Minutes - 92nd GLAA Board Meeting

1

Welcome and apologies

Welcomed all attendees to the meeting. DS is chairing this meeting, as Deputy Chair, in JM’s absence. Apologies noted as above.

2

Declarations of interest

None.

3

Minutes of the meeting of 17 October 2024 – for approval

HO noted the fee changes hadn’t gone to the minister at the time of the Board and asked for this to be reflected in the minutes.

Decision

The minutes from 17 October 2024 are approved by the Board, following the amendment being made in relation to HO comments.

4

Outstanding Actions

The Board acknowledge the outstanding actions and agreed for the recommended actions to be closed.

Decision

The Board agreed to close actions:

•        BM89(3)
•        BM90(5)
•        BM90(6)
•        BM91(1)
•        BM91(6)

5

CEO Update, Elysia McCaffrey

[Official and Sensitive information has been redacted from this section]

Action BM92(1)

EM to write to the Board by 30 November to provide assurance of plan A, move to Loxley House as planned, or to detail plan B.

6

Home Office Update, Hannah McCarthy

Pay Remit:

The HO position is that the pay remit is affordable for this year and the next, based on savings being made elsewhere. 

Spending Review:

Allocations are still being worked out across the department, with an aim to settle them shortly.  

Capital Allocation:

The HO will soon be requesting plans for capital allocation for the next year and following years, but the capital envelope has not yet been determined. 

Fee Changes:

The advice for fee changes is still pending ministerial decision, but work continues in anticipation, including bidding for a statutory instrument slot.  

New Grade 6:

A new Grade 6 will start in HOSU at the beginning of December.  

Policy Update:

Advice on the care sector will go to the minister after the round table happening at the end of the month. 

7

Strategic Risk Register, Sam Ireland

[Official and Sensitive information has been redacted from this section]

Financial Instability:

The organisation is operating with minimal financial flexibility, and any unforeseen expenses could necessitate stopping certain activities to manage costs. The CEO has already escalated the risk of overspending to the Permanent Secretary

Key Person Dependency:

The risk score is currently at 15. There is a significant dependency on single individuals for fulfilling statutory requirements, which poses a risk if these individuals are unavailable. The organisation lacks the financial capability to train deputies, leading to potential gaps in critical roles. This has been exacerbated by recent absences in some areas.

Data Quality:

The risk score is at 8. Improvements have been made, but the pace is slow due to reliance on manual systems and limited resources.  The organisation has reached out to the HO automation team for assistance, but the complexity of the systems has limited their ability to help. 

Escalations:

The Board considered formally escalating these risks to the HO to ensure they are aware of the challenges and the potential impact on statutory responsibilities.

Action BM92(2)

SI to draft a short letter outlining the key risks for escalation to the HO, with evidence attached, to be circulated out of committee to the Board for agree, ahead of being sent to HO.

8

Finance and Performance

a)    Financial Position, Justin Rumball

Overall, the financial position remains tight, with ongoing efforts to manage costs and discussions with the Home Office to address the underlying financial instability.

Current Overspend:

The organisation is currently facing an overspend, which has been a known issue all year. Despite efforts to manage this, the overspend remains a challenge. Significant efforts have been made to reduce costs, including savings in IT, travel and subsistence which has gone some way to mitigate the problem.

Income: 

There has been a positive impact on income, with renewals holding up well. This has provided some relief to the financial situation.

Estates Pressure: 

The move to Loxley House has added financial pressure, although there is a potential saving of around £50,000 due to some IT costs slipping into the next financial year. 

Future Planning:

Discussions are ongoing with the Home Office to address the financial challenges, including the need for a full efficiency and productivity plan for 2025-2026. This plan will help the Home Office understand the implications of potential changes and support the allocation process. 

Flexi Hours: 

The accrued flexi hours present a hidden cost. 

The Chair noted that the Finance team has done a good job during a challenging period of time.

b)    Strategic Performance, Sam Ireland 

General Performance:

The organisation has seen improvements in performance, with stronger controls and regular management conversations contributing to this. 

Sickness:

Short-term sickness has declined however, there has been an increase in long-term sickness rates which has impacted performance.

Licensing Decisions: 

The time taken to make licensing decisions increased in September due to the abstraction of key personnel for training purposes. This highlights the impact of even short-term absences on performance. Despite this we are well within target.

