Minutes and Actions of the 69th Board Meeting of the Independent Commission for Aid Impact

Board Members

Tamsyn Barton (Chief Commissioner and Chair)

Hugh Bayley (Commissioner)

Tarek Rouchdy (Commissioner)

Attendees

Andrew Forbes (Secretariat)

Catherine Cameron (Agulhas Paper 6)

Ekpe Attah (Secretariat)

Gemma Roberts-Kinnear (Secretariat)

Gideon Rabinowitz (Agulhas Paper 6)

Goknur Ozer (Secretariat)

Leo Ehrnrooth (Secretariat)

Mireille Evagora-Campbell (Secretariat)

Nadia Mandl (Secretariat)

Pauline Worthington (Secretariat)

Elizabeth Simpson (Secretariat)

Raphael Gabriel (Secretariat)

1. Minutes and Actions from December 2022 Board

Commissioners discussed and agreed the minutes and actions from the December 2022 Board Meeting.

2. Business Update

Commissioners noted the items raised in the Business Update.

The Head of Secretariat confirmed that an historic safeguarding incident repeated to ICAI while conducting fieldwork had been raised with FCDO’s Reporting Concerns team. The incident did not involve any ICAI staff or contractors.

The Head of Secretariat updated Commissioners on progress with recruitment, noting two permanent Review Managers, an interim Review Manager and an interim Head of Communications and Engagement had started in January and February. A permanent Head of Communications and Engagement had accepted an offer and onboarding by FCDO was in progress. Interviews for the Head of Reviews were complete and an offer would be made shortly. A review manager was taking a career break and would not be returning to the secretariat. The civil service wide advert for this post should go live on 7 March. The Engagement Officer would be on maternity leave from summer 2023.

Commissioners discussed the possibility of providing a handover note to the new incoming Commissioners, alerting them to the current risks and opportunities.

Commissioners noted the continued underspend in admin/FLD budgets arising largely from staff vacancies.

Commissioners discussed the 2023/24 Phase 3 programme budget allocation and the workplan to the end of the Commission.

The Chief Commissioner noted that KPI reporting showed that the number of ICAI recommendations fully accepted by government was increasing.

Action 1: Head of Secretariat to commence planning for maternity leave cover.

Action 2: Head of Secretariat to raise with FCDO potential impact on ICAI of FCDO HR’s service level agreements, with a view to ensuring ICAI on-boarding requirements are expedited.

3. Corporate Risk Register

Commissioners discussed the Corporate Risk Register. The risk relating to the transition to Phase 4 had increased because of delays in processes. Commissioners discussed the risk around using ICAI’s remaining Phase 3 budget effectively.

Action 3: Head of Delivery team to review and update the risk register to incorporate Commissioners’ comments including,

• Mitigations in risk 3 to be amended as proposed.
• Review risk 10.

Action 4: Delivery Team to research comparisons to ICAI review costs with NAO reports.

4. 2023/24 Budget Forecast

Commissioners discussed the 23/24 draft budget and the forecasting challenges arising from the uncertainty around the date of transition to Phase 4 resulting from the delay in procurement of a new service provider and appointment of new Commissioners.

Action 5:  Business Manager to update draft administration and front line delivery (FLD) budgets and amend in line with Commissioners’ comments on travel budgets and maternity leave.

Action 6: Business Manager to revise the draft budget note to FCDO to incorporate Commissioner feedback to provide more clarity on the assumptions made in providing the forecast.

5. Transition to Phase 4 – verbal update from Head of Secretariat

The Head of Secretariat provided an update on progress with Phase 4 Commissioner recruitment. Shortlisting for the Phase 4 Chief Commissioner role took place in January 2023 and the shortlist was still awaiting ministerial approval. The proposed interview dates have been moved accordingly.

The closing date on the advertisement for the part-time Commissioner roles had been extended to 22 March 2023.

Commissioners discussed the various procurement models available and their preference for the options for more reviews to be completed ‘in house’, while recognising this decision was not within their gift. Commissioners also discussed the challenges of completing the Phase 3 workplan by the end of June 2023.

6. Communications Update

Commissioners discussed the reduction in IDC hearings.

Commissioners discussed the priority to be given to planned IDC and dissemination events over the remaining months of Phase 3 and options for delivering all proposed work.

Action 7: Head of Communications and Engagement to investigate options for additional resource to assist with upcoming events.

Action 8: Sir Hugh Bayley to contact the House of Commons library to ensure ICAI publications are available.

7. Internal Audit – verbal update from Head of Secretariat

The Head of Secretariat advised Commissioners that draft Terms of Reference for an internal audit focussed on ICAI’s communications and engagement activity would be available shortly.

Commissioners noted that the corporate support provided to ICAI by FCDO would be more useful as an audit topic but agreed that the topic needed to be a review of ICAI and not FCDO.

Action 9:  Head of Secretariat to circulate the internal audit draft terms of reference to Commissioners.

8. Future workplan – Agulhas in attendance

A Review Manager updated Commissioners on progress with the workplan to the end of this Commission in June 2023.

A revised master schedule of the review workplan and a revised risks and issues log were being drafted and would be shared with Commissioners when complete.

The board discussed the busy schedule of publications in May and June, the additional Afghanistan information note and the proposed timelines for the Blue Planet information note.

Action 10: Review Manager to provide proposed Blue Planet information timeline to the service provider team.

Action 11: Service provider team to provide comments on Blue Planet information note Terms of Reference and a proposed budget.

Action Log from 69th Board Meeting March 2023

Action Log from 68th Board Meeting December 2022

Action Log from 67th Board Meeting September 2022