FSAI Board Meeting Minutes - 28 January 2025

Present

• Ms Ann Horan (AH) (Chair)
• Mr Patrick Knight (PK)
• Prof Martin Cormican (P. MC)
• Ms Lisa Manselli (LM)
• Mr Gerard McCurdy (GMcC)
• Ms Eilis O’Brien (EOB)

In attendance

• Dr Pamela Byrne (PB), Chief Executive
• Mr Kevin Roantree (KR), Board Secretary
• Ms Fiona Dwyer (FD), PA to the Director of Corporate Affairs
• Dr Michelle Minihan (MM), Director of Audit, Incidents and Investigations (Item 8)

Apologies

• Prof Francis Butler (FB)
• Dr Cliodhna Foley-Nolan (CFN)

1. Welcome 

The Chair welcomed all attendees to the meeting noting apologies from Cliodhna Foley-Nolan and Francis Butler.  She noted that this was the CEO’s last meeting before her term of appointment ends at the end of February 2025 and advised that she had asked the CEO to provide the Board with a presentation on her highlights and reflections during her 10 years in the role as CEO of the FSAI.

The Chair gave an overview of the agenda noting that Michelle Minihan would join the meeting under item 8 to provide the Board with her annual update on the work of her functional area.  The Chair indicated that she would like to focus some time to review and collectively interpret the findings of the Board Effectiveness Survey and agree follow up actions.

2. Declarations of Interest

There were no disclosures made by Board members. 
Board members are asked to return any annual Declarations and Ethics forms by 31st January 2025.

3. Minutes of the last meeting: 3rd December 2024

The Board approved the minutes of 3rd December 2024 subject to the acceptance of agreed minor amendments.

4. Matters arising 

FD provided an update on open actions:

1.    Closed. The actions arising from blended working survey are included in today’s CEO report  
2.    Closed. The presentation provided to the Board by HR and OD Manager on 3rd December has been uploaded to the Board application. 
3.    Open. The Chair and CEO will discuss the Total Diet Study with DoH at their next meeting.
4.    Open. Business Continuity Training to be provided to Board members in Q2 2025.

5. CEO Report 

The CEO Report was taken as read and the Chair invited the CEO to respond to the questions she received on her paper in advance of the meeting.

Local Authority Veterinary Service

The CEO responded to a query in relation to how FSAI addressed issues that have been identified in the lead up to the transfer and she informed the Board that FSAI will address any issues as part of their service contract liaison meetings with the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM).  Overall, it was noted that the transfer to the DAFM on 31st December went smoothly and the Board expressed satisfaction with this.

FSAI Staff Survey 2024

In relation to a query received on the staff survey regarding how management's expectations, as well as the needs of the consumer and of the organisation as a whole are factored into the survey, the CEO informed the Board that the purpose of the staff survey is to get feedback from staff on their insights on their experiences, opinions and levels of satisfaction in the FSAI workplace.  She stated that it is vital to understand if we are meeting the needs of staff while ensuring that our culture, policies and leadership are aligned to the successful delivery of our strategic goals and business plans.

The survey was designed with this in mind and incorporated the key themes from the past three surveys as well as collaborative input from staff on workplace related themes which then also promoted engagement and participation. 

The Board recommend that for the next staff survey the FSAI request the successful survey company to provide some benchmarking information from similar organisations including those within the public sector.  

Blended Working

The Board questioned the need to define a specific blended working culture as this should be included as part of the FSAI overall culture. The CEO noted that while blended working is indeed a part of the FSAI’s overall culture without clear guidance there might be inconsistency between how remote and in-office staff experience the culture.

FSAI Ergonomic Policy 

In response to a request for additional information on the FSAI Ergonomic Policy, the CEO informed the Board that the policy is a set of guidelines and practices designed to ensure that the workplace, both physical and virtual, supports employees' health and safety. The FSAI completed ergonomic assessments in the Exchange (FSAI Offices) in 2024 and is currently in the process of securing a company (through OGP Gov frameworks) to conduct ergonomic surveys for a staff’s home environment. The FSAI Ergonomic Policy will clearly outline the responsibilities of the FSAI, and staff, in terms of ensuring staff are working in a safe environment.

Food Reformulation Task Force (FRTF)

The Board discussed the FRTF and the concerns relating to the FSAI staff on temporary contracts aligned to the project. 

