P&R proposes in-house Covid response review
AN IN-HOUSE review of the Bailiwick’s Covid-19 response is being proposed by the senior States committee rather than a fully independent review which could cost up to six times more.
The proposed review could cost £40,000, compared to an estimated £250,000 for an independent review. One being staged in Jersey is set to cost up to £500,000.
Publishing recommendations to the States, Policy & Resources said it wanted the review – the concept of which was agreed by the States in January – to look at how well prepared government was and how well the States performed in operational delivery in responding to the pandemic.
Two options for the review have been put forward, with the committee favouring building upon a number of internal audits already planned or completed as part of the States’ debriefing for key service areas.
It would include a high-level ‘desktop review’ to create a factual record summarising the impact on the Bailiwick, and would be a faster and more cost-effective option. The Scrutiny Management Committee would then consider this and bring a report to the States, or could recommend further hearings if required.
‘This has been one of the most extraordinary periods in our recent history and it’s been a huge challenge for the public sector, just as it has been for the whole community,’ said P&R president Deputy Peter Ferbrache.
‘Different jurisdictions responded in different ways to this new danger as the world tried to understand the risks and how to counter them. The Bailiwick has probably had a better experience than most other places in the world during these past two years, but nonetheless it was a very hard time for many islanders for many reasons. And we cannot ever forget that we lost friends and family to this pandemic.’
The island would want to ask tough questions and learn from both errors and successes, he added.
P&R said it did not believe the estimated costs were for an independent overview were proportionate, set against an effective alternative.
