Minutes - draft

Please note these minutes are currently draft and are subject to committee approval.

Minutes of the meeting of the Police Pensions Sub-committee of the Metropolitan Police Authority held on 5 January 2004 at 10 Dean Farrar Street, London SW1H 0NY.

Present

Members

• Cindy Butts
• Nicholas Long
• Rachel Whittaker

MPA Officers

• Alan Johnson (Head of Human Resources and Professional Standards)
• Pamela Standley (Senior HR Adviser)
• Ruth Hastings Iqball (Committee Services)

Also present: Judith Chrystie (Seconded Solicitor)

Part 1

1. Election of chair

(Agenda item 1)

Resolved – That Cindy Butts be elected to chair the meeting.

2. Apologies for absence

(Agenda item 2)

No apologies were received.

3. Declarations of interests

(Agenda item 3)

No declarations of interest were received.

4. Minutes of the Police Pensions Forfeiture Sub-committee – 27 November 2003

(Agenda item 4)

The Sub Committee considered the minutes of the Sub Committee meeting held on 27 November 2003.

Resolved – That the minutes of the meeting held on 27 November 2003 be confirmed and signed as a correct record. Although as a point of note, Nicholas Long indicated that he had provided an apology for absence.

5. Exclusion of press and public

(Agenda item 5)

A resolution was put to exclude the press and public from the meeting during items 6, 7, and 8 as it was likely to disclose exempt information as described in paragraph 1, schedule 12a of the Local Government Act 1972 (as amended).

Resolved – That the press and public be excluded from the meeting during discussion of agenda items 6, 7 and 8.

Part 2

Summary of exempt item

6. Exempt minutes of the Police Pensions Forfeiture Sub-committee – 27 November 2003

(Agenda item 6)

The Sub Committee agreed the exempt minutes of the Sub Committee meeting held on 27 November 2003.

7. Oral update on appeal hearings

(Agenda item 7)

Members were informed that six ex-officers had appealed following decisions made by the Police Pension Forfeiture Sub Committee to forfeit part of their pensions. The MPA had successfully applied to have all six matters heard at Snaresbrook Crown Court. The appeals will probably be held in March.

Members were advised that the grounds of appeal were based on procedural matters, such as the hearing process not being human rights compliant, and on issues regarding the extent of the forfeiture. The decision of the court would determine, therefore, the robustness of the MPA’s forfeiture process. It was commented that the forfeiture process had been structured in recognition of human rights issues and in taking a pragmatic approach to the numbers and availability of members. Members were informed that other police authorities had been the subject of Crown Court appeals.

Members felt the workload of the subcommittees responsible for judicial processes was onerous and may give rise to conflicts of interest, It was suggested a report go to the March Human Resources and Professional Standards and Complaints Sub Committee, then to Full Authority, reviewing the role of members in such cases.

8. Police Pension Forfeitures – potential applications to the Home Secretary for certificates of forfeiture

(Agenda item 8)

Members considered six potential applications to the Home Secretary for certificates of forfeiture. It was agreed that certificates for forfeiture should be applied for in four of the cases considered.
Meeting ended 10.45 a.m.

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