Agenda and minutes
GLA Oversight Committee - Tuesday 30 June 2015 10.00 am

1.1  As the Chair and Deputy Chairman had given apologies, the committee clerk, having called formally for nominations, declared Joanne McCartney AM as Chair of the GLA Oversight Committee for the duration of the meeting.

1.2  Apologies for absence were received from Tony Arbour AM, Andrew Boff AM, Len Duvall AM, for whom Valerie Shawcross CBE AM attended as a substitute, and Jennette Arnold OBE AM, for whom Dr Onkar Sahota AM attended as a substitute.

The Committee is recommended to:

(a)  Note the offices held by Assembly Members, as set out in the table at Agenda Item 2, as disclosable pecuniary interests;

(b)   Note the declaration by any Member(s) of any disclosable pecuniary interests in specific items listed on the agenda and the necessary action taken by the Member(s) regarding withdrawal following such declaration(s); and

(c)   Note the declaration by any Member(s) of any other interests deemed to be relevant (including any interests arising from gifts and hospitality received which are not at the time of the meeting reflected on the Authority’s register of gifts and hospitality, and noting also the advice from the GLA’s Monitoring Officer set out at Agenda Item 2) and to note any necessary action taken by the Member(s) following such declaration(s).

2.1  Resolved:

That the list of Assembly Members’ appointments, as set out in the table at Agenda Item 2, be noted as disclosable pecuniary interests.

To note the membership and chairing arrangements for the Committee made by the Annual Meeting of the Assembly on 13 May 2015.

Len Duvall AM (Chair)

Tony Arbour AM (Deputy Chairman)

Jennette Arnold OBE AM

Andrew Boff AM

Roger Evans AM

Darren Johnson AM

Joanne McCartney AM

Caroline Pidgeon MBE AM

Navin Shah AM

3.1  That the membership and chairing arrangements for the Committee made by the Annual Meeting of the Assembly on 13 May 2015, be noted as follows:

Len Duvall AM (Chair)

Tony Arbour AM (Deputy Chairman)

Jennette Arnold OBE AM

Andrew Boff AM

Roger Evans AM

Darren Johnson AM

Joanne McCartney AM

Caroline Pidgeon MBE AM

Navin Shah AM

The Committee is recommended to:

(a)  Note the Committee’s terms of reference, which are as follows:

4.1  That the membership, chairing arrangements and Chair’s standing delegations for the Committee, made by the Annual Meeting of the Assembly on 13 May 2015, be noted.

Report of the Executive Director of Secretariat

Contact:  John Barry; [email protected]; 020 7983 4425 

The Committee is recommended to:

(a)  Consider whether to re-establish the Education Panel as a working group with the term of reference, size, membership and chairing arrangements, as set out in the report;

(b)  Consider whether to re-establish the Head of Paid Service Performance Review Panel as a working group, with the term of reference, size,  membership and chairing arrangements, as set out in the report;

(c)  Consider whether to re-establish the Standing Orders Working Group, with the term of reference, size, membership and chairing arrangements, as set out in the report; and

(d)  Consider whether to re-establish the Devolution Working Group with the terms of reference, size, membership and chairing arrangements, as set out in the report.

5.1  The Committee received the report of the Executive Director of Secretariat

5.2  Resolved:

(a)  That the Education Panel, the Head of Paid Service Performance Review Panel and the Devolution Working Group be established with the terms of reference, membership and chairing arrangements as set out in the report.

(b)  That the Standing Orders Working Group be established with the terms of reference and chairing arrangements as set out in the report, and with the following membership:

Andrew Dismore AM

Darren Johnson AM

Steve O’Connell AM

The Committee is recommended to confirm the minutes of the meeting of the GLA Oversight Committee held on 24 March 2015 to be signed by the Chair as a correct record.

6.1  Resolved:

That the minutes of the meeting of the GLA Oversight Committee held on 24 March 2015 be signed by the Chair as a correct record.

7.1  The Committee received the report of the Executive Director of Secretariat.

7.2  Resolved:

That the completed and outstanding actions arising from previous meetings of the GLA Oversight Committee be noted.

Report of the Executive Director of Secretariat

Contact:  John Barry; [email protected]; 020 7983 4425 

The Committee is recommended to note the action taken by the Chair of the Committee under delegated authority.

8.1  The Committee received the report of the Executive Director of Secretariat setting out recent correspondence issued by the Chair of the GLA Oversight Committee under delegated authority.

8.2  Resolved:

That the recent actions taken by the Chair of the Committee under delegated authority be noted.

9.1  There were no items of additional business that required an oral update.

Report of the Head of Paid Service and Executive Director of Resources

Contact: Tom Middleton; [email protected]; 020 7983 4257

The Committee is recommended to comment on the draft GLA Annual Governance Statement for 2014?15.

10.1  The Committee received the report of the Head of Paid Service and Executive Director of Resources.

10.2  Valerie Shawcross CBE AM suggested that the Authority should ensure a commercial or independent assessment be undertaken at the outset of occasions where the Mayor enters into an alliance or partnership with a single commercial entity without any open market or tendering processes having taken place, noting that, whilst there was no suggestion of legal impropriety, the Authority nevertheless has a fiduciary duty to ensure value for money.

