Public Accounts Committee chairman Heidi Soulsby has hit out at ministers for approving a Financial Transformation Programme saving, for the transfer of visiting consultant fees from HSSD's general revenue to Social Security's Guernsey Health Service Fund.
Deputy Soulsby said the FTP consultants Capita would net just over £40,000 – 6.5% of the so-called saving – in a reward fee as a result of the move – even though no money was actually saved and it was a case of 'simple bookkeeping'.
According to the States accounts, Capita was given a total of £396,000 in reward fees for 2013 – a percentage of all FTP savings banked. It is considerably less than 2012, when it secured £856,000 in reward fees.
Deputy Soulsby said that the budget transfer immediately raised alarm bells at PAC.
'It is not a transformation and there are no savings whatsoever to the public purse,' she said.
'The money is going to be spent whether it is out of one fund or another fund. There is nothing wrong with moving the budget from HSSD to SSD's (Health Service Fund), which is consistent with how consultants are funded now. The committee is just not happy with it being put as FTP.'
The programme aims to strip a recurring £31m. out of States spending by the end of this year.
Deputy Soulsby said PAC had demanded answers from the Policy Council ahead of last week's States Accounts debate, but it had still not been given sufficient reassurances .
