The Inter-Agency Science Management Group
(IASMG) has been formed to act as advisors to the Chief Scientists
on inter-agency science issues – focus and priorities, including
emerging issues; quality assurance; resource requirements, delivery
mechanisms and workplans; and reporting on progress. The Group also
supports the various inter-agency groups, facilitating
communication to and from the Chief Scientists’ Group, and steering
their work programmes. The IASMG seeks to (1) provide direction on
behalf of the Joint Committee, and (2) direction on behalf of the
country agencies collectively, on matters solely of interest to the
country agencies.
The IASMG has been formed from representatives
of the JNCC Support Company and three of the four country
conservation bodies (Northern Ireland is not formally represented,
but the NIEA receives papers), as follows:
Phil
Boon
SNH
Catherine Duigan
CCW
Richard
Ferris JNCC
Support Company
Richard
Wright
NE
The IASMG meets four times per year, one month
in advance of meetings of the Chief Scientists’ Group.
Terms of Reference
1 The IASMG will be
responsible for managing Lead Coordination Networks, Lead Agencies
and inter-agency scientific working groups on behalf of the Chief
Scientists’ Group (CSG).
2 The IASMG will be responsible for
enabling CSG to deliver on its twin mandates of:
2.1 Direction on behalf of the
Joint Committee (to Lead Coordination Networks, Lead Agencies, and
some work of the inter-agency scientific working groups) in
association with the Executive Management Board of the JNCC Support
Company, as this will enable the Support Company to deliver its
obligations to Joint Committee (ensuring that Joint Committee work
is delivered irrespective of the body doing it); and
2.2 Direction on behalf of the
country agencies collectively on matters solely of interest to the
country agencies (some work of the Lead Coordination Networks, Lead
Agencies and much of the work of the inter-agency scientific
working groups), as this recognises that some inter-agency
collaborative work is outside JNCC’s remit.
3 To achieve 2.1 CSG will
provide annual guidance to the IASMG, based upon the Joint
Committee review of matters that require collaboration/delivery by
the country conservation agencies and the high-level principles for
how this should be done.
4 To achieve 2.2 CSG will provide
annual guidance to the IASMG, based upon the Chief Executives’
review of inter-agency work that is outside the remit of the
JNCC.
5 The IASMG will undertake its
management of the groups by:
5.1 identifying priorities for
delivery by these groups and agreeing work plans at appropriate
scales;
5.2 maintaining regular contact
with inter-agency groups to:
- assess progress of work plans and steer the
work
- identify bottlenecks in delivery and promote
solutions
- advise on resource issues
- support/engage with specific pieces of work,
as appropriate
- interpret CSG actions for the inter-agency
groups, and oversee responses
5.3 maintaining regular contact
with the CSG:
- to provide regular updates on progress of
work plans, formally as a standing item on CSG meeting agendas
- to negotiate in relation to resourcing issues
(staff, budgets)
- identifying any emerging common science
issues (e.g. horizon scanning needs)
- ensuring that strategy/corporate plan
developments are communicated to and, where appropriate, addressed
by inter-agency groups
- most communication with CSG will be written,
but at least one joint CSG/IASMG meeting will take place each
year
- the IASMG will submit a paper on the progress
of inter-agency working to each CSG meeting
- quarterly papers will also be required to
JNCC Support Company’s Executive Management Board
6 The IASMG will meet
quarterly
7 Membership shall be one
representative from each of JNCC Support Company, CCW, NE, NIEA and
SNH, with specific candidates to be nominated by the respective
Chief Scientists, bearing in mind the skills necessary for the
effective functioning of the IASMG. The members of the IASMG
shall rotate chair and secretary roles amongst themselves as they
see fit.