25 November 2021

Attendees

Those present: 

Mostaque Ahmed, Finance Director and Managing Director of Finance, Portfolio and Performance 
John Benger, Clerk of the House [Chair]
Isabel Coman, Managing Director of In-House Services and Estates
Marianne Cwynarski, Director General (Operations) 
Sarah Davies, Clerk Assistant and Managing Director of the Chamber and Participation Team
Mandy Eddolls, Managing Director of People and Culture
Alison Giles, Director of Security for Parliament
Tracey Jessup, Chief Digital and Information Officer
Colin Lee, Managing Director of the Select Committee Team
Saira Salimi, Speaker’s Counsel
David Smith, Managing Director of the Parliamentary Digital Service
Penny Young, Librarian and Managing Director of Research and Information

In attendance:

Malin Eliasson, Director of Financial Management & Performance
Martina Hunter, Head of Financial Planning and Analysis
Clare Jennings, Director of Communications    
John Owen, Director of Strategic Business Resilience
Shona Robertson, Head of Information & Records Management
Olivia Satterthwaite, Information Strategy Delivery Manager and Secretary to the Information Authority
Mary Savvides, Acting Head of Risk Management
Katharine Williams, Governance Manager and Secretary to the Commons Executive Board

Meeting

1. Quarterly theme: Parliament, Governance and Members

a) Clerk’s Review: one year update

The CEB:

• Noted the progress made towards implementing the recommendations from the Clerk’s review.
• Endorsed the commencement of a review of job families and nomenclature.
• Endorsed the creation of an HR Policy and Strategic Support Working Group.
• Reiterated the need for good management data to drive decision-making and noted a proposal for two new roles to work on corporate data and behavioural insight.
• Requested details on the proposal to set up a publishing house.
• Noted that the board would discuss employee engagement in detail in the new year.
• Agreed to take further steps to make more board papers open to staff following consideration by the board.
• Agreed that the Communications team would issue guidance on the process for signing off communications to staff.

2. By exception

a) Medium term financial plan – final draft

The CEB considered the final draft of the financial plan and agreed the recommendations to the Finance Committee and Commission as set out in the paper, subject to one change agreed in the meeting.

3. Risk

a) Approach to risk

The CEB:

• Endorsed the risk management approach.
• Approved the creation of the Risk Working Group, a sub-board of CEB.
• Agreed to continue monthly conversations on risk until the Risk Working Group was able to take on this work, by the end of the financial year or before, from which point risk would be discussed quarterly at the CEB. The next monthly conversations would focus on deep-dives and topical risks and there would be a workshop on risk appetite.

The CEB also discussed the principal risk register. The CEB agreed that there should be a single risk on Culture and also proposed some further changes to risks and risk appetites that would be worked through with risk owners. A full review of the register would be conducted by the new Risk Working Group.

b) Bicameral Information risk proposal

The CEB:

• Approved the description for the new information risk and recommended risk appetite.
• Approved that this risk would become a principal bicameral risk, managed on a bicameral basis, subject to agreement by the Lords Management Board.
• Agreed the proposed target score and date.
• Noted that the proposed mitigating actions were transitional, time limited actions, which whilst in themselves would not materially affect risk exposure, were key foundational steps achievable within available resource constraints, which would help establish understanding of further actions required.
• Noted the intention of the Information Authority to involve the Boards of both Houses as needed in growing the maturity of information security and information management.
• Encouraged any resource bids that were needed to support this work, though they would be subject to the normal processes.

4. Monthly updates

a) Sub-boards

The CEB took note of an update from the Director General (Operations).

The CEB were asked to remind their teams not to come onto the Estate if they had any Covid symptoms and to report positive test results to Parliament’s test and trace team.

i. R&R Steering Group terms of reference

The CEB noted and agreed an amendment to the terms of reference that it had originally agreed by correspondence on 19 November.

b) Parliamentary business

The CEB took note of an update from the Clerk Assistant and the Managing Director of the Select Committee Team.

c) Finance

The CEB took note of an update from the Managing Director of Finance, Portfolio and Performance.

The CEB noted that a third audit action was now overdue.

d) Major projects

The CEB took note of an update from the Managing Director of In-House Services and Estates.

The CEB noted an update against In-House Services and Estates’ action plan and agreed to take this report on a quarterly basis.

e) Security

The CEB took note of an update from the Director of Security for Parliament and the UK Parliament Chief Digital and Information Officer.

5. Reflections, updates and AOB

a) Culture reflection

The CEB reflected on the importance of culture in making a success of any strategy.

6. Take note papers

The CEB took note of the following papers:
a) CEB decision and action log / minutes
b) Reports from the Commission and Domestic Committees
c) Sub-board agendas and minutes
d) In-House Services and Estates update
e) Policy process
f) Restoration and Renewal

• Minutes of the Restoration & Renewal Sponsor Body
• Quarterly report to the Commissions on Restoration & Renewal

7. By correspondence

The CEB took the following papers by correspondence ahead of this meeting:

a) Supply chain market update

The CEB noted the update.

b) Informing the Sponsor Body’s proposals for Continued Presence

The CEB reviewed the Continued Presence Impact Matrix and was invited to contact the R&R Director with any questions or concerns.

c) Internal audit report: staff expenses

The CEB noted the report.

d) Internal audit notice

The CEB noted advice to management on an emerging trend in internal audit reports.

e) R&R Steering Group terms of reference

The CEB agreed the terms of reference on 19 November. A minor change was agreed subsequently, in the November meeting, as noted above.

f) Financial monitoring report – P06

The CEB noted the report.

g) Portfolio performance report – October

The CEB noted the report.