assistant Chief Executives to assist, the Treasurer of the States and the Chief Officer, Strategic Policy, Planning and Performance.

The component parts of the Cabinet office are the Chief Operating Office, the Office of the Chief Executive and Strategic Policy, Planning and Performance.

In addition there are also non-executive and legal departments –

• Bailiff’s Chambers supports the Bailiff and the judiciary system, administers liquor licence extensions and licenses public entertainment and charity collections.
• Judicial Greffe supports the operation of courts and tribunals and a variety of areas of judicial work, includingintellectual property registration, family law, land registration and wills.‍
• States Greffe provides support to the States Assembly and Council of Ministers and is responsible for publishing and disseminating all official publications and providing a range of information to the public.‍
• Law Officers’ Department provides legal adviceto the Crown, States Assembly Members and others and a public prosecution service for the Island.Probation and After-Care Service provides the Parishes, Courts and Prisons with a high-quality information service and supervises those offenders entrusted
• ‍Viscount’s Department executes orders made by the Royal Court and has a number of other activities including serving summonses and other legal documents on members of the public and executing evictions. It carries out the duties of Coroner, and administers inquests and insolvency procedures.

Health

As in other jurisdictions expenditure on health is a large and growing component of public expenditure. Table 1 shows that expenditure on health and community services in 2024 is forecast to be £286 million, 26% of total public expenditure and 4.9% of national income.

Jersey has its own health system so is not part of the English National Health Service. The health service is not well documented by the government. There is a summary on the page of the government website on GP fees, prescriptions and health cards and a relevant page on the government website on the role and functions of the Health and Community Services Department .

For established residents the key components of the health service are –

• Prescriptions and hospital treatment are free. Because Jersey is small the Island has contracts with a number of UK hospitals to provide treatment to Jersey residents that it is not viable to provide in the Island.
• GP visits have to be paid for but the Government provides a subsidy such that the average cost of a visit is £35.
• The UK and Jersey have a reciprocal health agreement so Jersey residents who are in the UK are entitled to treatment in the UK on the same basis as UK residents.
• Dentistry is largely provided on a user charge basis.

Jersey has a unique organisation, the Family Nursing and Home Care charity. It receives funding from government on a service-level agreement basis and provides expert prenatal and parental care and supports children, young people, families and the members of our community who need healthcare or support in their homes.

Many other charities also provide healthcare services, in some cases with funding from the government.

It is generally recognised that the Jersey General Hospital is no longer fit for purpose. Plans for a new hospital have been politically controversial. The current intention is to replace the hospital with a number of different sites include one involving current hospital buildings.

There have also been some critical reports on aspects of the hospital service notably the Report into clinical governance arrangements within Health and Community Services by Professor Hugo Mascie-Taylor.

Education

Education in Jersey is the responsibility of the Department of Children, Young People, Education and Skills . A separate page gives details of Jersey schools . Yet another page gives key data - Schools, pupils and their characteristics academic year 2020/21 .

The Jersey Curriculum is based on the new National Curriculum in England, adapted to reflect the Island’s unique heritage and environment and the needs of the local economy.

The primary schools comprise 22 non-fee-paying state primary schools, two fee-paying primary schools, seven fee-paying private schools and two special schools. The non-fee-paying primary schools are based on the parishes –

• Seven parishes (Grouville, St Peter, St John, Trinity, St Martin, St Mary and St Ouen each have one primary school.
• St Clement, St Lawrence and St Brelade each have two schools.
• St Saviour has three schools.
• St Helier has five schools.

The two fee-paying state school are prep schools for Victoria College and the Jersey College for Girls. Collectively, the state primary schools have 6,500 students, of whom 25% do not have English as a first language, 10% have special educational needs and 28% are eligible for the Jersey premium (additional funding for children in low-income families and for “children looked after”).

Jersey’s secondary school structure is very different from the UK. The Secondary schools fall into three categories.

• Four non-fee-paying state secondary schools (Grainville, Le Rocquier, Haute Vallee and Les Quennevais) which cover the 11-16 age group.
• One non-fee-paying secondary school - Hautlieu, for the 14-18 age group.
• Two fee-paying state secondary schools (Victoria College and the Jersey College for Girls)
• Three private secondary schools (Beaulieu Convent, De La Salle College and St Michael’s School).

A significant feature of the Jersey system is that Victoria College and the Jersey College for Girls are fee-paying State schools. As they are part-government funded school fees are much lower than for comparable schools in the UK as a result of which a much higher proportion of Jersey students attend fee-paying schools than is the case in the UK.

