Members Present:
Dorinnia Carville, Chair (C&AG)
Patrick Barr (Director)
Colette Kane (Director)
Brian O’Neill (Director)
Seamus Wade (Director)
Tomas Wilkinson (Director)
In Attendance:
Julie Brown (Head of People and OD) Agenda item 1.1
Louise Donnelly (Secretary)
Apologies:
Rodney Allen (COO)
Suzanne Walsh (Director)
Apologies
Apologies were recorded from Suzanne Walsh and Rodney Allen.
Declaration of Conflicts of Interest
There were no issues declared by members.
Minutes of previous meeting
Minutes of the previous meeting held on 19 September 2023 were agreed and the matters arising noted as updated.
1. People and OD
1.1 People and OD Monthly Report
Julie Brown provided an update on the following:
• Sickness Absence Statistics - Members noted the absence figures per employee in the rolling period 1 October 2022 to 30 September 2023.
• Recruitment - Members were updated on the current Auditor and IT Auditor recruitment campaigns.
• Learning and Development
- The Health Champions are to complete Mental Health First Aid training during November/December 2023.
- Applications for the Aspiring Leaders programme closed on 6 October 2023 with a high number of applications received.
• Employee Engagement and Wellbeing
- The Wellbeing strategy will be launched at the Macmillan coffee morning on 24 October 2023.
- On-site flu vaccination clinics, offered to all staff, will take place on 23 and 24 October 2023.
2. Strategic Projects
2.1 Accommodation Project
Brian O’Neill provided an update on the ongoing work to resolve the issues surrounding the heating/cooling system and on recent developments concerning the sourcing of tenants for the vacant office space.
3. Strategic Performance
3.1 Management Information Report
Brian O’Neill presented the interactive performance report detailing key performance outturns for the public reporting and financial audit programmes to date. Members were reminded of the need to review the report when issued to them for consideration a week before the SLT meeting to help ensure that up to date information in this report is presented to SLT. Brian requested that Members remind all staff of the need to regularly update the Custom Fields section in the Administration Tab on Time and Space for all jobs so that relevant and up to date information is recorded.
3.2 Position re Backlog Accounts
Members provided the C&AG with an update on the current position concerning backlog accounts.
3.3 Audit Costs
The report presented by Brian O’Neill, produced from Time & Space, provides a breakdown of the costs associated with the 2022-23 financial audits, split between Resource Accounts, NDPBs, FECs, Councils and North/South bodies. Members discussed the content of the report and agreed that an email should be issued to remind all staff of the need to close the Time code on Time and Space when audits are fully complete.
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3.4 Public Reporting Monitoring Report
Members discussed and noted the current position.
4. Financial Management
4.1 Corporate Services Report
Brian O’Neill provided an update on the following:
• Finance - members were provided with an update on the current budgetary position. A separate detailed briefing will be provided to SLT in the coming weeks.
5. Corporate Governance
5.1 Business Support Services Report
Brian O’Neill presented a report to update members on Complaints, Procurement, Legal Advice, Information Management, Governance and Assembly Liaison.
6. Communications and Engagement
6.1 Communications and Engagement Report
Members noted the content of the report presented. Members also noted that the agenda relating to the Insights Exchange Programme with Dame Margaret Hodge (the former Chair to the Westminster Public Accounts Committee) who is speaking to staff on 25 October 2023, had been circulated to SLT for consideration.
7. Risk Management
7.1 Corporate Risk Register
The Corporate Risk Register was presented by Colette Kane, members were advised the Register had been presented and reviewed by the Audit and Risk Assurance Committee (ARAC) at their meeting held on 25 September 2023. The C&AG advised that the Risk Register would be on the agenda for the SLT away day scheduled for 17 November 2O23.
8. Audit Technical
8.1 Technical Report
Members noted the report presented. The C&AG advised she would liaise with the Technical Team to finalise a date for the ISQM Quality Manual.
9. Papers noted:
9.1 Draft ARAC Minutes of meeting – 25 September 2023.
10. Matters for Escalation to Advisory Board, ARAC, RemCom
No matters were presented.
11. AOB
Brian O’Neill advised that a test of the Business Continuity Plan would be conducted to ensure that all systems and procedures in place were adequate to deal with any emergency that might arise.
12. Date of next meeting – 20 November @ 10 am