August 2017 meeting
The NCA Board met on 10 August 2017. It discussed the following:
Item 1: Cyber Security Risk Management Training
1.1 The above training was delivered by Wendy Barnes at the beginning of the Board meeting.
1.2 The Board commissioned relevant follow on work.
Item 2: Apologies, Declarations of Interest and Minutes/Actions from the last meeting
2.1 Apologies had been received from Matthew Horne, Jon Richards, Caroline Murdoch and the Home Office. Sarah Pritchard attended on behalf of Jon Richards.
2.2 There were no new declarations of interest.
2.3 The minutes from the 29 June 2017 Board meeting were agreed.
2.4 The actions log was reviewed, with updates provided.
Item 3: Chair’s Update
3.1 The Chair provided an update to the meeting on current issues of note affecting the agency.
Item 4: Governance – ARAC Closing Report
4.1 The 2016/17 ARAC Closing Report and annexes were presented to the Board by Wendy Barnes.
4.2 The Board discussed the key issues.
4.3 The Board noted the paper.
Item 5: Q1 Performance Report
5.1 The report was reviewed by the Board and the Chair invited comment.
5.2 The Board discussed the key issues and endorsed the changes made by the DG’s Committee with regards to performance reporting to NCA Committees and the Board.
Item 6: Delivery Plan
6.1 This paper was presented by DDG Capabilities and focussed on the ‘Response’ pillar of the Delivery Plan.
6.2 The Board discussed the key issues and gave advice on how progress against the Delivery Plan could be better reported to NCA Committees and the Board going forward.
Item 7: NSA – NSC(O)_ National Security Capability Review Implementation Update
7.1 This paper was presented by DDG Capabilities and gave an update on the work to date on this topic.
7.2 The Board noted the paper and discussed the next steps for the NCA.
Item 8: Practical Steps to improve Cyber Security
8.1 This paper was presented by DDG Capabilities. The paper discussed improvements the NCA is making with regards to cyber security.
8.2 The Board discussed the key issues and commissioned further work as necessary.
Item 9: Mid-Term Financial Plan
9.1 The paper was presented by Director Finance and provided an update to the Mid-Term Financial Plan.
9.2 The paper was noted by the Board.
Item 10: The Triaging of NCMEC Informational Reports (including IRG Update)
10.1 This paper was presented by Director Vulnerabilities on behalf of DDG Operations supported by Reshard Auladin who summarised the IRG discussion.
10.2 The Board approved the recommendations in the paper and commissioned follow up work.
Item 11: AOB
1.1 The were no declarations of AOB.
***
June 2017 meeting
The NCA Board met on 29 June 2017. It discussed the following:
Item 1: Apologies, Declarations of Interest and Minutes/Actions from the last meeting
1.1 There were no new declarations of interest.
1.2 The minutes from the 18 May 2017 Board meeting were agreed.
1.3 The action log was reviewed, with updates provided.
Item 2: Chair’s Update
2.1 The Chair provided an update to the meeting on current issues of note affecting the agency.
Item 3: NCA Strategic Positioning
3.1 This paper was presented by DD Corporate Strategy and sought to consider the agency’s strategic positioning in the light of the changes in operating context brought about by recent events.
3.2 The Board discussed the key issues.
3.3 The paper was agreed by the Board.
Item 4: Governance – Agreement of new Terms of Reference
4.1 The Board requested that the Terms of Reference be incorporated into ongoing work on a governance manual.
Item 5: Delivery Plan 2017/18
5.1 This paper was presented by DD Corporate Strategy and sought agreement for the plan.
5.2 The Board discussed the paper and agreed the plan.
Item 6: Transformation
6.1 This paper was presented by Deputy Director General Capabilities and sought to deliver clarity on the scope of the Integrated Portfolio and also proposes next steps.
6.2 The Board acknowledged to good work to date and agreed the recommendations in the paper.
Item 7: Finance
7.1 The paper was presented by Director Finance and set out the Period 2 Finance Report for the two months ending 31 May 2017.
7.2 The paper was noted by the Board.
Item 8: AOB
8.1 No items of AOB were notified.
***
May 2017 meeting
The NCA Board met on 18 May 2017. It discussed the following:
Item 1: Apologies, Declarations of Interest and Minutes/Actions from the last meeting
1.1 Apologies had been received from Richard Riley, who was represented by Caroline Mersey.
1.2 There were no new declarations of interest.
1.3 The minutes from the 07 April 2017 Board meeting were agreed.
1.4 The action log was reviewed, with updates provided.
Item 2: Chair’s Update
2.1 The Chair provided an update to the meeting on current issues of note affecting the agency.
Item 3: Quarter 4 Performance Report
3.1 The report was reviewed by the Board and the Chair invited comment.
3.2 The Board discussed the key issues. There was a request for work to be conducted to address the link between workflow and output through the use of various academic tools.
