CPS Board meeting minutes - June 2021

Tuesday 29 June 2021, 13:00 – 15:30
Microsoft Teams Meeting

Members

Monica Burch (C), Max Hill QC, Rebecca Lawrence, Simon Jeffreys, Caroline Wayman, Mark Hammond

Guests

Marie Southgate (Items 3 & 4), Sue Hemming (Items 3 & 4), Sandra McKay (Items 3, 4 & 7), Steve Buckingham (Items 3, 4, 7 & 8), Dawn Brodrick (Items 3, 4 & 5), Melanie Trust (Item 5), Graham Dann (Item 7), Graham Ritchie (Item 7), Mark Gray (Item 8) 

Secretariat

Lissa Matthews

Item 1: Minutes of the Last Meeting and Matters Arising

1.    The Board reviewed and agreed the minutes of the last meeting. 
1.1    Progress was noted against outstanding actions which were closed. 

Item 2:  Update from the DPP

2    The DPP provided an update on the following: 
a.    Rape Review 
b.    CJS recovery and Ministerial engagement 
2.1    The Board discussed:
a.    Engagement with HMG and partners across the CJS whilst ensuring legal independence and fairness is maintained 

Item 3: Rape Review Report

3.    The Board welcomed the presenters and the Chair opened thanking all who had been engaged with the development of the Review.  
3.1    There was discussion on:
a.    Communications approach
b.    Response from victims groups
c.    The impact of recommendations on case volumes
d.    The upcoming publication of HMCPSI and HMICFRS joint review

Item 4: RASSO Capability Proposals

4    Sue Hemming, Director of Legal Services, set out the background to the work and that it had been created in a way as to enable the Service to be agile. There was discussion on:
a.    Development of training programmes for new entrants and existing prosecutors
b.    Encouragement for prosecutors to move into RASSO teams and expectations on developing skills 
c.    Joint working with police forces 
d.    Finance work on modelling resource implications 

Item 5: Whistleblowing

5    Dawn Brodrick, Chief People Officer gave an overview of the paper and the various strands of work in train. She sought Board member views on the proposals and on what more they would like to see or be engaged on. Overall the work was welcomed and the Board thanked Dawn and Melanie Trust for the work, Mark Hammond as Whistleblowing Champion thanked them for early sight of the work and the opportunity to input. There was discussion on:
a.    Improving understanding of channels to report covering the formal whistleblowing procedure and other routes within the organisation to improve awareness
b.    Cultural development to give confidence senior leadership want improper practice or behaviour to be reported and action taken 
c.    Further work to embed ‘speaking out’ later in the year
5.1    The Chair summed up this was positive work and agreed an update should come to the Board in the autumn 

Item 6: Committee Update

6.    Simon Jeffreys , Chair of Audit, Risk and Assurance Committee (ARAC), noted that the minutes would be circulated when available. He reported that the financial statements had been discussed and further detail would be given in the following item. 
6.1    New Independent members of the Committee had been recruited subject to appointment checks. It was hoped they would be able to attend the October 2021 meeting.
6.2    The Board noted ARAC had considered the risk register and were assured on litigation. There was discussion on the ongoing work on the management of risk within Executive Group
6.3    All on the Board formally recorded their thanks to Jenny Rowe whose term would come to an end in August and had therefore attended her final Audit Committee meeting. 

Item 7: Annual Report and Accounts

7.    Simon Jeffreys confirmed that ARAC recommended to the Board that the accounts should be signed.
7.1    Steve Buckingham, Chief Finance Officer, updated there were minor adjustments that would be made ready for the Director to sign as Accounting Officer. The Board agreed the Director would sign off subject to any further non material adjustments, and finance colleagues would be in contact with the office of the Comptroller and Auditor General with the intention of laying the report in Parliament on 8 July. 
7.2    The Board recorded thanks for the work that had gone into producing the report noting it was an evolving process. There followed a discussion on:

Item 8: Common Platform

8.    Mark Gray, Chief Digital and Information Officer, updated the Board that MoJ officials were due to submit advice to Ministers imminently and that a meeting to brief the Law Officers will be arranged in the coming weeks. He noted that until Ministerial agreement is confirmed work cannot progress but is on track. 

AOB

9.    Simon Jeffreys sought an update on planning for the Spending Review, Rebecca Lawrence provided assurance that preparatory work was underway for multi-year planning and engagement was taking place with HMT spending team and CJS departments. 

Secretariat 
June 2021