FSAI Student Placement Programme

The CEO provided an update to the Board on how the FSAI operates its student placement programme, confirming that the programme is offered to applicants from all Universities.

Public Sector pay increases 

Following a request for clarification on the provision of funding to cover the public sector pay increases the CEO informed the Board that the FSAI have been informed by the DoH that it should assume that additional funding for pay awards, increments and increased pension costs will be included in the Letter of Allocation. This has been the reassurance provided in previous years and each year FSAI have received the associated funding. The CEO will confirm this when the Letter of Allocation has been received.

6. CEO Reflections 

The Chair invited the CEO to share her reflections and in particular any advice that she would like to share with the Board before she leaves.  

Following her presentation the Chair thanked Dr Pamela Byrne for her 10 years as leader of the organisation and for her role in protecting the health of the public and the reputation of the FSAI as a trusted Regulator.

7. Enforcement Orders

The schedule of recent Enforcement Orders was noted by Board members. 

Michelle Minihan joined the meeting 

8. Presentation from Michelle Minihan, Director of Audit, Incidents and Investigations 

The Chair welcomed MM to the meeting and invited her to present to the Board on the key areas of focus for her functional area and to provide an update on the work of her team since she presented to the Board last year.

The Chair thanked MM for a very informative presentation which highlighted the progress being made within her functional area.

The Board discussed the current status of resources within the AI&I team and MM informed the Board that she is currently drafting a resources proposal for discussion with the HR & OD Manager.

The Board discussed the flow of audit findings from the AI&I team to the Enforcement Policy team.  MM confirmed that following audits, the findings are recorded with the EP team and raised at Official Agency Service Contract liaison meetings for discussion. 

Action: It was agreed to review the information provided to the Board by the AI &I team to ensure that the Board are receiving the information they require. 

Action: MM’s presentation will be uploaded to the Board app. 

Michelle Minihan left the meeting

9. Periodic Critical Review Update (PCR)

The Chair provided an update on the last meeting of the PCR Steering Group on 11th December 2024.  The draft report was sent to the CEO for factual corrections and comments.  She has since reviewed and returned the report to the DoH.   The next meeting of the steering group will take place on the 11th February 2025, after which she expects to be in a position to share the final draft of the report and its recommendations with the Board.  The Chair assured the Board that as it stands there are no significant findings which cause concern. 

10. A 10-minute break was taken.

11. Business Planning and Reporting 

11.1 Business Plan 2024 end of year report

The report was taken as read. The Chair noted that a significant and ambitious programme of work had been completed in 2024.  The Board in particular noted progress made on delivery of the programme of projects, and it was noted that this progress was due to the oversight of the Project Management Office and the application of resources to support it.

It was noted that one item was marked as red in the report signifying that the deliverable was not delivered in 2024 and is not planned to be completed. The CEO explained that following discussions with the DoH an alternative approach to achieving strategic improvements across the food regulatory system has been agreed and this revised approach has been carried over into the 3-year implementation plan of the new strategy.  
The amber status deliverables from the report have been carried forward for completion within the 2025 Business Plan with most expected to be completed in Q1 2025.

It was suggested that for 2025 targets the CEO and SLT review the RAG status and in particular for the Q4 end of year update and consider whether some Ambers should in fact be Reds. (Perhaps add this to the Actions list)

11.2 Draft Business Plan 2025

The Board reviewed the draft Business Plan for 2025 and thanked CEO and staff for the significant amount of work carried out to produce the report.  KR informed the Board that the DoH have reviewed and made extensive comments on the report which the Senior Leadership Team (SLT) have replied to.  The plan will not be formally adopted until receipt of the Letter of Allocation to ensure that the Business Plan is aligned to the FSAI budget. 

Action: PMC to provide FD with some additional comments for consideration on the Business Plan 2025.

11.3 Board Work Plan 2025

The Chair advised the Board that the workplan has been updated to include a section on the Strategy 3 Year Implementation Plan.  As per the tabled workplan each SLT member will lead on one of the 5 key areas of focus within the 3-year implementation plan, and they will be invited to attend a meeting of the Board to lead a discussion and provide an update on the progress of the initiative as well as the associated risks.  KR informed the Board that a dashboard will be developed to track progress against the key priorities and this will also be used to report to the Board.

The Chair noted that the Board meeting on the 17th June will be a full day session and a proposed programme for the day will follow in due course. 