3.3 The Chair thanked the team for the paper, which was noted by the Board.
Item 4: Board Forward Agenda
4.1 The paper was reviewed by the Board and the Chair invited comment.
4.2 The Board discussed the key issues relating to items for discussion at the Board.
4.3 The items set out in the paper were agreed by the Board.
Item 5: Annual Report & Governance Statement
5.1 The latest draft of the Annual Report and Governance Statement was presented to the Board. The Chair invited comment.
5.2 The Board provided feedback to be incorporated into the next draft.
5.3 The Chair thanked the team for the work to date.
Item 6: NCA approach to potential Spending Review
6.1 The NCA’s approach to any future spending review was presented for discussion.
6.2 The Board discussed the key issues and provided direction on the NCA’s position.
6.3 The Chair expressed thanks for the work done to date on this issue and encouraged continued collaborative working with partners to produce a shared script.
Item 7: NCA Governing Transformation in its totality
7.1 The purpose of the paper was to capture the Board’s thinking alongside development of the transformation governance. The Chair invited comment from members in relation to the paper.
7.2 The Board discussed the key issues.
7.3 Members agreed the changes to governance arrangements.
Item 8: Finance Update
8.1 This paper was presented and noted by the Board.
Item 9: Independent Reference Group Update
9.1 The Board was provided with an update on the first meeting of the Independent Reference Group.
9.2 The update was noted by the Board.
Item 10: AOB
10.1 The were no declarations of AOB.
***
April 2017 meeting
The NCA Board met on 7 April 2017. It discussed the following:
Item 1: Apologies, Declarations of Interest and Minutes/Actions from the last meeting
1.1 Apologies had been received from Caroline Murdoch and Gerry Cantwell.
1.2 The Chair thanked David Armond for his substantial contribution to the NCA and wider law enforcement over the length of his career. The Deputy Director General had been instrumental in designing and delivering the agency and the Board were deeply grateful for his leadership. The Chair also thanked Chris Farrimond for acting as temporary Director Investigations. Mark Webster, Jamie Saunders and Ian Cruxton were also thanked for their significant contribution as members of the NCA Board.
1.3 The Chair formally welcomed Nina Cope as the new Deputy Director General Capabilities, Nikki Holland as Director of Investigations and Steve Smart as the soon to the appointed Director Intelligence. The Chair also formally appointed the Non-Executive Directors to the roles and responsibilities.
1.4 No new declarations of interest were made.
1.5 The minutes from the meeting held on the 2 March 2017 were agreed.
1.6 The action log was reviewed, with updates provided.
Item 2: International Strategy & Network Review
2.1 The Chair invited comments from members in relation to this paper.
2.2 The Board discussed the key issues raised.
2.3 The Chair concluded that in the short term an internal programme should be created and in the medium term a strategic view should be taken of the NCA international profile and the resulting strategy should form a strand of the Transformation programme.
Item 3: Transformation: future operating model
3.1 The Chair expressed her thanks to the Director Corporate Services, Deputy Director Change and all of their team for the work on the future operating model and then invited comments on the paper.
3.2 The Board discussed the key issues raised.
3.3 Summing up, the Chair emphasised the need to continue moving at pace There was agreement to the high level design Making sure the enabling functions were fit for purpose to enact the plan was key. The next steps were remitted to the DDG Capabilities and did not need to return to the Board.
Item 4: DRR
4.1 The Chair invited members to comment on this paper.
4.2 The Board discussed the key issues raised.
4.3 Summing up, the Chair expressed appreciation to all those involved in this piece of work which had seen strong engagement across the agency. The approach to progressing future work would require further discussion at the DDG Capabilities Executive Committee.
Item 5: 2017/18 Budget Delegations and Updated MTFP
5.1 Director Corporate Services explained that the paper set out how the NCA would balance the budget next year and indicatively beyond this time frame
5.2 The Board discussed the key issues raised.
5.3 The Chair approve the MTFP, core funded budget and detailed work to establish the rules around delegation without inhibiting necessary flexibility or the progress of transformation. This was subject to further review on 20 April 2017.
Item 6: Delivery Plan
6.1 The paper addressed the Closure of the 2016/17 Delivery Plan was required following final reporting against it so that movement towards the next plan could be progressed.
6.2 Members discussed the key points raised.
6.3 Members noted the progress made and the steps to address the actions which have not been completed, or were not due to be completed this year. It was noted that the lessons learned would be incorporated into the 17-18 delivery plan. The 2016/17 Delivery Plan was closed.
Item 7: Future Workforce
7.1 The paper set the high level ambition for staffing the agency. It defined the category of staff required (operational officers, specialist cadres and enabling officers) and tied into transformation.
