Guidance

Terms of Reference for the TRA Executive Committee (ExCo)

Published 10 October 2023

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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/tra-executive-committee-terms-of-reference/terms-of-reference-for-the-tra-executive-committee-exco

Purpose

The purpose of the Executive Committee (ExCo) is to oversee the Trade Remedies Authority’s (TRA) overall performance and delivery. It focuses on strategic leadership, management and direction, ensuring effective prioritisation of resources to undertake investigations.

Membership

ExCo comprises of the Executive Members of the Board of the TRA and:

  • Investigations Compliance Director
  • Investigations Delivery Director
  • Chief Economist
  • Director of Communications & External Affairs

Reporting and Effectiveness

A summary of ExCo meetings will be provided to the Board of the TRA as part of the Chief Executive’s update.

Responsibilities

ExCo is the overall decision-making body for performance and delivery, under delegated authority from the Chief Executive of the TRA. It focusses on the issues for collective rather than individual responsibilities. Director(s) remain accountable for delivery in their own business area. Areas for collective responsibility include, but are not limited to:

Performance

  • Ensuring that high quality investigations can be delivered efficiently, effectively, fairly and robustly; ensuring delivery and prioritisation of key performance indicators, objectives and milestones as well as oversight of the Annual Report.
  • developing organisational strategy and performance objectives, including agreeing the Business Plan.
  • tracking and managing risks, including those to TRA’s reputation.

Policy

  • adopting and evolving the TRA’s operational policies and both external and internal facing guidance.
  • ensuring that our financial policies are appropriate and effective; that the TRA has strong financial disciplines.

People

  • providing clear executive leadership to the TRA.
  • providing a focus on staffing including resourcing investigations, the development and talent management of TRA’s staff and developing organisational culture (such as responses to the People Survey).

Board

  • Supporting the Board of the TRA including preparing material for agenda items at meetings of the Board.

ExCo may establish, and may delegate decisions to, sub-committees reporting to it. ExCo shall remain accountable to the Chief Executive of the TRA for the work of any sub-committee.

ExCo is not responsible for decisions relating to specific investigations.

Meetings

ExCo shall meet at least twice a month.

ExCo shall be chaired by the Chief Executive, or such person as he/she nominates. If the Chief Executive is unable to chair ExCo and unable to nominate such a person, ExCo shall be chaired by the Director of Corporate Services. If, in such circumstances, the Director of Corporate Services is unable to chair ExCo, then the Chair may be determined by a majority of those full committee members present.

ExCo members may attend meetings in person, or via teleconference or videoconference (such as Microsoft Teams). With the permission of the Chair, members may authorise an appropriate colleague to represent them if they are unable to attend a meeting.

Quorum is three full committee members. Decisions may proceed with the agreement of a majority of those full committee members present.

TRA staff and external guests may attend ExCo meetings as required.

A forward programme of scheduled meetings is maintained by the ExCo secretariat and circulated to ExCo members in advance of meetings.

The committee secretariat will maintain a Decisions Log and an Actions Register. The secretariat will also schedule a quarterly review of items covered over the previous quarter.

Urgent decisions

ExCo can consider urgent matters out of committee (for example via email, phone or an online platform). Urgent decisions may proceed with the agreement of a majority of those full committee members voting, provided that at least three full committee members have voted. Decisions will be coordinated by the ExCo secretariat, or, if more appropriate, the Chief Executive or such person as he/she nominates (or, in the absence of such a nomination, the Director of Corporate Services).

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