Agenda and minutes

·        Declarations of interest

1.1  The Chair welcomed Board members to the meeting.

1.2  Apologies had been received from Stuart Castledine.

1.3  The Board agreed the minutes of the meeting on 24 April 2015.

1.4  The Board noted that Wragge & Co would respond with the latest draft of the pension scheme rules on 5 June. Board members would consider the amended scheme rules and will then seek approval of the pension scheme from HM Treasury.

1.5  The Board noted that the Chair had met with Mitchel McLaughlin, Speaker of the Northern Ireland Assembly to share good practice.

1.6  The Board noted that the recruitment of the Board for the next five year term was currently under way and that interviews would take place in July.

1.7  The Board agreed that the work programme should be updated to include legacy issues.

Action point:

• The Board agreed to draft a response to the recommendation from the Presiding Officer’s Women in Democracy Caucus.

2.1  The focus of the report should be on what worked well, how the Board’s approach could have been improved, what did not work so well and what lessons are to be learnt.

2.2  The Board would consider the draft legacy report at its meeting on 3 July 2015.

·        AMSS Contract and other policies refresh (Phase 1) – Paper 4

3.1 The Board considered a paper outlining the following policies which required updating:

• Shared Parental Leave (SPL) policy;
• Maternity, Paternity, Adoption and Shared Parental Leave;
• ‘Statement of Particulars of Employment’;
• Discipline Procedure; and
• Grievance Procedures.

3.2  The Board discussed the policies and requested further evidence to inform its decisions.

Action point:

·         MBS to return to provide further evidence and amend policies and procedures and for the Board to consider at meeting on 3 July 2015.

3.1 The Chair welcomed Donna Davies, Head of Pensions, Assembly Commission.

3.2 The Board noted how the pension scheme would be implemented by the administrators.

3.3 The Board noted the progress in preparing a new pension scheme for Assembly Members in the Fifth Assembly.

3.4 The Board agreed that a paper should be brought to the meeting on 3 July explaining in more detail the process for appointments to the Pensions Board

Action point:

·         AM pension administrators to return to the Board with an update on the implementation of the pension arrangements and appointments to the Pensions Board at the meeting on 3 July 2015.