Inspections: 

The number of inspections completed in Q2 was lower than in Q1, partly due to the onboarding and training of new compliance officers. This temporary reduction in productivity is expected to improve as new staff become fully operational. 

Backlog Clearance: 

Significant progress has been made in clearing backlogs, particularly in the licensing team, where all backlogs have been addressed. 

Data Quality: 

There are ongoing challenges with data quality due to the manual nature of data entry and verification processes. Efforts are being made to explore automation solutions to improve efficiency and accuracy. 

Overall, performance has been exceptional.

9

Digital Forensics, Richard Shrimpton

Introduction and Equipment: 

RS provided a presentation of the GLAA’s digital forensics functionality, which uses Cellebrite technology to extract data from mobile devices. This equipment is crucial for investigations and can be used in the field. 

The digital forensics capability has significantly enhanced the GLAA's ability to gather and analyse evidence, supporting successful prosecutions and collaborations with other agencies.

10

Control Strategy Priorities and Strategic Intelligence Assessment, Donna Duffy

Key Findings and Recommendations:

DD presented the Strategic Intelligence Assessment and Control Strategy Priorities (CSPs) which prioritise operational resources.

Risk has increased in three CSP areas: forced labour in adult social care, exploitation of seasonal agricultural workers, and high-risk labour providers.

Organised Crime Groups were previously a CSP in 2023/24 but were removed after significant work enhanced the intelligence picture around them.

Exploitation linked to visas or Certificates of Sponsorship is prevalent in several sectors but will be treated as a cross-cutting theme rather than a CSP.

Resource Allocation and Risk Management:

Embedding CSPs across the GLAA ensures focused resource allocation on priority areas, with mechanisms in place to address emerging risks, and focuses the operational budget on high-risk areas to avoid inconsistent tasking and ensure protection for vulnerable groups.

Action BM92(3?)

For the CEO to write to thank Donna, the Research and Intelligence Analysis team and Richard Shrimpton for their excellent work and performance.

11

Fair Work Agency Update, Phil Cain

[Official and Sensitive information has been redacted from this section]

The Employments Rights Bill received its second reading on 14th October 2024.

The Report stage must be completed by 15 November, which will then proceed to the Committee stage on 26 November. The Report stage will encompass all previous legislation related specifically to the GLAA, essentially transferring all previously held powers without changes or deletions, except for the dissolution of the GLAA as an entity. It will also include proposals to grant additional powers to the GLAA role and responsibility within the new Fair Work Agency, including:

• Allowing the investigation of offences under Section 4 of the Fraud Act 2006, which pertains to a person or employer in a position of authority exerting influence over an employee to gain financial advantage, particularly useful where investigations do not meet the Modern Slavery criteria, especially in the care sector.
• The right to issue special warnings to suspects during interviews who choose to remain silent when asked material and significant questions, addressing an oversight from initial powers granted under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act.
• Powers to transport suspects once arrested, currently reliant on Police services. This has been referred back to the Home Office for consideration.
• Extension of the Licensing scheme to allow the Secretary of State to regulate other sectors. This is an initial power and does not include specific sectors at this stage.

There are other strands of work that are being developed e.g. the use of civil penalties, powers of entry and prohibition notices.

The Committee stage is to include the following:

• Provides the opportunity for a detailed line-by-line examination of the Bill in a committee room with a smaller group of selected MPs.
• Public Bill Committees in the House of Commons can take written and oral evidence to inform scrutiny of the Bill.
• Committee stage is the first opportunity for MPs to make amendments to the Bill.
• It is also the first opportunity for the Government to table any necessary amendments to the Bill, subject to PBL clearance.

Action BM92(3)

EM to write a high-level note to the Board to explain the GLAA’s position and thoughts around the shaping of the FWA, to ensure consistent messaging when speaking to stakeholders.

12

Board Conscience Feedback – Paul Ousley

Today’s meeting had a slightly smaller attendance, however we remained quorate. All criticism was constructive and was taken well by the Executive. This meeting was well managed by the Chair. The Board Conscience noted the running theme of this meeting was the unknown, as many items referenced challenges or issues without known resolution.

13

AOB

DS noted this was PO’s last meeting with the GLAA Board. Everyone at the GLAA wishes PO good luck in his next venture. DS also thanked SM for her time as Board Apprentice Buddy.

Next Meeting: 29th January 2025