Minutes

Minutes of the meeting of the Corporate Governance Committee of the Metropolitan Police Authority held on 14 September 2007 at 10 Dean Farrar Street, Westminster, London SW1H 0NY.

Present

Members

• Toby Harris (Chair)
• Joanne McCartney
• Karim Murji

MPA officers

• Catherine Crawford (Chief Executive)
• Ken Hunt (Treasurer)
• Alan Johnson (Policy Officer, Human Resources)
• David Riddle (Deputy Chief Executive)
• Peter Tickner (Director, Internal Audit)
• Ruth Hastings Iqball (Committee Section)

MPS officers

• Nick Chown, (Director, Risk Management)
• Anne Gardner (Deputy Head, Safety and Health Risk Management)
• Nick Kettle (Head, Safety and Health Risk Management)
• Paul Madge (Director HR People Development and Services)
• Anne McMeel (Director of Strategic Finance)
• Stephen Rimmer (Director, Strategy, Modernisation and Performance)
• Phil Smith (Director, Resilience Compliance and Operational Support, Property Services Department)

Co-opted member

• Linda Duncan (Head of Governance Services, Hyman Capital Services Limited)

Also in attendance: Tom Edgell (Audit Manager, Audit Commission) and Martin Searle (Audit Manager, Audit Commission)

1. Apologies for absence

(Agenda item 1)

Apologies for absence were received from Jennette Arnold, Faith Boardman and Rachel Whittaker (members), Richard Stephenson (Director, Group Health, Safety and Environment, Transport for London) (co-opted member) and Mike Howorth-Maden (District Auditor, Audit Commission).

2. Declarations of interests

(Agenda item 2)

No declarations of interest were received.

3. Minutes and notes of the Corporate Governance Committee (Part 1) – 15 June 2007

(Agenda item 3)

The minutes and notes of the previous meeting were considered.

Resolved – That the minutes and notes of the inquorate meeting of the Corporate Governance Committee (Part 1) held on 22 March 2007 be agreed and the recommendations made in the inquorate part of the meeting ratified.

4. Update on MPS Health and Safety Performance

(Agenda item 4)

The Committee received a summary analysis of MetAir accident data comparing the period August 2005 to July 2006 against August 2006 to July 2007. The report also covered the outcome of legal proceedings, preparations for the Notting Hill Carnival and other issues. It was noted that the report now contained information relating to gender.

Members were informed that there had been an increase in assaults against PCSOs in the last two months. The matter had been raised with the PCSO Programme Board and PCSO trainers. Drink was the most frequent contributory factor to an assault followed by drugs. Data indicated that 88% of assaults resulting in injury were officers being struck, punch, held or kicked. Knife and gun related crime accounted for 1%.

The Head of Safety and Health Risk Management, informed members that 26 officers were surveyed with noise dosimeters patrolling at the Notting Hill Carnival. All officers on duty were provided with a noise information leaflet and the officer in charge (Gold) had stipulated that all officers/staff must wear their hearing protection whenever noise was sufficiently loud to interfere with ordinary conversation with someone no further than 1 metre away. Members asked about the legal action taken by officers who alleged hearing damage due to patrolling at the Carnival in previous years. The response was deferred to part 2 of the meeting.

The Chair noted that the number of major injuries had risen over a two-year period. The Head, Safety and Health Risk Management, stated that the increase in major accidents was also noted in analysis of assault data and that there was at this stage no other obvious casual factor for this trend, however, the data would be closely monitored. As the data set was relatively small identifying significant trends did present a challenge, however, the Committee was assured that all major accidents were followed up with the relevant OCU. The Chair requested an appendix to future reports providing a short summary of major injuries. As this information was already provided to the MPS Management Board, he was assured it could be easily provided.

Members were asked if a report would submitted to the MPA in relation to the health and safety proceedings being taken following the shooting at Stockwell. They were informed by the Chair that a review would be brought to the full Authority in the new year. Members also asked how the cost of injuries to the MPS were monitored. The Chair informed the Committee that the HR Oversight Group monitored this.

