Those present:

Margaret Prosser                  Chair
Anita Gale                Commissioner
Liz Kelly                 Commissioner
Janet Veitch              Director, WNC
Susan Green               Deputy Director, WNC

Apologies:

Ranjana Bell              Commissioner
Brenda King               Commissioner
Trisha Greenhalgh        Business Manager, WNC


1. Margaret welcomed those present and gave apologies. She explained that due to the WNC Review, announced by the Minister for Women, Meg Munn, at the WNC All-Partners` meeting on 14 December, it had not been possible for WNC to develop proposals for next years work programme, and therefore Commissioners could not be asked to approve any new proposals. However, they were asked to comment on existing work and identify areas where they would recommend change or new work.

Business Plan

2. Commissioners discussed the ongoing Business Plan.

Violence Against Women The Board noted again that WNC is the advisory arm of the violence against women (VAW) work and that the End Violence Against Women Campaign is the lobbying body on which WNC sits and has a voice. WNC's role on Making the Grade is to moderate the scores of the EVAW Making the Grade Group to ensure fairness and parity. It was agreed that WNC should seek to persuade EVAW that next year's Making the Grade report should start off positively if the evidence allowed, as although 2006 Making the Grade was complimentary about Government initiatives and achievements in the scorecards, Meg Munn had been upset that this was not more prevalent throughout the report.

Muslim Women's Network JV explained that it was intended that the MWN became independent of WNC by obtaining its own funding for projects. WNC were facilitating this and there was possibility of three projects: WNC were in discussion with DEMOS about a project on employment which would study the local labour markets for Muslim Women; MP, JV and Anber Raz (WNC) had been to see Patricia Hewitt, SoS, DOH, who was very keen to hold consultations with BME women generally on health issues and to take forward the recommendations in the MWN report ``She Who Disputes'' on health issues; producing a questionnaire on Mosques with the aim of developing a Guide or Directory to Mosques and their service provision.

Iraqi Women's Internship Project This was a real success with an estimated 600 women trained through the interns that had been on the WNC-run programme. WNC had finalised the report and this was to be published by the British Council at some point in the future.

Honours Four women had been successful through the WNC Honours work and there was a likelihood that those that had just missed would be successful next time round. JV noted that DCLG and, centrally, Cabinet office, were keen to redress the under-representation of women in the Honours lists, and WNC had a positive contribution to make.

Outreach Commissioners felt that this was an area that had slipped because of competing priorities, but with Wales as a shining example of what could be achieved on a very limited budget. Commissioners congratulated Anita Gale (AG) who said how important it was after May to do more outreach work because each of the four nations would have more devolved powers. It was noted that there was currently no representation on the WNC Board from Scotland.

AP1: WNC to develop a strategy for the devolved nations and that outreach was seen as a priority.

It was agreed overall that until the outcome of the review was known, WNC work would carry on as normal.

WNC Review

3. MP welcomed Helene Reardon Bond (HRB), WEU at 11am. Although it was realised that the Terms of Reference had still not been agreed by Ruth Kelly, there could still be a discussion about the process of the Review. HRB explained that appointment letters had gone to 3 new Commissioners and 3 existing Commissioners she noted that this was a much smaller number of appointments than had been recommended, and that the appointments were limited to a single year rather than the normal two years. HRB made clear that when the Review was over, decisions could then be made about numbers and what skill sets would be required. She apologised that the process was taking so long. Letters had also gone to departing Commissioners.

4. HRB explained the reasons for the review:
        

MP was resigning as Chair of WNC to take up a new position as Deputy Chair of CEHR:
        

it was some years since the last review in 1999:
        

it was a good time to see how WNC would fit in with CEHR; and
        

two reports, She who Disputes and Making the Grade 2006 were in their minds when deciding on the review.

5. HRB explained that:
        

Terms of Reference were still being decided by Ruth Kelly:
        

three suggestions for the Chair of the Review had been put forward with a recommendation for one.

6. MP said that she was writing to Ruth Kelly, formally resigning as Chair of WNC and therefore would require an acting Chair to be selected as quickly as possible.