Two features of the Jersey education system have recently been the subject of independent reports –

• The Independent Review of Inclusive Education and early years, a key conclusion of which was:

The review team have identified that the prevailing approach to education in Jersey is currently based on separating provision so that it aligns to the needs of different groups of children and young people. Whilst this approach is arguably underpinned by good intentions, it can be a structural barrier to achieving inclusive education.

• The Independent School Funding Review (2020) concluded that “current funding for non-fee-paying education is low, at £9.2m below the level needed to match high-performing jurisdictions”.

Most Jersey school leavers go on to higher education at UK universities. In addition, four institutions offer tertiary education within the Island -

• Highlands College provides further education including a number of degree courses. Part of the College is branded as “University College Jersey (UCJ)”. Degree courses offered are construction management, business and management, childhood studies, social sciences, social work and sport coaching and development.
• BPP International Finance, a private sector institution,offers a range of courses leading to qualifications with one of the professional bodies in the financial services industry.
• The Jersey International Centre of Advanced Studies offers a degree in island biodiversity and conservation in conjunction with University of Exeter. It is aiming to create a suite of niche Postgraduate degrees focusing on islands and island communities.
• Institute of Law Jersey offers a London University LLB law degree, an LLB - French Licence & M1 in conjunction with University Toulouse Capitole 1 and a Master’s in Jersey Law which it directly confers. It also offers a Jersey Graduate Diploma in Law, a Jersey Social Work Law Certificate and a number of other courses. The Institute is the leading offshore centre for legal research and learning

In addition, the Health and Community Services Higher Education Department offers a three year full time nursing degree course, having been appointed in 2022.

Another significant educational body is the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, which has a global reputation in conservation training. It offers a wide range of courses and programmes. 4,100 individuals from 137 countries have participated in Durrell courses and workshops.

In December 2022 the Government published a report Further education and Skills – Actionable Agenda . In respect of higher education this concluded –

Jersey is an outlier in several respects, in relation to 16-18 education. Most notably:

1. As noted in the Independent Review of School Funding, its level of funding for this stage of schooling is lower than most OECD nations.

2. The legally presumed age for leaving education and/or training is still 16. In all of the nations of the UK, the participation age is now 18. The same is true for most European nations.

3. There is no formal provision made for young people with special educational needs to continue in full-time education after the age of 18. The entitlement in the UK is to age 25 for this group.

Emergency services

The States of Jersey Police employs all the procedures, methods, technology, training and modes of operation of police elsewhere in the British Isles and co-operates with police forces in the UK and other countries. However, because Jersey is a Crown Dependency the Police has a wider range of functions than a police force in England. They include –

• An enhanced role in supporting the administrative requirements of the criminal justice process, providing a vetting and barring service, managing the town CCTV system and maintaining Jersey's central firearms register.
• Policing Jersey's ports.
• Operating a Financial Intelligence Unit that works with enforcement agencies around the world to combat money laundering and terrorist funding.

The Police Force currently operates with an establishment of 214 police officers and 118 civilian staff.

In addition to the States of Jersey Police, each parish has an honorary police force which deals with minor issues and which can bring cases before the courts.

The Jersey Fire and Rescue Service (which neither has its own web page nor features on the Government’s web page) as its name suggests provides fire and rescue services, and works closely with its counterparts in the UK.

The Ambulance Service provides emergency ambulance and paramedics, patient transport services, responding to urgent and non-urgent calls and call handling for the out of hours GP service. It also provides voluntary services, including a voluntary care service, a community first responders scheme and an ambulance support unit.

Transport

Jersey has a public bus service, LibertyBus, which is part of the Adelaide-based Kelsian Group, operating throughout the Island. The service is provided under contract with the Government.

Ports of Jersey, an arm’s length organisation, is responsible for managing the airport, harbours, marinas and the Jersey Coastguard. It also delivers two of Jersey’s largest community events – the Jersey Boat Show and the Jersey International Air Display. Jersey Airport is one of the busiest in the British Isles, providing services to the United Kingdom and further afield. St Helier is a busy port providing essential freight services and also has a ferry terminal which services ferry links to France and southern England.

Condor Ferries provides essential freight and passenger transport links between Jersey, France and the UK under a contract with the Government.

Jersey is part of a common travel area together with the United Kingdom, Guernsey, the Isle of Man and the Irish Republic. This means that there are no customs or immigration controls for people travelling within the area.

