NIPS Annual Report and Accounts 2012-13 - Department of Justice

ANNUAL
REPORT
and Accounts
Governance Statement
DIRECTOR GENERAL INTRODUCTION AND
SCOPE OF RESPONSIBILITY
I was appointed Accounting Officer on 3 July 2012
following the departure of Colin McConnell in May
2012. As Accounting Officer, I have responsibility
for maintaining a robust system of internal control
that supports the achievement of Northern
Ireland Prison Service (NIPS) policies, and aims and
objectives, whilst safeguarding the public funds
and Departmental assets for which I am personally
responsible. As Accounting Officer, I have put
in place robust governance arrangements which
comply with the relevant sections of the Corporate
Governance Code (2005). Any deviations are noted
later in this document. The vision, statement of
purpose, and strategic aims of NIPS, including how
these support the wider aims of the Department
of Justice (DOJ), are set out at the beginning of
the Annual Report. I am confident that I have put
in place governance arrangements to ensure that
decisions are made at the right time, in the right
place, by the right people.
I am responsible for the effective, efficient, and
economic use of resources provided to the Service;
for the regularity and propriety of its expenditure;
and for ensuring that the requirements of Managing
Public Money (Northern Ireland) are met. I
am supported in this role by the Prison Service
Management Board (PSMB) and its subcommittees
who can quickly identify emerging risks and put
actions in place to manage them. In carrying out
these responsibilities I regularly brief the Minister
both orally and in writing, as appropriate, to alert
him to emerging issues of substance and the
associated risks involved.
As Accounting Officer for NIPS and a member of the
DOJ Departmental Board, I am held to account by
the Departmental Accounting Officer (Chair of the
Departmental Board). This takes the form of regular
reports to DOJ, and the Minister of Justice, as well as
regular bi-lateral discussions with the Departmental
Accounting Officer.
This statement sets out in more detail how NIPS
have continued to develop its governance structure
following a review of the Corporate Governance
Framework and how risks have been reviewed to
ensure that we maintain our focus on the areas
that are most likely to prevent us from achieving
our objectives. I am confident that NIPS has
the governance, risk management and assurance
arrangements in place to ensure that it can rise to
challenges effectively.
PURPOSE OF THE GOVERNANCE FRAMEWORK
The governance framework is the system by which
NIPS is directed, controlled and led. The purpose
of the framework is to define relationships and
structures and the way in which these are managed
to ensure resources are used responsibly, to manage
risks and to provide strategic direction within NIPS.
The governance framework is designed to manage
risk to a reasonable level rather than to eliminate all
risk. The framework is based on an ongoing process
designed to identify and prioritise the risks to the
achievement of service-wide and departmental
policies, aims and objectives, to evaluate the
likelihood of those risks being realised and the
impact should they be realised, and to manage them
efficiently, effectively and economically.
54