Correspondence

Letter from the Permanent Secretary to the Home Secretary: Jewish Community Protective Security Grant (accessible)

Published 29 February 2024

This was published under the 2022 to 2024 Sunak Conservative government

Sir Matthew Rycroft KCMG CBE
Permanent Secretary
2 Marsham Street
London SW1P 4DF

By email

28 February 2024

Dear Home Secretary,

Jewish Community Protective Security Grant

I am writing to summarise my assessment of the Jewish Community Protective Security Grant (JCPSG), as the responsible Accounting Officer.

The JCPSG plays a vital role in the protection of the Jewish community from antisemitic attacks. The continuation of the grant will provide a long-term commitment to the Jewish community at a time of unprecedented need.

My role as Permanent Secretary is to ensure the Home Office delivers your priorities. It is also my personal responsibility, as Accounting Officer, to ensure the use of the Department’s resources is appropriate and consistent with the requirements set out in Managing Public Money (MPM). In particular, all new policies must meet the four Accounting Officer tests of regularity, propriety, feasibility and value for money.

I need to be confident that a three-year direct award of the JCPSG to the Community Security Trust (CST) meets these tests. Having received advice from legal, commercial and policy experts, I am content that it is feasible and regular, but it does not meet the propriety or value for money tests.

Propriety, in this context, means consideration of whether expenditure is made in line with the expectations of Parliament, including in line with published government policy. You and I agreed a further one year extension of a direct award on the condition that after this we run a competition in order to abide by Minimum Requirement Five in the Government Functional Standard for Grants.

Regarding value for money, the Grant Standard is clear that government grants should be subject to competition by default. It is well established that competition unlocks savings and improves performance by encouraging applicants to compete against each other for the available funding.

To meet the propriety and value for money tests, and to avoid the need for a Ministerial direction, I proposed that we could commit to JCPSG funding for four years but limit the direct award to CST to one further year and agree to use that period to run a competition for subsequent years. This approach would have both provided reassurance to the Jewish community and ensured that we meet the standards set out in MPM. You decided against this approach.

I therefore require your written instruction to proceed with a three-year extension of the JCPSG to the CST. I accept that it is entirely appropriate for you to seek to provide additional assurance to the Jewish community at this time, but this particular route requires a Ministerial Direction. Naturally, I would ensure that the Department followed and implemented any Direction, including prioritising funding in future years for the JCPSG and proportionate funding for the security of Muslim faith sites.

Should you issue a Direction, I am required to copy all relevant papers to the Comptroller and Auditor General, the Public Accounts Committee, the Home Affairs Select Committee and the Treasury Officer of Accounts. I anticipate publishing our exchange of Direction letters as early as practicable.

Yours sincerely,

Sir Matthew Rycroft KCMG CBE
Permanent Secretary