Agenda item

Report of Head of Customer Service and Information Systems

Summary

To follow up on the recommendations made by the committee at its meeting on 23 September 2009.

Recommendations

The Accounts, Audit and Risk Committee is recommended to:

(1)               Note the updates to recommendations 1, 2 and 5.

(2)               Note that Internal audit are currently undertaking a review of project management and serious incident management (recommendations 3 and 4) across the council, and will provide a verbal update to the meeting.

(3)               Ask the Member/Officer review group being established as a result of the decision by the Executive in December 2009, to include out of hours and standby provision as part of its remit.

(4)               Note the findings of an Internal Audit review of arrangements in ICT as follow up to their February 2009 report on the original incident (taking place 11 and 12 January 2010).

The Committee considered a report of the Head of Customer Service and Information Systems which updated Members on the recommendations made by the Committee at its meeting on 23 September 2009 in respect of serious incidents in general and the ICT incident of February 2009 in particular.

The Head of Customer Service and Information Systems advised the Committee that on 11 and 12 January 2010, the Internal Audit team had undertaken a review of arrangements in ICT as follow up to their February 2009 report on the original incident. The report was not yet available; however the Committee was advised that the initial debriefing had been positive. The report would be circulated to Members when it was available.

The Audit Team Leader updated Members on recommendations 3 and 4, a review of project management and serious incident management. The Committee was advised that the draft Internal Audit Plan 2010/11 included days for additional follow up.

With regard to out of hours ICT support provision (recommendation 1), the Head of Customer Service and Information Systems advised Members that Executive had considered a report on 7 December 2010 which sought approval for a major strategic project to improve the resilience of the Council’s computer systems, and to progress the means of identifying options for the medium and long term delivery of ICT services.

Executive had resolved to establish a Member and Officer review group, which would be tasked with surveying the options for ICT service delivery and driving efficiencies through technology in the future. The Committee agreed that the review groups remit should also include consideration of out of hours ICT support provision.

The Head of Customer Service and Information Services advised the Committee that the review group had not yet been established. Members agreed that it was important for the Committee to be involved in the development of and represented on the Member/Officer review group. The Chief Executive and Head of Customer Service and Information Services agreed to circulate a briefing note to Committee Members with further information about the review group.

The Head of Customer Service and Information Systems reported that she was receiving monthly updates covering service availability, major incidents, changes, helpdesk call statistics, capital and operational projects status, operational issues and staff training (recommendation 2). The reports were also sent to the Portfolio Holder.

The Head of Customer Service and Information Systems updated Members on the measures taken since the incident and the progress as to how the new control and logging systems and culture were embedding in the service (recommendation 5).

Resolved

1)                 That the updates to recommendations 1, 2 and 5 be noted.

2)                 That the verbal update from Internal Audit about the review of project management and serious incident management (recommendations 3 and 4) across the council be noted.

3)                 That the Member/Officer review group being established as a result of the decision by the Executive in December 2009, be asked to include out of hours and standby provision as part of its remit.

4)                 That the verbal update on the preliminary findings of an Internal Audit review of arrangements in ICT as follow up to their February 2009 report on the original incident (taking place 11 and 12 January 2010) be noted.