Action: The Chair requested that all Board members review the planned meeting dates and inform FD if they are unable to attend a particular meeting. As there are only 7 scheduled meetings per annum, it is important to have full attendance at meetings, if at all possible. 

12.0 Finance and Governance Matters

12.1 Finance and Governance Update

The Chair asked KR to provide an overview of the paper, noting that the Finance Team are continuing to chase 2024 Q4 invoices from the Local Authority Veterinary Services.

The C&AG have not yet confirmed when they will carry out their audit of FSAI’s internal financial controls.

12.2 Audit and Risk Committee Update

GMcC informed the Board that the next meeting of the Audit and Risk Committee meeting will take place on 10th March 2025, where they expect to review the draft statement on internal control. The meeting is scheduled to take place in person.

GMcC noted that he hopes to have completed the appointment of the new external ARC member in advance of the next meeting.

12.3 Risk and Opportunities Register (ROR)

KR informed the Board that the revised Risk Register tabled for review at today’s meeting was developed by the SLT to align with the new FSAI Strategy.  The register will be reviewed by the ARC at their next meeting.  The SLT are also in the process of revising the FSAI Risk Appetite statement which will be tabled for review by the Board at their March meeting.

12.4 Performance Remuneration Committee update

The Board noted that the new CEO has been appointed.  FSAI staff were notified of the appointment earlier this morning and the Communications Team have issued a press release on the appointment.  

The next meeting of the PRC will take place 18th March 2025.  The new CEO will attend and the process of setting goals for the year will commence.

12.5 Scientific Committee update

PMC updated the Board on the last meeting of the Scientific Committee 9th December 2024.  He noted that the term of the current Scientific Committee will end in February 2026 and the process for convening a new committee will commence shortly.

12.6 Board Effectiveness Review  

The Board reviewed the results of self-assessment survey in detail and were satisfied that over all the scores were high.  The Board reviewed the individual comments received in order to identify possible areas for improvement or action. 

Action: FD will create a list of agreed actions and circulate for approval at the next meeting.

The Board agreed that following the appointment of the two new Board members an updated skills gap analysis should be carried out.  This will be included on the action list tabled at the next meeting.

The Chair noted that in 2025 we will require an external review to be carried out on Board effectiveness and we will shortly begin the process to recruit a consultant to lead this exercise.  The Board agreed that the consultant should focus on benchmarking with practices in similar organisations and also assist with the development of an improved questionnaire to use for future self-evaluations.  

12.7 Data Protection Officer (DPO) Annual Report to the Board 

The report was taken as read and noted by the Board.  The Chair on behalf of the Board thanked the DPO for a very comprehensive report.  KR added that the DPO had developed AI guidelines for the organisation, which are based on EU and DEPNDR guidance on safe and compliant use of artificial intelligence in order to benefit the organisation.

13.  AOB 

Governance Forum Events Programme 

A copy of the IPA Governance Forum Events programme for 2025 has been circulated to all Board members who are asked to contact FD with details of the events they would like to attend.

Public Appointments Service update on Board vacancies 

The Chair informed the Board that two Public Appointment Service (PAS) selection meetings took place in December 2024. The Chair noted that we are looking for 3 positions to be filled.  Two for the current vacancies, for which are seeking expertise in the food science/food safety and risk management/audit/governance experience.  A third position will be filled to cover a Board vacancy that will arise in October 2025. The Chair informed the Board that the names of potential candidates have been sent to newly appointed Minister for Health for approval.

New Minister for Health

It was agreed that the Chair would write to the new Minister for Health to congratulate her on her appointment and to propose a meeting with the Chair and the CEO.

IBABS training 

A training session for Board members on the new Board digital platform will be arranged for the end of February.

Action: FD to circulate a poll to Board members for IBABS training dates. 

The Chair once again on behalf of the Board thanked the CEO for her commitment and dedication to the FSAI over the last 10 years and wished her well in her future endeavours.

14. Private Session 

The FSAI staff left the meeting, and the Board held a private session.

Date of next meeting: 18th March 2025

FSAI Board Actions: January 2025

2 actions closed from the previous meeting on 3^rd December 2024

To Note: Actions raised by the Board will be placed into the Actions table and remain there until completed (or removed by request of the Chair). Once an action is completed it will be marked as such for one meeting prior to being removed.