Minutes of Advisory Board Meeting Monday 8 June 2023

Members Present:

  • Martin Pitt, Chair

  • Fergus Devitt

  • Marie Mallon

  • Chantelle Reynolds (Boardroom Apprentice)

  • John Turkington

  • Dorinnia Carville, Comptroller and Auditor General

  • Rodney Allen, Chief Operating Officer

 

In Attendance:

  • Julie Brown, Head of People and OD
  • Louise Donnelly, Board Secretary
  • Anu Kane, Audit Manager
  • Brian O’Neill, Director

 

 

The Chair welcomed members to the meeting noting this was the first Board meeting for Fergus Devitt since being appointed as a Non-Executive Director and the final meeting for Chantelle Reynolds as a Boardroom Apprentice. 

 

Members were advised that a former NIAO colleague, John Heron had sadly passed away after a short illness and members expressed their sincere condolences to his family.  Rodney Allen would be attending the funeral later that morning.

 

 

Apologies

No apologies were recorded.

 

 

Declaration of Conflicts of Interest

There were no issues declared by members.

 

 

Minutes of previous meeting

The Chair noted the minutes of the meeting held on 6 February 2023 were agreed by all parties concerned.  The Matters Arising from the meeting were also noted as having been actioned.

 

 

 

  1. Committee Updates

 

Report from meeting of Audit and Risk Assurance Committee (ARAC)

John Turkington provided an update from the ARAC meeting held on 10 May 2023 noting specifically the following:

 

  • Risk Management – The Corporate Risk Register was presented. Members took assurance from the monitoring and controls in place relating to the resourcing, the completion of audits and the extensive ongoing work to develop a new Public Reporting Programme.
  • Internal Audit – Members noted the reports presented and the satisfactory assessments received.
  • External Audit – Members welcomed the update provided noting that the Report to those charged with Governance will be presented at the June meeting.

 

Report from the meeting of Remuneration Committee

Marie Mallon provided an update from the Remuneration Committee meeting held on 6 February 2023 noting specifically the following:

 

  • 2023 Pay and TUS negotiations – members were advised that discussions have commenced with TUS regarding a 2023 pay award.  A meeting of the Remuneration Committee has been scheduled to take place after the ARAC meeting on 26 June 2023 to discuss developments.

 

 

  1. Corporate Report

 

Brian O’Neill presented the report to update members on Finance and IT; People and Organisational Development; Business Support and Audit Quality.  Discussion followed on various items and focussed on the budget proposed for NIAO for 2023-24 by the Secretary of State and ongoing correspondence with the Secretary of State on this matter. The Chair requested that a report be provided to inform the Board of the anticipated implications of the proposed budget allocation.

 

 

 

  1. Employee Opinion Survey – Action Plan

 

At the Advisory Board meeting held in February the Chair requested that a copy of the action plan arising from the recent staff Workshops be presented to the Board for information.  The report provided members with an update on progress concerning the matters identified from the workshops attended by staff.  Members were also provided with the infographic summarising the results of the survey.  Members sought assurance on the way forward and discussed the development of a wellbeing strategy and a new people strategy.

 

 

 

  1. ARAC Annual Report to the Advisory Board


    Members noted and endorsed the Report presented.

 

 

 

  1. Review of Terms of Reference (ToR)

 

  1.  
    1. Advisory Board

         Members reviewed the ToR presented, and confirmed they were content.

        

5.2    ARAC ToR Approval

         The ARAC ToR was reviewed at their meeting on 10 May 2023 and now forwarded to Advisory Board for approval.   Members approved the ToR presented.

 

 

 

6.      AOB
 

  1.  
    1. The Chair recommended that an additional meeting be held before the scheduled October meeting to consider the implications surrounding the current budgetary position, a date will be confirmed.
       
    2. Chantelle Reynolds expressed her thanks to the Board for the excellent learning opportunity provided to her through the Boardroom Apprentice scheme and thanked the Chair and members for their support.  The Chair thanked Chantelle for her input and members wished her well.

       

7.    Date of Next meeting

 

To be arranged followed by 11 October 2023 @ 10am