A MEMBER of the Health and Social Services Department was on BBC radio at the weekend speaking about its latest round of budget overruns – but he wasn’t there to apologise to taxpayers. Instead, he said that the problem was simply that the States of Guernsey was not taking enough money off islanders: the tax structure was wrong.

It was an extraordinarily naive comment. What that politician was saying is although islanders can have no confidence in the ability of departments to live within their means or, according to the fundamental spending reviews, even provide value for money, taxpayers should pump in more cash for as long and in such amounts as deputies demand.

The remarks were beyond foolish, yet in the undisciplined world of Guernsey politics, as demonstrated by the 10% increase in States expenditure and the additional 171 staff taken on last year at a time of alleged restraint, such comments are regarded as acceptable by many of his Assembly colleagues.

There is an argument for saying that there needs to be a debate about how much islanders are prepared to pay for health care but that has to be an informed one and it is clear that HSSD board members are not in control of their department finances.

Until they are, no discussion can start and no decisions can be taken about how to slice the tax ‘cake’ or whether that cake should be made bigger.

Perhaps a bigger concern is why Health is haemorrhaging public cash.

Much is wasted on agency and locum staff because HSSD won’t pay individuals enough to attract them in the first place because the negotiating body, the discredited Public Sector Remuneration Committee, won’t let them.

Housing will not release licences that are sufficiently attractive for permanent staff so pricey locums are engaged.

Back in 2004, islanders were promised that machinery of government reforms would provide joined-up government.

It was a claim as trustworthy as this Assembly saying it would keep expenditure at or below RPI.

Guernsey is now paying the price of a government out of control.