Minutes

Minutes of the meeting of the Human Resources Committee held on 4 March 2004 at 10 Dean Farrar Street, SW1H 0NY.

Present

Members

• Rachel Whittaker (Chair)
• Diana Johnson (Deputy Chair)
• Anthony Arbour
• Jennette Arnold
• Cindy Butts
• Kirsten Hearn
• Cecile Wright

MPA Officers

• Catherine Crawford (Clerk)
• Ken Hunt (Deputy Treasurer)
• Alan Johnson (Head of Human Resources and Professional Standards)
• Ruth Hastings Iqball (Committee Section)

MPS Officers

• Andrew Dolden (Head of Personnel Security Group)
• Gordon Davison, (Director, People Development)
• Steve Grainger, (Director, Training and Development)
• Chris Haselden (Head of HR Strategic Management)
• Bernard Hogan-Howe (Assistant Commissioner, HR)
• Simon Marshall (Director, HR Recruitment)
• Gary Pugh (Director, Forensic Services)
• Mike Shurety (Director, Pay and Benefits)
• Martin Tiplady (Director of HR)
• Craig Watkins (Head of Business Support, Finance Directorate)

Part 1

52. Apologies for absence

(Agenda item 1)

Apologies for absence were received from Nicholas Long (member), Shabir Hussain (Director, Training and Development) and Denise Milani (Director, Development and Organisational Improvement Team).

53. Declarations of interests

(Agenda item 2)

No declarations of interest were received.

54. Minutes of the Human Resources Committee – 8 January 2004

(Agenda item 3)

The Committee considered the minutes of the meeting held on 8 January 2004.

Resolved - That the minutes of the meeting held on 8 January 2004 be confirmed and signed as a correct record

55. Minutes of the Police Pensions Forfeiture Sub-committee – 5 January 2004

(Agenda item 4)

The Committee noted the minutes of the meeting held on 5 January 2004.

Resolved - That the minutes of the meeting held on 5 January 2004 be noted.

56. Minutes of the Remuneration Sub-committee – 5 February 2004

(Agenda item 5)

The Committee noted the minutes of the meeting held on 5 February 2004.

Resolved - That the minutes of the meeting held on 5 February 2004 be noted.

57. Chair’s, Members’, Clerk’s and Assistant Commissioner Human Resources update (oral report)

(Agenda item 6)

The Chair informed members that she had spoken at a conference on civilianisation and the police family, and had participated in meetings concerning Police Negotiating Board issues.

The Assistant Commissioner Human Resources gave each member copies of ‘Benefits of Belonging’, guides for police officers and police staff to the benefits of working for the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS). These would be distributed to all MPS employees. On the 24 February, he had become chair of the ACPO Personnel Management Committee. The MPS was celebrating the having 30,000 police officers, and members had been invited to a reception to mark the event. The Commissioner had launched the Healthy Eating Campaign on 16 January 2004. The campaign had proved to be very popular and in the first three weeks 1800 MPS employees had had their body fat percentage measured and been screened for a cholesterol and haemoglobin count. He also informed members of action taken following a recent fire evacuation at New Scotland Yard.

Resolved - That the Chair’s, Members’ and Assistant Commissioner HR’s oral updates be received.

58. Human Resources business and performance plan, 2004/05

(Agenda item 7)

A report was received which built upon the report to the January meeting of Human Resources (HR) Committee. It set out the objectives and supporting activities emerging as part of the HR Business and Performance Plan for 2004/05, together with draft measures and targets.

Members expressed concern about the targets set for PCSO sickness. They were informed that their sickness absence rate was in line with those of police staff in general, despite their working outside. Concern was expressed that there was no reference to training officers and police staff in the Disability and Discrimination Act. It was agreed that members should receive a report at the next committee meeting. It was also noted that the objectives, as currently drafted, did not highlight training aspects such as management development training. Members requested that this be given a greater emphasis in the HR Business and Performance Plan 2004/05. It was suggested that the recruitment of Londoner’s and graduate officers and police staff could be sub objectives.

Resolved - That

1. members’ views and feedback on the emerging HR Business Plan for 2004/05 be noted;
2. the existing informal liaison between the MPS and the MPA continue to inform the development of the HR Business and Performance Plan;
3. the lower-level planning arrangements in place in the five directorates within HR be noted;
4. the performance management arrangements in place within the HR Directorate be noted; ; and
5. that a further report be brought to the 6 May meeting of Human Resources Committee containing
   • the final draft of the HR Business and Performance Plan 2004/05; and
   • the Association of Police Authorities’ Framework for Costed HR Plans, completed as far as is possible at that time; and
   • indicative timescales for progressing each of the supporting activities.

59. Recuperative and restricted duties policies

(Agenda item 8)

Following a request by members, the committee received a report informing them of the MPS’s recuperative and restricted duties policies. These had recently been revised with the aim of improving the management and control of recuperative duties and increasing the opportunities for police officers suffering from a long-term illness or disability to remain in the service by finding jobs that utilised their police skills and experience.

Members felt the report needed to be put in the context of the MPS’s occupational health service and appropriate budgetary provision made. They were assured that the MPS’s occupational health budget was larger than that of most organisations of a comparable size. In answer to questions, members were informed of the appeals procedures attached to the policy. The Assistant Commissioner HR again highlighted the tensions arising from posting police officers and police staff side by side in similar roles on different salaries.

