Annex B
SESSION 2002-03
FORENSIC SCIENCE NORTHERN IRELAND (HC 204)
The Northern Ireland Affairs Committee has requested
a further update on progress made by Forensic Science NI.
Overall, there has been considerable change
in the Agency since the early summer. With a new Chief Executive
in place, Michael Walker, now supported by a new management team
of Directors with considerable commercial experience, the Agency
is better placed to address the many challenges facing it.
The new Directors have particular expertise
and experience in the fields of Financial Management, Human Resource
Management, Operations management and Customer Service. The acquisition
of these skills addresses known weaknesses in management and governance
arrangements within FSNI. The new management team has already
demonstrated its effectiveness by driving forward change throughout
the organisation.
The main features of the progress made in since
the last update in June 2004 are outlined in the following paragraphs.
TRADING FUND
STATUS
Dialogue between the NIO and Treasury officials
in the autumn has highlighted practical disadvantages to the Agency
moving to full Trading Fund Status in April 2006. These relate
to a re-assessment of the scope for establishing a genuine competitive
market in Northern Ireland, given that the Agency's business would
be almost totally focused on serving the requirements of a single
customer, the PSNI. Recognizing the problems associated with such
a limited customer base, Treasury has now acknowledged that Trading
Fund status would not deliver the required benefits in performance.
In accepting that the Agency should not proceed
to Trading Fund status, the NIO and Treasury are agreed that FSNI
should still be required to significantly improve its business
processes; in particular, to develop a sharper, and more commercially
orientated approach. In line with the original Trading Fund time-table,
identified improvements should be substantially completed within
the next 18 months.
The Project programme, originally developed
to guide the move to Trading Fund has now been substantially reviewed
and re-badged as the Agency's core modernisation project. Key
supporting projects, outlined in the Department's June response
to the Committee, have been incorporated into this programme.
Main developments on each on these projects since June 2004 are
as follows:
Investment in IT
The FSNI case management system, Casebook, has
been updated to improve financial recording and reporting in the
financial year 2005-06. The Agency has also provided external
e-mail to all staff desktops allowing much-enhanced communication
with FSNI customers.
Increased investment in DNA
The DNA re-engineering project has to date cut
turnaround times by 50% and now meets the current PSNI targets
comfortably. However, there is still significant work required
to deliver a service comparable to the national Forensic Science
Service (FSS) and to meet targets set for 2005-06. Investment
to date has included brokering work with FSS to provide space
for the DNA team to write and introduce a new process. The Agency
has also used FSS consultants to re-engineer the process and to
benchmark results. FSNI will invest in new equipment early in
2005 and will bring back FSS staff to help further refine the
process. A stretching target of 15 days for all samples has been
set for 2005-06.
Improved Customer Liaison
The Agency has taken steps to improve its working
relationships with the PSNI, its main customer, and so address
its needs more effectively. It has held a number of meetings and
workshops with the PSNI, and now regularly attends the Volume
Crime Users Group. A Submissions Policy is currently being developed
jointly, and a first draft is expected in February 2005.
Re-engineering Business Processes
FSNI is currently in the process of re-engineering
key business processes to ensure that they fully support quality
standards and deliver to time and cost. A new structure for the
whole organisation has been developed and is under evaluation.
One of the key deliverables from this re-engineering is the move
from "silos" to end-to-end processing, enabling the
Agency to exploit its resources flexibility in a more effective
way.
Human Resource Strategy
The Agency's Human Resource Strategy is fundamental
to the successful delivery of the change process in FSNI. As an
Agency within the NIO, FSNI is keen to build on the flexibilities
that have been given to it in its Framework Document. Internal
working groups have been set up, involving staff representatives,
and Action Plans are in the process of being drawn up from the
working group reports. A series of high-level meetings have also
taken place with the FSS to better understand the workings of
that Agency and its trading status.
Strategic Linkages
The Agency has continued to forge closer links
with national forensic science providers, particularly the Forensic
Science Service. A senior member of the FSS has been seconded
to the Agency, at Director level, to help it develop its systems
and processes. Like FSNI, FSS is a "one-stop shop" for
a wide range of forensic science services but with considerably
greater breadth and service capacity. FSS has assisted FSNI by:
— providing concrete assistance with
the DNA improvement project;
— allowing FSNI DNA staff access to
the FSS London Laboratory to review and benchmark the DNA processes;
and
— accepting brokered DNA work from
FSNI to give the Agency some leeway to re-engineer its processes.
Accommodation
Significant progress has been made in taking
forward the Accommodation project. Funding for the project, which
is expected to cost in the order of £25 million has been
identified by the NIO Departmental Board. The project structure
has been agreed and I have taken on the formal role of Senior
Responsible Officer, a key role in an OCG compliant capital project.
FSNI has also seconded a Senior Manager full-time to the project
to drive it forward, and a professional project director and design
team are to be appointed in the New Year. A procurement process
is also under way to appoint specialist advisers to support the
various strands of what is a major capital development project.
The possible siting of the new accommodation
has also been progressed and Consultant architects are completing
a review, updating an earlier study to take account of new sites
that have come onto the market. This work is expected to be completed
early in 2005 and will feed into an outline business case, which
is now in preparation.
The NIO is committed to taking the project forward
in line with OGC guidelines and would expect the new accommodation
to be in commission in 2008.
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