The Chair noted that the financial implications contained in the report were an expression of the Safety and Health Risk Management Team’s request for better IT. He also noted the number of bite injures reported and was informed that there was a protocol to be followed following such an injury, which was also the subject of a health campaign.

Resolved - That

1. the contents of the report be noted; and
2. future reports contain an appendix providing a short summary of each major injury.

5. MPA responsibility for H&S at work – strategic oversight mechanisms. Letter of Assurance from Commissioner (oral report)

(Agenda item 5)

The Deputy Chief Executive reminded members that the Committee had proposed annual letters of assurance as an approach for ensuring that the Commissioner and Senior Management Team demonstrated their performance in regard to responsibility for health and safety in the MPS. The approach was now embedded in the MPS HASW Policy statement although that had yet to be formally signed off pending an equality impact assessment. The first letter of assurance from the Commissioner would be presented to the Committee in March 2007, but this would be preceded by a report to the Committee in December outlining the scope of the assurance letter.

Resolved – That the oral update be received.

6. Audit Commission annual governance report - MPA audit 2006/07

(Agenda item 6)

This report brought to the attention of the Committee the Audit Commission’s Annual Governance report on the MPA audit 2006/07. Both the Treasurer and the Audit Manager, Audit Commission, introduced the report. The latter informed members that the report and action plan had been discussed in detail with the MPS and MPA and highlighted aspects of the audit.

The Director, Strategic Finance, stated that the MPS was travelling in the right direction, adding that four of the six recommendations had been implemented and two were ongoing. Concerning the comments on bank reconciliation and the payroll, the MPS had been aware of the problems and actively tried to mitigate them. The co-opted member asked why bank reconciliation had remained a problem. The Audit Manager stated that audits were retrospective and the Audit Commission had not been in a position to see if the mitigation action had been fully carried out. The Audit Commission’s view therefore remained that the matter was serious enough to warrant a qualification of the value for money conclusion.

The Director, Strategy, Modernisation and Performance, stated that there remained complexity about how the Audit Commission and HMIC’s assessments interacted. The Chair commented that it was important for the MPS’s management Board to recognise the importance of all audits.

The Committee discussed the signing off of audits, as that for 2005/06 had been delayed because of issues over the Safer Neighbourhood procurement. The Director, Strategic Finance, was confident this would not happen again.

Members requested sight of the full action plan and the MPS’s response and it was agreed that this should be forwarded to them. The Chair requested a report on funding for covert policing be received at the next meeting.

Resolved – That

1. the Audit Commission’s annual governance report be noted;
2. members be forwarded the full action plan and MPS’s response; and
3. a report on funding for covert policing be received at the next meeting.

7. Statement of internal control – quarterly update

(Agenda item 7)

This report provided an update on progress in addressing the significant internal control issues included in the statement of accounts for 2006/07. The Chair was concerned that there was insufficient improvement. Members felt there report contained insufficient detail. The Director, Strategic Finance outlined some of the work that was happening in the MPS in regard to internal control. Action plans were being amalgamated, the scheme of delegation would be signed off this month, to be followed by training and the issuing of manuals and issues around procurement were being resolved with a report being made to MPS Management Board this month. The Director, Strategy, Modernisation and Performance, added that MPS was piloting the new baseline assessment in advance of the publication of the HMIC’s report ‘The Review of Policing’.

It was agreed that the next report should be more detailed, or be accompanied by a supplementary report.

Resolved – That

1. the progress in addressing the significant internal control issues included in the 2006/07 Statement of Internal Control for the MPA be noted; and
2. the next report should be more detailed or accompanied by a supplementary report.

