Not all licences cost £74K – Health says

Friday 30th January 2009, 2:29PM GMT.

BRINGING in a health professional on a five-year licence can cost four times as much as a teacher or lecturer.

But the £74,000 quoted in this week’s States sitting would be the exception rather than the norm, a Health and Social Services spokesman said yesterday.

Deputy Mike Hadley (pictured), whose resignation from the HSSD board is due to be debated by the Assembly today, quoted the figure in a question to Education minister Carol Steere.

He wanted to know why bringing in teachers and lecturers came with a bill of only up to £18,000.

‘HSSD’s costs are what have been negotiated for civil servants by the Policy Council and Public Sector Remuneration Committee and which have been updated annually,’ said an HSSD spokesman yesterday.

He understood that Education’s expenses had been negotiated with teaching unions about 10 years ago and had not been updated.

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View more: Education news, Mike Hadley news.

1
Stephen John

January 30, 2009 at 4:48 pm

“He understood that Education’s expenses had been negotiated with teaching unions about 10 years ago and had not been updated”

I feel they soon will be!!!!!

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2
HHmmmm

January 30, 2009 at 5:19 pm

It is very frustrating when politicians and the media pick out only snippets of statistics and then warp them to create a blinkered arguement.

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3
Captain Concerned

January 30, 2009 at 7:33 pm

Hhmmmm I agree, I’m concerned about that too. In fact a study in 2008 found that 76% of media headlines were misleading, 73% of quotes were taken out of context and a whopping 98% of newspapers were read by people that have very little understanding of the way Gaussian probability is presented to them.

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4
Merlin

January 31, 2009 at 10:30 am

Unless and until all departments are open and transparent with the true costs of extra benefits for licence holders no one will ever know what is going on. Are these comparisons on a like for like basis? Does Education really only pay £18,000 relocation or do they pay extra for housing allowance – health apparently do, the civil service do, so I cannot believe Education don’t.

Health may be telling the truth – but the statistics are skewed because the majority of their staff here on licence are nurses living in accommodation provided by health at generously subsidised rates. The rate Deputy Hadley is discussing may well be true for staff living outside of this accommodation and having to find local market accommodation i.e. married couples with children etc who do get a very generous relocation allowance which includes housing allowance to go toward rent or mortgage. When their licence is up they leave with a healthy profit on property they have purchased. I know this is true as i have friends who have benefited from this.

Discussing this last night with friends of mine who work in all sectors including the private sector was interesting. They were astounded at the difference in rates payable (if true) and perhaps now is the time for politicians to look at the facts. Is this creative accounting or is it indeed true.

Why are public sector departments so different ….. why on earth are not all public sector workers given the same allowances? Much simpler, fairer and uncomplicated – and less work for the people who negotiate annual salaries.

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5
Wil

February 4, 2009 at 10:46 pm

Merlin, the article states the 74,000 pounds is to bring in someone on a license. It is not a payment to the individual at all! !!!! It is not a “relocation allowance”!! -I think that you are TOTALLY off the mark with this comment but please forgive me if my interpretation is incorrect.

If someone has a license they are not given a housing allowance (except in the case where they cannot get a license and must live in open market accomodation for a while), i also know many license holders and none have even heard of a housing allowance. Any relocation allowance is supposed to be for airfare to Guernsey and for a few basic living requirements (like a trip to Alladins cave for general household goods). Most people would not have any relocation alloawance left over for rent or mortgage unless they lived nearby and had cheap airfare and extremely cheap shipping fees. If they can afford to purchase property then they will only make a profit if the market has gone up in the meantime just like anyone else.

The article calls for a standardisation of the cost of licenses across industries. I vote in favour of a transparent and fair license system.

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6
Merlin

February 5, 2009 at 10:06 am

Wil,

I think you have misunderstood me. My friends who worked for health were given relocation allowance to travel to the island and also bring their furniture over. They were also paid to visit (hotels and airfare) to find a house prior to their job commencing. On top of that (and extra to their salary) they were given about £2000 a month housing allowance for the first 3 years. I cannot check the exact amounts at the moment as i will have to talk to them to check the details as they live in the Uk now, as they had to leave when their licence ran out. I do know that they didn’t want to leave but had no choice after 5 year – but they did make a huge profit on the house they bought as the cost of housing in Guernsey rocketed. They did say they would have loved to stay and would have happily given up their housing allowance if they could have swapped it for a lifetime licence but that is not allowed. They were both nurses and their replacements would have been entitled to the same allowances. I do know that most people leave when their housing allowance runs out and do not stay for the full 5 years.

Perhaps that is just an allowance that health give??? Perhaps this is something the politicians should be looking at? When i have spoken to my friends i will come back and confirm the details.

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