Housing

Housing in Jersey is very expensive. To help low-income islanders, income support meets some or all of rental payments for those with incomes below a certain level. The housing stock built and previously owned by the Government has been transferred to a company wholly-owned by the Government but operated at arm’s length and with an independent board. Andium Homes manages a stock of 4,500 homes, housing about 10% of the population. The company has an ambitious development programme. There are also several smaller social housing providers, the largest of which are Jersey Homes Trust, which has 800 homes, and Les Vaux Housing Trust, which has 350 homes.

Utilities

Jersey has to provide its own utilities, a challenging task for a small island with a population of 103,000.

There is a competitive telecommunications market, regulated by the Jersey Competition Regulatory Authority(JCRA). The largest provider is JT, owned by the Government of Jersey, which also operates in Guernsey and six other jurisdictions. It employs 600 staff. It has installed a full-fibre network throughout the Island with the fastest broadband speeds in the world.

Postal services are provided by Jersey Post, like JT owned by the Government of Jersey and regulated by the JCRA. Jersey Post operates a network of 21 post offices across the Island and provides postal delivery services to all Jersey residential households and business, five days a week.

There is a single provider of electricity Jersey Electricity. This is listed on the London Stock Exchange, although the Government of Jersey has a 62% shareholding. The company is not regulated although the JCRA has powers to investigate the company given its market power. The company obtains 95% of its electricity from France though three undersea cables. The remainder of its electricity comes from an energy from waste plant and solar power. It also has the capability to generate electricity on-island in the event of a disruption of the supply from France.

Water is provided by Jersey Water, also wholly owned by the Government of Jersey. Jersey relies on rainfall harvested in a number of reservoirs. It also operates a desalination plant.

Waste disposal

Waste collection is the responsibility of parishes. It is unusual for waste collection to be run in such a fragmented way given the scope for economies of scale. There is also a government-run central waste disposal facility at La Collette.

Regulation

Jersey has a number of different regulators. Eight of these are Arm’s Length Bodies –

• The Jersey Competition Regulatory Authority, has specific responsibility for regulating the telecoms and postal markets and Ports of Jersey as well being the competition regulator.
• The Jersey Financial Services Commission regulates the financial services industry.
• The Jersey Gambling Commission regulates the gambling industry (which is very small).
• The Jersey Charity Commissioner is the regulator of Jersey’s large charity sector.
• The Jersey Care Commission regulates and inspects care homes, care provided to people in their own homes, adult day care services, and residential and other services for children and young people.
• The Jersey Electoral Authority has a role in managing elections, which it shares with the parishes, the States Greffe and the Judicial Greffe.
• The Director of Civil Aviation has responsibility to ensure the safety of civil aviation in Jersey and its airspace.
• The Jersey Office of the Information Commissioner is responsible for regulating data protection.

Other services are regulated by a variety of difference agencies –

• Planning and building control are the responsibility of the Infrastructure and Environment Department.
• The Driver and Vehicle Standards section of the Infrastructure and Environment Department regulates taxis and is responsible for car licensing and driving tests.
• The Jersey Trading Standards Service is responsible for ensuring compliance with consumer protection laws.
• The Bailiff administers liquor licence extensions and licenses public entertainment and charity collections.
• The parishes are responsible for licensing applications and administering dog licences.

XII. r services providing nursing and personal care or personal support

Promotional bodies

Like other jurisdictions Jersey has established or supported promotional bodies most of which are aimed at bringing business to the island or supporting existing businesses but some have wider objectives such as the promotion of sport.

The major promotional bodies, all of which are largely funded by the Government, include –

• Digital Jersey, is an economic development agency and industry association dedicated to the growth of the digital sector.
• Jersey Finance is the representative and promotional body for the finance industry in Jersey. It is funded by the Government and the industry. Much of its work is designed to attract more finance centre activity to Jersey. It also plays a major role in the formulation of policy on financial services.
• Jersey Business provides free, independent, confidential advice and support to businesses in Jersey.
• Visit Jersey is the promotional body for the tourist industry.
• Jersey Sport promotes all forms of sport in the island.

Arts, culture and heritage

Jersey Heritage is responsible for the Island’s major historic sites, museums and public archives. It holds collections of artefacts, works of art, documents, specimens and information relating to Jersey’s history, culture and environment.

Arthouse Jersey supports artists from Jersey and across the world.

Other organisations

Jersey Advisory and Conciliation Service is modelled on the UK's Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service and is a statutory body.

Jersey Employment Trust makes employment and vocational training more accessible to people with disabilities.

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