Mystery man is brought in at Treasury
Wednesday 10th March 2010, 2:59PM GMT.
Senator Philip Ozouf remains tight-lipped
THE Treasury Minister refused to give details yesterday about a new top civil servant who has been brought in to kick the public finances into shape.
Senator Philip Ozouf was asked twice in the States for information about the finance expert who has taken up a senior position in the Treasury. It is thought that the man comes from the UK.
During ministerial questions without notice, Deputies Paul Le Claire and Phil Rondel attempted to find out who the man was, how long his contract was for and whether he was taking over any of the responsibilities of the States Treasurer, Ian Black. However, they and the rest of the States remained largely in the dark as the minister remained evasive.
Senator Ozouf did say, however, that the man – whom he refused to name – had been brought in as an interim finance director to help with the well-publicised restructuring of the Treasury. He said that the man had been in post for three weeks and would use his expertise to strengthen arrangements within the department with the aim of helping to deliver cuts across the public sector.
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OK the game’s up it’s me, having proved last week that I couldn’t run a p*ss up in a brewery I passed the entrance exam for running Jersey’s finances.
It’s not that the Big O won’t divulge my name, he can’t pronounce it poor fella.
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So we are not allowed to know who is working with or in the states anymore? Is this not madness?
A large, reputable firm in Jersey was recently infiltrated by a con artist posing as an expert in her field and she got away with a lot of cash she had skimmed off the top. Lets hope that whoever employed this man has done the necessary checks.
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So the Treasury Minister is able to use public money to employ someone at great expense to sort out something which he is incapable of doing in-house. Then he says that the Island deficit will still be millions over income next year. Not doing a very good job, are they?
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How much is this man being paid, surely a local man could’ve fitted the bill.
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Oh,so more secrecy…and why pray?..Another fine example of open Govt.Here we are a so called Financial centre of excellence with more accountants per square mile than just about anywhere,and financially we can’t find our own backside with both hands….and fetch in yet another highly paid civil servant….I utterly despair…what a bunch of feckless children.
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EEErrr…come on Mr Ozouf. Exactly who is paying for the mystery man – yes we are, therefore why are we not entitled to know who he is and what he is being paid.
Think twice, employ local!
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When Michael Heseltine wanted to restructure waste in the British Military he brought in an advisor undercover because no one was willing to say my job can go…make me redundant! They made massive savings without major loss of frontline services!!
If PO has this guy doing a similar role for Jersey PLC then about time and well done. An outsider is more likely to focus on top jobs rather than front line and then maybe Unite will get real!
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As the public of the island is paying the salaries of both the scaremongering minister,floundering like a fish out of water,and Mr.X,we have a basic right to know the ID of the “saviour”.How much of OUR money is he being given and how much will he save for us? Mr O owes the people answers..maybe he is too embarassed by the total incompetence of the CoM in failing to address the root causes of our financial problems(years of gross mismanagement,grandiose schemes etc.)to provide us with them.I dare him to prove me wrong!
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We are told that pay rises in the public sector are on hold. If this is the case why do the Government accounts show an increase in wage costs. The higher ranks are on different agreements (bonus culture ?).
On the record are nineteen new employees last year and with the Treasury gentleman and financial services new staff, we are at it again this year.
Then of course Mike Pollards juicy private payoff for what Verita labels as 33 problems some urgent including understaffing( nurses made JEP headlines ). Its a secret says CM but tax rises to pay for this baffoonery won’t be.
Mr Steve Izatt (WEB) given a bonus of £30,000 not related to productivity says CM Terry Le Suer in the states.
On a positive happy note, I really cannot wait for the elections, I am excited. It will be time to bring some of our politicians back to earth. No more free parking, no more nice all expence paid jollys around the world, no more wasting taxpayers money, and no more job.
Davey.
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They seek him here,
They seek him there,
They seek this chap everywhere,
Yes you have guessed it
It is I,
The Scarlet Pimpernel,
Alias Mr O,
I Would love his job,
can’t wait for the elections to come around again.
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So no-one in Jersey has the brains to sort this out.
Gee, got to put this down to non-education of the masses,just when i thought standards had risen.
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we are millions and millions in debt….I know, lets spend over the top in wages to hire someone from outside of the island to do a job which someone else should already be doing!!
That’s it fixed then!
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Does Ozouf think he is running MI5! talk about an inbred culture of secrecy!
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While the talent does exist in the island to undertake the re-structuring required, lets be honest and consider here who would actually want to take on such a poison chalice. A Treasurer on an efficiency drive will be the enemy of States Departments, the Unions, many Senators and Deputies, States employees..etc. etc However I guess the taxpayer will appreciate it. I have to say also I’m sick of importing those ‘experts’ from high tax jurisdictions such as the UK to oversee our affairs. No surprise our taxes have and are planned to significantly increase..