It was requested that a recent paper on the Disability and Description Act written by Linda Van Den Hende, to the MPS Diversity Board, be circulated to members.

Resolved - That the revised policies be noted.

60. Consultation on a new Police Pension Scheme

(Agenda item 9)

Members received a report informing them that the Home Office had published a consultation paper on its review of the police pensions scheme. The consultation document includes proposals for the introduction of a new final salary pension scheme for new entrants by April 2006 and reform of the current system of financing police pensions.

The members felt that the Home Office had missed an opportunity to fundamentally change the police officer’s pension scheme. Recommendations were made on the report follows:
Issue 1, effect of changes in minimum pension age in 2005 – This was agreed.
Issues 2, 3 and 4, money purchase or defined benefits scheme – It was felt more work should be done on the money purchase option.

Issues 5, 7 and 15, length of accrual period – This was welcomed, but members would like to see consideration of a 40 year scheme.

Issue 6, management of a police career - This was welcomed by members.

Issue 8, fixed or variable lump sum – It was felt this should be actuarially assessed.

Issue 9, one or two-tier ill-health benefits – This was welcomed.

Issue 10, scale of ill-health enhancements – It was felt this was the correct approach.

Issue 11, survivor benefits for unmarried partners – It was noted that same sex partnerships were recognised. It was felt consideration should be given to single officers having some options in respect of their benefits as an alternative to a survivor’s pension.

Issue 12, death in service benefits – This was agreed.

Issue 13, injury benefits – This was agreed.

Issue 14, costs – These were dealt with by the Finance Committee.

Resolved - That members agree or amend the main points for inclusion in the MPA’s response, as noted above.

61. Human Resources implications for the MPS of the introduction of the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC)

(Agenda item 10)

Members received a report outlining the implications for the MPS of the introduction of the IPCC, which would replace the Police Complaints Authority on 1 April 2004.

Resolved - That members note this report.

62. Recruitment and retention – April 2003 to January 2004

(Agenda item 11)

A report was received summarising the activities undertaken by the Recruitment and People Development Directorates within the reporting period. It included information about the number of Police Community Support Officers who had become police officers, which had been requested at a previous HR Committee.

Members were informed that approximately 1400 new officers would join the MPS next year, a number of which had been recruited when dealing with the backlog of applications. Questions were asked about progression of visible ethnic minority (VEM) and female progression in specialist branches. The Clerk offered to circulate again to members the report ‘Gender and minority ethnic strength and progression’ which had been received by MPS’s Equal Opportunity and Diversity Board.

At the request of the HR Committee a briefing paper had been forwarded to all members on the ‘0-5 Support and Development Programme’. Members of the HR Committee had been provided with copies of the evaluation of the programme written by the MPS’s Internal Consultancy Group. Arising from this document, members requested a report to the next committee on the cost and effectiveness of the programme.

Resolved – That

1. the report be noted; and
2. a report be received on the cost and effectiveness of the ‘0-5 Support and Development Programme’.

63. Skill shortages in Forensic Services

(Agenda item 12)

(This report was received after agenda item 6.) A report to the Planning Performance and Review Committee showed the Directorate of Forensic Services 12% below its police staff Budgeted Workforce Target (BWT). That committee requested that a report come to the HR Committee on the action being taken to remedy the situation. Members were also informed of other areas of current or future police staff shortage within the MPS. It was hoped that the medium term pay strategy would address some of those retention issues.

Resolved - That the Committee note the progress made in achieving the BWT in the Directorate of Forensic Services and the issues highlighted with respect to the recruitment and retention of other staff in the MPS.

64. Exclusion of press and public

(Agenda item 13)

Resolved - That under section 100 A(4) of the Local Government Act 1972 the press and public be excluded from the meeting for the following items of business on the grounds that they involved disclosure of exempt information as detailed in paragraph 1 of part 1 schedule 12a of the above Act.

Part 2

Summary of exempt items

65. Security vetting update

(Agenda item 14)

Members received a report on developments within the Personnel Security Group (PSG) in relation to vetting and outlining current performance and objectives for the next financial year. Members were informed that a sample re checking of cases had been encouraging in that no individuals had given cause for concern had been found.

Resolved – That the report be noted.

66. Police negotiating board issues

(Agenda item 14)

Members received a report entitled ‘Special Priority Payments for 2004’. It set out the proposed list of posts to receive special priority payments for 2004 and sought agreement to distributing the unused budget in 2003 and 2004 SPP schemes. As this report had not been circulated within the required five working days before the meeting, the Chair agreed to accept the report as urgent because the list of proposed posts required ratification by the Home Office.

Resolved – That

1. the list of posts recommended by the Commissioner’s Senior Management Team be agreed.’
2. the list be forwarded to the Home Office for ratification; and
3. the proposed method of distributing unused budget in 2003 and 2004 between approved recipients to enable the MPS to meet the minimum total expenditure required by the Police Negotiating Board agreement be agreed.

67. Exempt minutes of the Police Pensions Forfeiture Sub-committee – 5 January 2004

(Agenda item 16)

The Committee noted the exempt minutes of the meeting held on 5 January 2004.

Resolved - That the minutes of the meeting held on 5 January 2004 be noted.

The meeting ended at 4.55 p.m.

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