All publications should describe how the specific piece of work will achieve impact, be it next steps in enforcement or otherwise. This is to continue with the Commission’s commitment to embed impact in its work, and signal to stakeholders how the Commission intends to act. Equality and Human Rights Commission As part of embedding our impact model, we will work towards including the intended impact of our interventions, the success measures and how we intend to achieve the impact in all relevant documents. 3.4 Gathering intelligence and providing advice Recommendation Owner Update The Commission should set out a plan to reset its approach to intelligence gathering capability to ensure it has genuine intelligence from the front line. Outreach across England is particularly important and the Commission should Equality and Human Rights Commission We will work to better inform and listen to our stakeholders, bringing intelligence from discussions back into the organisation to support our prioritisation of issues. Preparations for our new Strategic Plan will be a key locus of this development.
3.6 Efficiency Recommendation Owner Update In preparation for the expected 2019 spending review, the Commission and GEO should work together to set out a case for a new budget settlement, based on priorities the Commission sets, effectiveness and impact, with the Commission’s budget reviewed as a standalone line of expenditure. In doing so, a new case should be made for the split between programme and administration classification. Equality and Human Rights Commission / GEO We would stress that the Equality Act 2006 requires the Secretary of State to ‘pay to the Commission such sums as appear to the Secretary of State reasonably sufficient for the purpose of enabling the Commission to perform its functions’. It is essential that this recommendation is implemented consistently with the Commission’s formal and de facto independence, including our ability to decide how best to use our powers to achieve impact. Before the end of the current lease for its London office in 2023, the Commission should explore a range of options for the future of its London operations. Equality and Human Rights Commission During the 2018 strategic planning round we will develop a Strategic Workforce Plan and a complementary Location Strategy for the Commission. This will cover the staff numbers, skills and grade mix we need to deliver our strategic objectives, as well as options for where our people are based. As part of this work we will evaluate options for our presence in London.
A senior representative from the GEO should be invited to attend Commission Board meetings as an observer. Equality and Human Rights Commission We are happy to extend a standing invitation to Board meetings. Based on the Commission’s revised approach to prioritisation and impact, Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for monitoring the Commission’s work should be updated. Equality and Human Rights Commission We are in the process of updating our KPIs with a greater focus on outcomes. To meet NHRI accreditation best practice, Commissioner tenure should continue to be a minimum of three years for future appointments, unless there are exceptional circumstances, for instance to fill a shorter-term skills gap. Government We are pleased that the recent de facto practice of appointing Commissioners for a minimum of three years is recommended to continue. The Chair’s active role in the selection process and chairing of selection panel should be outlined in the framework document. Equality and Human Rights Commission / GEO We welcome the recognition of the need to improve the Commissioner appointments process and to ensure the Chair has an active role in selection. The approach to longlisting and selecting Commissioners on the basis of skills gaps and achieving a balance of Government We welcome this approach.