8. Internal audit progress report

(Agenda item 8)

The Director, Internal Audit, introduced a report summarising the work of Internal Audit from April to September 2007. It also summarised the results of significant Internal Audit work to date and the adequacy and effectiveness of control in MPS systems where Internal Audit has issued final reports since April 2007. The Director, Internal Audit, stated that his assessment of internal control had marginally improved from 2.9 to 2.8, adding that he was working with the Director, Strategic Finance, to improve this score further. He mentioned the workload caused by the national fraud initiative. The Audit Manager undertook to discuss this further with him outside the meeting. The co-opted member commented on the interrelationship of Internal Audit and the SIC, and was informed that some audits covered areas referred to in the SIC. She also asked when the result of the system audit would be received. She was informed it was reviewed every year and a report would be finalised in December.

Resolved – That

1. the progress made in achieving the 2007/08 Internal Audit Plan be noted; and
2. the current Internal Audit evaluation of the adequacy and effectiveness of internal control in the MPS be noted.

9. Business risk management team update

(Agenda item 9)

A report was received on the on progress made by the MPS in the areas of corporate governance, business risk management and insurance management. Members asked about the ”set of ‘top X’ (currently 11) corporate business risks“ referred to in the report. They were informed that the MPS Management Board were sensitive about these being made public however they could be shared on a generic basis with the committee. It was agreed that members should be provided with a short briefing. The Chief Executive requested that she be present. The Director, Strategy, Modernisation and Performance, added that the Chief Executive represented the MPA on the monthly MPS’s Risk Management Group, which he chaired.

Resolved – That

1. progress to end July 2007 on corporate governance, business risk management, and insurance management be noted;
2. progress as captured by the Audit Commission / ALARM risk management Key Performance Indicator be noted; and
3. a briefing be held for Committee members, attended by the Chief Executive, on the “set of ‘top X’ ….corporate business risks“.

10. Corporate Governance Committee work programme

(Agenda item 10)

Members received a report outlining a workplan by which the Committee would fulfil its role as agreed in its terms of reference.

Resolved – That the proposed work programme be agreed.

11. Exclusion of Press and Public

(Agenda item 11)

Resolved – That the press and public be asked to leave the meeting during discussion of the remaining item of business because exempt information as defined in of Part 1 Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972 (as amended) was likely to be made known.

12. Minutes and notes of the Corporate Governance Committee (Part 2) – 15 June 2007

(Agenda item 12)

Members were informed that a number of claims had been made in relation to alleged hearing loss caused by exposure to noise at the Notting Hill Carnival. The claims were being managed by Accident Claims Branch. The Head, Safety and Health Risk Management, gave a brief summary of the work his Team was undertaking in relation to noise related issues; he also stated that this work was starting to put a resource strain on an element of his team.

Resolved – That the minutes and notes of the inquorate meeting of the Corporate Governance Committee (Part 2) held on 22 March 2007 be agreed and the recommendations made in the inquorate part of the meeting ratified.

13. High-risk audit recommendations

(Agenda item 13)

This report confirmed the status of outstanding high-risk accepted recommendations made by MPA Internal Audit as at the end of August 2007, and provided detail of ongoing work to enhance the process by which the MPS respond to audit recommendations. The Chair noted that several of the recommendations were due to be completed in September. He was informed that meeting would be held to consider these risks on the following Monday.

Resolved – the status of all outstanding high-risk recommendations made in relation to MPS control systems by MPA Internal Audit was noted.

14. Sports Clubs – Oral update by Deputy Chief Executive

(Agenda item 14)

Since the agenda was prepared, a report had been received and circulated updating the MPA on the progress the sport clubs had made since receiving the recommendations contained within the Turner and Townsend Health and Safety Audit. The Director, Resilience Compliance and Operational Support, reported that progress continued to made, however governance of the sports clubs remained an issue. Members were informed that a meeting would be held in the coming two weeks attended by the Deputy Chief Executive, Director, Strategic Finance, and AC Yates as President of MPAA to progress matters. The Chair requested an urgent resolution of the matter be sought and that a progress report be received at the next meeting.

Resolved - That

1. the contents of the report be noted;
2. urgent resolution of the governance issues associated with the Health & Safety management of the Sports Clubs be sought; and
3. a progress report be received at the next committee

The meeting ended at 12.00 noon

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