Meetings

The following items were discussed:

Remuneration Board

•        The Board has proposed changes to the arrangements for overnight accommodation for Members whose main homes are in the inner area and will reach a final view on the matter at its meeting in June. Members have been invited to submit their views on the matter;

•        The Remuneration Board will be undertaking a review into staffing arrangements for Assembly Members and will engage with support staff and Members to inform this work.

ICT

•        Improvements have been made to ICT services in recent months, including those provided by Atos and by Assembly staff. These include access in constituency offices and health checks of ICT equipment and infrastructure;

•        ICT staff have met with most Assembly Members to identify problems. The findings will inform the planning of future works, such as wireless connectivity and a wider range of end user devices.

•        Two significant pieces of work are underway: a project to evaluate the options for future ICT service delivery and the development of an ICT strategy for the Assembly and Commission. Commissioners will receive a regular update on both of these areas of work.

Claire Clancy introduced the report from the Management Board.

The paper provided an update on key issues within each of the strategic goals, as well as a finance update and details of the Freedom of Information requests received since the last Management Board report.  This month, the minutes from the last meeting of the Assembly Commission Audit Committee were also annexed to the report for information.

The following items were discussed:

Facilities management contract
Following a competitive tendering process, the facilities management contract has been awarded to Norland Managed Services Ltd for five years with effect from 1 April 2012, with an option to extend for one additional year.  The contract includes maintenance and management of the Assembly estate, estates advice, professional services and window cleaning, and involves expenditure of about £925,000pa.

Commissioners also discussed the approach to procurement more generally, and agreed that this should be an agenda item at a future meeting.

Severance scheme

A limited voluntary exit scheme is being offered to all Assembly staff. The scheme is designed to ensure that the Commission’s staffing complement and structure is capable of supporting the delivery of outstanding parliamentary support during the Fourth Assembly by allowing the organisation to respond to shifts in skill requirements, improving workforce efficiency, facilitating organisational change, and delivering long-term savings where possible.  Commissioners stressed the importance of ensuring that the decisions provided effective use of public funds and delivered a pay-back for the organisation.

Commissioners also received an update on the way the ongoing ICT problems were being addressed.  Claire Clancy explained that she had written to senior management in Atos expressing serious concern about service standards and continuing problems, including the e-mail system failure on 18 January.  Atos immediately started a service improvement plan.

Peter Black AM, along with Commission officials, will be meeting individual members to gather evidence on the ICT problems Members are facing to ensure these are addressed as part of the service improvement plan.

The Chief Executive provided an update on issues within each of the Commission’s strategic goals.

The report was noted.