These are the Board minutes from 23rd March 2017
We are happy to publish the minutes of our Board meetings so that Board activities and decisions are accountable. There is always a delay between the meeting held and the publication of the minutes. This is because the minutes must be approved before they can be published. Minutes are approved at the meeting after the meeting they are a record off. For example, if a Board meeting is held in March and the next meeting is held in April, the minutes of the March meeting will not be on the website until after the April meeting.
MINUTES OF THE BOARD MEETING of 23rd March 2017
Present:
David O’Callaghan,Rosemary Adaser, Damian Casey, Austin Currie, Tom Daly, Katherine Finn, Frances Harrington, David Lane, Phyllis Morgan.
Apologies:
In attendance:
Mary Higgins, David Yeomans (Secretary), Rachel Downes, Sinead Fennell, Caitríona Ní Mhúrchú.
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Item
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Discussion |
Decision Action |
Time |
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1. Pre-Meeting Discussion |
The Chairman referred to recent media coverage and led a discussion. |
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2. Minutes
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The draft minutes of the meeting held on 9thFebruary 2017 were approved, with the incorporation of clarification that references in Section 3 had been made without the identification of the individual concerned, as proposed by David Lane and seconded by Austin Currie. |
Approved
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3. Report on action points arising from last meeting |
The report was noted with all items being on the agenda for this meeting or completed. |
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4. Matters arising not on the Agenda or in CEO Report |
There were no matters arising not dealt with elsewhere on the Agenda. |
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5. Report on applications |
The report to the end of February 2017 was noted. The Board was informed that currently, applications up to August 2017 had been assigned advisors with assessments in progress. The Board noted that the number of applications awaiting assessment, including a number of applications that could be classified as inactive due to a lack of response to attempts to contact the applicant. The Board requested that these be categorised separately in the report on applications awaiting assessment. The Board noted that the format and content of the Report will be reviewed in light of the key metrics that will be most useful for monitoring progress under the Strategic Plan 2017-2019. |
Inactive cases to be shown separately
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Next meeting
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6. Report of the Executive |
The Board noted that two advisors had recently secured permanent positions externally and so had tendered their resignations. The Board noted that a payment for rent for its current offices has been made, as previously approved. The Board approved a slight amendment to its FAQ as proposed. The Board noted progress in relation to enhancing services for applicants. The Board received an update on Outreach events held in Dublin and London during February 2017, together with progress towards holding an outreach event in Northern Ireland. The Board also noted that the website has been updated to provide easier navigation and improved layout. The Board was briefed on the regular meeting with the parent Department that included discussions on revisions to the Performance Delivery Agreement, in light of adoption of the Strategic Plan 2017-2019. |
Amendment to FAQ
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1 Apr 2017
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7. Finance & Risk Matters |
The Minutes of the last meeting of the Audit & Risk Committee on 3rd February 2017 was circulated for information, together with the Administration Budget 2017 for approval. An oral report provided by the Chair of the Committee on the implementation of recommendations arising from audits conducted by the C&AG and the Internal Audit function. One of the key control findings related to the high percentage of grant payments made on quotes without receipts subsequently being provided by applicants. The Chair of the Committee endorsed a recommendation from the Executive that the Board provide the authority, under S.23(3)(a) of the 2012 Act, to contact the supplier without permission from the applicant where this was not forthcoming. The Board agreed to provide this authority in principle, The Chair of the Committee briefed the Board on progress in relation to the agreement to be put in place for the Advance Payment of a Contribution towards Funeral Costs. The Board delegated the finalisation of associated letters to the CEO. |
Authority to contact suppliers directly to obtain receipts Delegation to CEO for approval of letters re Funeral Costs |
Ongoing |
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8. Governance Matters |
The Secretary circulated a summary of the status of implementation of the revised Code of Practice for the Governance of State Bodies. The Board noted that significant progress has been made to ensure compliance by 1stSeptember 2017. The Secretary referred to the requirement that Board members should not retain Board documents after their period in office. One Board member who is not seeking re-appointment requested that the documents in his possession be collected from his home address. The other members indicated to the Secretary that their documents would not be retained and would be disposed of appropriately. |
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9. Next Meeting |
The Chairman referred to this meeting being the last with the current Board members and that, while a number may be re-appointed through the current PAS process, he thanked all for their contributions, with personal wishes to Austin Currie who is retiring. The next meeting of the Board will be held following the Minister appointing new members and after a formal induction process. The meeting concluded at 13:15. |
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