Pressure for debate on £600k of savings

It was one of the options outlined in an independent review of Home Affairs spending, during which consultant PwC spoke to senior committee staff about where efficiencies could be found.

The political board rejected this even before the report was made public, eventually revealing after an information request by the Guernsey Press that this followed two meetings with Health & Social Care and a review of two previous reports.

Now South-East deputy Peter Roffey has sent written questions to both committees asking whether they would work together on an urgent review of the merger and agree to report to the States on the cases for and against and their recommendations.

'The States have just signed up to finding £26.6m. in spending cuts, so any possible significant savings have to be taken extremely seriously,' said Deputy Roffey.

'Particularly when they amount to an estimated £600,000 and arise from a hugely expensive consultants' report costing north of a third of a million. Even more so when they represent more than a third of the possible savings identified.

'I certainly don't think departments have to accept all recommendations from consultants, they can use their own judgment, but if we are spending a fortune on those reports the reasons for rejection must be very clearly articulated.

'As a deputy not sitting on the committees concerned, all I am hearing is "the risk factors are too high" or "the two committees have discussed this and are united in opposing the idea". That is certainly not an adequate explanation.'