7. HRB explained that WEU were considering in the Review:

        

how WNC could better engage with Ministers:
        

how they could better realise the potential of WNC and how to reach out to connect to women:
        

how the relationship with the CEHR fits with WNC: and
        

clearer regular lines of information to Ministers on WNC work. JV noted that updates were sent monthly to the Director of WEU, Angela Mason, to inform her discussions with Ministers.

8. All Commissioners said they would be happy to talk to the Chair of the Review and all felt they had a good story to tell. HRB said she saw the WNC as looking at the current points of tension for women and how that fed into long term policy development. She said she realised how difficult it was for WNC who had to chase pockets of money. HRB said she was interested in seeing WNC take part more in civic participation and getting women's voices heard particularly from the grassroots so that women are better equipped and encouraged. AG explained that she was already spearheading this in Wales but that it required funding. MP said that Peter Hain, SoS for Wales and Northern Ireland, had been very keen to engage and would like to do more. She added that the CEHR will need a sounding board for women and HRB confirmed that the Review would formalise women's role within the CEHR. LK said that women who were bringing their voice to us were active in their communities, and represented the informed opinion of Women, in line with WNC`s formal remit.

9. AG said that WNC can have a particular role with the devolved nations and that Westminster officials can get to the devolved nations through the WNC. MP said Ministers should see WNC as a resource. It was agreed that WNC could log its successes better. LK explained that Making the Grade represented the voice of Women in the VAW sector, and that the VAW Group was responding to Ministers' concern about a fragmented policy sector. The VAW advisory group was delivery something quite substantial in terms of policy comment.

AP2: JV to lead and liaise with the Head of the Review on stakeholder engagement, eg OGD officials.

10. MP made clear that staff were feeling uncertain about the Review and that there was a sense of drift, of lack of direction that was unfair on WNC staff. WEU needed to have regard to how the staff are feeling. HRB noted this point.

HRB left.

Chair's updates

11. LK - Chaired two whole day meetings on VAW Group; discussed possible HO-funded BME Group: attending steering committee for Holly Dustin's post: input to work on Special Rapporteur on VAW; pushed ideas and issues on sexual violence, eg weight crimes in terms of criminal justice response, prioritising seriousness not volume, measuring SV crimes and that support should be not just through criminal justice remedies.

12. AG - 30 women attended her Cardiff seminar for Welsh partners. Assembly members, politicians from different parties, Jane Hutt the Equalities Minister and Kate Bennett from EOC Wales attended. All had a very good discussion on the CEHR.

Director's update

13. JV - In December WNC published and launched She Who Disputes, and supported the launch of Making the Grade reports and held an All partner's Conference. In January, the Women's Budget Group launched their `Voices of Experience `Project with women who are living in poverty to engage with Treasury on the gender pay gap and getting the gender perspective into fiscal policy: the Women and Work Commission also attended. JV also attended the EDF on an ongoing basis. WNC were co-sponsoring a side event at the UN Commission on the Status of Women with NAWO, with the UN Special Rapporteur on VAW and LK which would showcase their work on an index of indicators on VAW. This was high profile as FCO reports back to all Ministers on CSW and this would be included. WNC is also working on the CEDAW shadow report and visiting Departments with VAW members to raise awareness about the Gender Equality Duty. JV attended an Olympics stakeholder meeting which looked at women as stakeholders eg as audiences, volunteers, employment opportunities. JV said she would like to organise women's groups to engage with the Olympics Diversity strategy and that we had an invitation to the official diversity Group the following week.

14. JV said Equality 20/20, WNC`s sister organisation in relation to disability, were interested in working with us. They were interested in following the Making the Grade model in terms of measuring performance on disability issues, as were the EDF as a way of measuring equality. JV had a meeting with Shami Chakrabati about how WNC could work together with Liberty, LK wished to minute that she is continually amazed at what WNC does given its limited resources and that WNC is so committed to being creative with what it has.

Chair's update

15. See WNC 07/2/05. Minutes of previous meeting agreed as a correct record. AP5 to be checked - SG

Dates of next meeting:

17/18 April 2007 (Now Proposed for 15/16 or 22/23 May 2007)
10/11 July 2007
16/17 October 2007
11/12 December 2007

Commissioners wished to record their grateful thanks to Margaret and Janet at their last meeting and to wish them well for the future.