7.2 Members raised various points for discussion.
7.3 Members agreed the general description of the future workforce for the NCA but the Chair asked that further consideration be given to the various points raised by members and emphasised the importance of sharing this with the unions. The Talent Management and Senior Appointments Committee would need to discuss support and drivers going forward.
Item 8: Papers to Note
Finance & Transformation Updates
8.1 Members noted both updates.
Item 9: Any other business
9.1 Director Prosperity provided an update around Case Management and emphasised that input would be sought from Deputy Directors across the agency to gauge what the dependencies were around federated search.
***
March 2017 meeting
The NCA Board met on 2 March 2017. It discussed the following:
Item 1: Apologies, Declarations of Interest and Minutes/Actions from the last meeting
1.1 Apologies had been received from Ian Cruxton.
1.2 The Chair welcomed Reshard Auladin who was attending his first Board meeting as an observer prior to his formal appointment as a Non- Executive Director. The Chair noted that this was the last Board meeting Stephen Page would attend and thanked him for his significant contribution to the formation and development of the NCA during his time as a Non-Executive Director.
1.3 No new declarations of interest were made.
1.4 The minutes from the meeting held on the 19 January 2017 were agreed.
1.5 The action log was reviewed, with updates provided.
Item 2: Annual Plan
2.1 The Chair invited comments from members in relation to this paper.
2.2 The Board discussed the key issues raised.
2.3 Members agreed that the various comments made should be used to amend the Annual Plan further prior to distribution for consultation with partners.
Item 3: Delivery Plan 2016/17
3.1 The Chair invited comments on this paper.
3.2 The Board discussed the key issues raised.
3.3 Members noted the progress made on the Delivery Plan.
Item 4: Communications Strategy
4.1 The Chair invited members to comment on this paper.
4.2 The Board discussed the key issues raised.
4.3 The Chair commended the strategy as an exciting piece of work and congratulated the team on improving knowledge of the NCA over the last twelve months.
Item 5: Developing the NCA’s Culture
5.1 The Chair invited comment from members in relation to this paper
5.2 The Board discussed the key issues raised.
5.3 The Chair asked Director Corporate Services to take forward the necessary work with the Communications Team and HR and come back to the Board for support as required.
Item 6: Papers to Note
6.1 Members noted the following papers:
• Board and Committee TORs for sign off
• Finance Update
• Transformation Update
Item 7: Any Other Business
7.1 There were no declarations of AOB.
***
January 2017 meeting
The NCA Board met on 19 January 2017. It discussed the following:
Item 1: Apologies, Declarations of Interest and Minutes/Actions from the last meeting
1.1 Apologies had been received from the Trade Union Representative and a replacement was in attendance.
1.2 No new declarations of interest were made.
1.3 The minutes from the meeting held on the 4 October 2016 were considered and one minor change was requested.
1.4 The action log was reviewed, with updates provided.
Item 2: NCA Transformation Plan
2.1 The Chair invited comments from members in relation to this paper.
2.1 The Board discussed the key issues raised.
2.2 The Chair thanked the team for their work on this programme. The Board requested that the Transformation narrative be made stronger and the programme be reduced to two strands.
Item 3: International Anti-Corruption Coordination Centre (IACC)
3.1 The Chair invited comments on this paper.
3.2 The Board discussed the key issues raised.
3.2 The paper was noted by the Board.
Item 4: Economic Crime Strategy
4.1 The Chair invited members to comment on this paper.
4.2 The Board discussed the key issues raised. It was agreed that this was an important area of work for the agency, with a high degree of scrutiny.
4.3 The Board agreed to the recommendations to build the NCA’s capabilities in this area.
Item 5: Staff assigned to National and Statutory Responsibilities
5.1 The Chair invited comment from members in relation to this paper
5.2 The Board discussed the key issues raised and the implications of servicing these responsibilities.
5.3 The paper was noted by the Board.
Item 6: NCA Pay Case
6.1 The Chair invited members to comment on this paper.
6.2 The Board acknowledged this importance of this issue and the challenges to obtaining an acceptable outcome.
6.3 The Board decided to submit pay reform cases to HMT for consideration; setting out risks associated to various options.
Item 7: Delivery Plan update
7.1 The Chair invited members to note the updates on the Delivery Plan.
7.2 The Board noted the updated.
Item 8: Five Year Strategy
8.1 The Chair decided that this should be set out of committee for final consideration and sign off.
Item 9: Public Enquiries
9.1 The paper was presented and set out the current position on NCA engagement with Public Enquiries.
9.2 Members noted the position set out in the paper.
Item 10: Papers to Note
10.1 Members noted the following papers:
• Finance Update
• Transformation Update
• People Survey
Item 11: Any Other Business
11.1 There were no declarations of AOB.