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I wonder if it’s the same kid who offered to bring in a new airline last year
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Peter Cummings (Ex Hbos villain) or Sir Fred Goodwin perhaps!
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“Philip has presided over period of record economic growth, job creation and low inflation for the island.”
Taken from http://www.philipozouf.com/.
How things have changed ay Phil?
Now presiding over a period of low growth, job losses and inflation.
I hope he updates his website in time for the next elections…
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here we go again with so called transparent ministerial goverment. its public money thats paying for this so called uk specialist, doing a job that our current goverment has failed to do through continual incompetance
He is coming over to help shake up so called ocerstaffed and overspent public departments with the comprehense spending review, yet the department he is seconded to is not getting a spending review even though Treasury and resources costs more per year to run that the whole of the home affairs department.
go figure. stinks of double standards.
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Let’s hope it’s Austin Powers, he’d be able to do a better job than the current Dr Evil!
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I’ll sort them out – when people want to buy a useless statue or some engraved paving stones or any other futile waste of money I will ask.. WHY ? followed by ..’No I don’t think so !’
Simples ;o)
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This attitude is scandalous, to dismiss the right of the Jersey populace to know who their tax monies are being spent on in the civil service, is arrogance of the highest order. If this is symptomatic of what Ozouf thinks of the Jersey voter then the sooner he is out of the States and therefore unlikely to be First Minister, the better.
“About to emigrate!”
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Let us hope that Mr.X. can turn water into wine, and he makes a good job of sorting out the mess that others were employed to do and failed to do, now that the pound has taken a battering these last few days he will eventually tell us how much more we will have to pay for the incinerator since none of the existing lot thought to set the payment rate’
Perhaps Senator Ozouf should have employed a Private Investigator.
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#7 Robert, it would be great if this is the guy’s role. But, if it is, then I would think having a newspaper article on it might just be entirely detrimental.
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I though Frank walker brought Bill Ogley in to save us money, well obviously his 150 grand a year salary is not enough, and we lost over 6 million whilst he was in charge over the incinerator affair, well Bill is failing in his job he should be sent packing, and this new person should be sent packing as well.
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22 That would be a first…as you know the main skill of this lot is turning wine into water..nothing to ..piece of P***
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come on jep why don’t you find out who this man is and how much he is being paid be a real paper for a change
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Could it be Alistair Darling on the run from Gordon Brown’s bullying?
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Senator Ozouf should resign with immediate effect. He has now proved he is not fit to serve in the CoM and has no idea how to run this Island. He has followed blindly the polices put in place by his predecessor Senator Walker which have now been proved to have failed beyond any doubt.
What message does it send out to our finance industry hiring another have a go accountant from outside the Island to sort out the mess that the “Go for Growth” policies have caused for Jersey.
People of Jersey WAKE UP and get this people out of office NOW.
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It could be a top Treasury bean counter sent in from London.
He is here to sort the mess before the island turns in to an embarrassing basket case.
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What kind of message does this display to the Global Financial Markets? Jersey purports to be a big player amongst the best in the world. However it would appear the CoM are unable to balance the books on a nine by five rock with only 100 000 people clinging to it.
Doesn’t look very good to a prospective company thinking of opening an office here.
The trouble is news of this ‘troubleshooter’ will be discussed, and Jersey will become a laughing stock in boardrooms around the world.
Where will it all end? The Island on a Channel 4 fly-on-the-wall documentary being told how to survive?
What an unmitigated embarrassing mess.
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There are many reasons why the public should know whose salary we are paying.
Not least so that transparency prevails and that the public can be assured that there is no conflict of interest or nepotism.
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They are probably playing for time to get some strategies into place to counter the flak when Stuart S. reveals that it is somebody’s old mate.
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#22 – Any increase in Energy from Waste Plant spend now won’t be the cause of GBP falling aqainst the EUR. The Public Accounts Committee insisted on a stop loss being placed which was just before the GBP fell Q3/04 2009. Luckily this was put in place shortly before the stop loss was hit. However we may see other reasons for overspend given, design changes or enrironmental issues ?
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Say bye the island is probably going to be stealth liquidated. You trust your politicians too much as do the British public.
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Luckily for those in charge there are plenty of gullible voters out there who will still re-elect these types IMHO, so it’s a case of carry on to the bitter end as far as I am concerned.
When Ozouf gets the top job I expect things to get even worse than now. GST up etc, etc. As far as I am concerned things are going downhill and they’re going fast!
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No 22 I could not agree with you more re Mr.Ogley.What happened to the Simple,Cheaper,Better slogan.!! He has brought in more UK expertise than ever ,including his friends Mr.Pollard and the MOH from neighbouring UK councils.Yet the standard of island services is falling and the level of secrecy and corruption rising.It is a total utter mess.
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