10.3  The Head of Governance and Resilience, agreed to reflect the comments in the Annual Governance Statement and re-submit the Statement to the next meeting of the Committee for further discussion.

10.4  Resolved:

That a revised version of the draft GLA Annual Governance Statement for 2014?15, amended to reflect the comments made in the meeting and recorded above, be circulated for further discussion at the next meeting of the GLA Oversight Committee.

Report of the Executive Director of Resources

Contact: Martin Boyle; [email protected]; 020 7983 4144

The Committee, prior to the Mayor’s Decision under section 401A of the Greater London Authority Act,  is recommended to comment on the proposal for a shared service arrangement for TfL to undertake GLA’s insurance arrangements, as described in the report, as soon as mutually practicable.

11.1  The Committee received the report of the Executive Director of Secretariat.

11.2  Resolved:

That the proposal for a shared service arrangement for Transport for London to undertake the Greater London Authority’s insurance arrangements, as described in the report, be noted.

Report of the Executive Director of Secretariat

Contact: Richard Berry, [email protected], 020 7983 4199

The Committee is recommended to:

(a)  Agree that expenditure of up to £5,000 be authorised for the Transport Committee to commission an external contractor to conduct a survey of London residents on attitudes to National Rail services; and

(b)  Note that the Executive Director of Secretariat, in consultation with the Chair of the Transport Committee, will commission the external contractor to carry out the rail survey, subject to the Committee approving the recommendation.

12.1  The Committee received the report of the Executive Director of Secretariat.

12.2  Resolved:

(a)  That it be agreed that expenditure of up to £5,000 be authorised for the Transport Committee to commission an external contractor to conduct a survey of London residents on attitudes to National Rail services; and

(b)  That it be noted that the Executive Director of Secretariat, in consultation with the Chair of the Transport Committee, would commission the external contractor to carry out the rail survey.

Report of the Executive Director of Secretariat

Contact: Katie Smith; [email protected]; 020 7983 4423 

The Committee is recommended to:

(a)  Approve expenditure up to a maximum of £5,000 from the 2015/16 scrutiny programme budget, to commission external contractors to undertake survey work to support the Health Committee’s investigation into tuberculosis in London; and

(b)  Note that the Executive Director of the Secretariat, in consultation with the Chair of the Health Committee, will commission the external contractors, subject to the Committee approving this expenditure.

13.1  The Committee received the report of the Executive Director of Secretariat.

13.2  Resolved:

(a)  That it be agreed to approve expenditure of up to a maximum of £5,000 from the 2015/16 scrutiny programme budget, to commission external contractors to undertake survey work to support the Health Committee’s investigation into tuberculosis in London; and

(b)  That it be noted that the Executive Director of the Secretariat, in consultation with the Chair of the Health Committee, would commission the external contractors.

Report of the Executive Director of Secretariat

Contact: Katie Smith; [email protected]; 020 7983 4423 

The Committee is recommended to note the core Secretariat quarterly monitoring report for the fourth quarter of 2014-15 (January-March 2015).

14.1  The Committee received the report of the Executive Director of Secretariat.

14.2  Resolved:

That the core Secretariat quarterly monitoring report for the fourth quarter of 2014/15 (January – March 2015) be noted.

Report of the Executive Director of Secretariat

Contact: Katie Smith; [email protected]; 020 7983 4423 

The Committee is recommended to agree the Assembly’s contribution to the GLA’s Annual Equalities Report 2014/15 in advance of its consideration of the full report at its meeting in October 2015.

15.1  The Committee received the report of the Executive Director of Secretariat.

15.2  Resolved:

That the Assembly’s contribution to the GLA’s Annual Equalities Report 2014/15, in advance of its consideration of the full report at its meeting in October 2015, be agreed.

Report of the Executive Director of Secretariat

Contact:  John Barry; [email protected]; 020 7983 4425

The Committee is recommended to:

(a)  Agree its work programme for 2015/16, as set out in this report and identify any additional issues it wishes to consider at future meetings; and

(b)  Having previously agreed to appoint John Biggs AM as rapporteur to carry out a follow?up investigation into transparency in the GLA Group and wider GLA family, agree the terms of reference of the investigation as set out in the report.

16.1  The Committee received the report of the Executive Director of Secretariat.

16.2  The Head of Scrutiny and Investigations suggested re-scheduling the London Pensions Fund Authority (LPFA) item from November to October 2015, in order that the Committee could be consulted on potential changes to the LPFA’s functions in a more timely way.

16.3  Resolved:

(a)  That the work programme for 2015/16, as set out in the report, amended to reflect the change of timing for the discussion with the London Pensions Fund Authority from November to October 2015, be agreed; and

(b)  That the terms of reference of the rapporteur investigation into transparency in the GLA Group and wider GLA family, as set out in the report, be agreed.

The next meeting of the Committee is scheduled to be held on Thursday 9 July 2015 at 2.00pm in Committee Room 4.

17.1  The next meeting of the Committee was scheduled to be held on Thursday 9 July 2015 at 2.00pm in Committee Room 4.

18.1  There were no items of urgent business.

19.1  The meeting finished at 10.25am.