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MINUTES OF THE ANNUAL VISITATION BY THE BOARD OF GOVENORS HELD IN THE CASSINI ROOM ARMAGH PLANETARIUM AT 10.30AM ON 22 MARCH 2013 Present: Apologies: In attendance: The Very Rever end Dean G. Dunstan (Acting Chair man), Canon J.N.T. Campbell, Canon C.F. Moor e, Canon J.W. McKegney, Mr W.G.H. Berry and Professor R. Oudmaijer His Grace, the Most Rever end R. Clarke, Canon W.M. Adair, Canon R.J.N. Porteus, Canon T. Scott, Professor S. Smartt and Professor A. Hibbert Professor M. Bailey, Dr T. Mason and Miss H. Hughes

1. CONFLICTS OF INTEREST No conflicts of inter est wer e declared. 2. MINUTES OF THE ANNUAL VISITATION OF 23 MARCH 2012 The minutes of the Annual Visitation of the Board of Governors of 23 March 2012 wer e reviewed, approved as a true and accurate record of the meeting and signed by the Acting Chair ma n. 3. MATTERS ARISING FROM THE MINUTES 3.1 Minute 3 ­ The Acting Chair ma n queried the outcome of the personnel matter wher eby an employee of the Planetarium ha d lodged a claim for unfair dismissal against the Governors of Ar magh Observatory and Planetarium with the Office of Industrial Tribunal. Dr Mason advised that this has been resolved. 4. MATTERS FOR REPORT AND APPROVAL 4.1. Minutes of the meetings of the Management Committee 4.1.1. Minutes of the Management Committee held on 21 June 2012 a) Professor Bailey drew Members' attention to the outstanding actions under Minutes 3.3, 3.4, and 3.6 and advised Members that the problems of sourcing expert advice on the ma intenance of the Grade A Observator y building are ongoing. Dr Mason noted that (Minute 3.14.) Professor Hibbert had met with staff after an anonymous complaint had been received by a member of the Management Committee a bout communicati ons between Directors and staff, and the issue had been resolved. 4.1.2. Minutes of the Management Committee held on 22 November 2012 a) Professor Bailey advised that these minutes are still in draft form and that a tender (Minute 3.2.) to procure specialist services to maintain and protect the Observatory building is to be progressed. He also highlighted the successful perfor mance of Bertolt Br echt's play on the life of Galileo, presented by the Greenwood Players in the Observatory in February 2013 (Minute 5.6.) and updated Members on the r epair of the Historic window broken in the Observator y in February 2011. (Minute 5.14.(2)) b) Dr Mason updated members on the Access NI change of policy with regards to Registered Bodies which was introduced in September 2012. This requires future disclosure applications to be ma de through an umbrella body. (Minute 5.15.5.) c) Members discussed the collaboration between the Observatory and Queen's University, Belfast. (Minute 5.13.) Professor Bailey advised that the Observatory places PhD students with a range of universities and a new Memorandum of Agr eement has also been arranged with Trinity College Dublin. Members welcomed the drafting of this agreement (see 6.5. below). d) Professor Bailey highlighted the Board's role as the top level of decision ma king, and that Risk Registers and Quarterly Assurance S tatements are potentially the most important governa nce documents to be placed befor e the Board of Gover nors. (Minute 5.19.) Dr


MINUTES OF THE ANNUAL VISITATION BY THE BOARD OF GOVERNORS 22 March 2013 Page 2 Mason emphasised that DCAL placed emphasis on Risk Registers and Quarterly Assurance Statements, and in particular, wished to draw the Board's attention to these for approval. Members queried if Risk Registers are uploaded on the website after approval, and wer e advised that they wer e not. e) A review of AOP mana gement structure by the Department is due to commence. The Directors are meeting with the DCAL review tea m on 28th March 2013. (Minute 5.20. (4)) Other Management Committee members are meeting with DCAL on 10th April 2013. The fact that DCAL wer e taking interest in the structure of organisation was welcomed. 4.2. Minutes of the meetings of the Audit and Risk Management Committee 4.2.1. Minutes of the Audit and Risk Management Committee held on 8 June 2012 a) Dr Mason highlighted that DCAL view the Audit Risk and Management Committee as a vital mechanism to challenge the Dir ectors. Board Members confir med that they automatically receive the minutes of meetings after they are approved. He also drew Members' attention to the fact that the Corporation, from 1 March 2005 to 31 March 2011, had paid a portion of some employees' pension contributions which ma y have HMRC implications. Dr Mason advised that a business case outlining the situation had been created and a potential liability is currently recorded in Planetarium's accounts. Dr Mason is to discuss this with DCAL in the coming weeks. With regards to the Equal Pay Lump Sum Compensatory Payment, (Minute 3.1) Dr Mason advised that the test case was unsuccessful and the issue is currently ongoing. 4.2.2. Minutes of the Audit and Risk Management Committee held on 25 January 2013 a) No comments wer e ma de on the above minutes. 4.3. NIAO Audit Strategy for 2012/2013 4.3.1. Dr Mason highlighted that the Internal Auditors have reached the end of their contract with the Observatory and Planetarium. The Dir ectors are to investigate the process for tendering for a new Internal Auditor. 4.3.2. The NIAO Audit Strategy for 2012/2013 was presented at the most recent meeting of the ARMC. Professor Bailey highlighted that the Statement of Internal C ontrol has been replaced by the Gover nance Statement, which details what the Board of Governors will have to approve. Dr Mason advised that there is no template available; however compr ehensive guida nce has been received from DCAL which details the areas which are to be included in the Gover nance Statement. 4.3.3. The Board queried t he risk of override of controls due to the size of the Finance tea m and t he number of duties carried out by these staff members. Dr Mason explained that this implies that the Finance tea m ma y be too small and may require the need to employ an additional member of staff. 4.3.4. Dr Mason discussed the quer y from the Internal Auditor with regards to the level of Risk Appetite for the Planetarium and Observator y; DCAL has a very low Risk Appetite, wher eas the Dir ectors have to take risks in the nor mal course of business and ther efor e their Risk Appetite has to be higher than that of DCAL. However controls are in place to regulate these risks. 4.3.5. The Board discussed the Audit timetable on page 8; a provisional meeting date of 21st June 2013 has been proposed for signing the Financial Statements and Letter of Representation. Ar magh Observatory and Planetarium is requir ed to comply with the NIAO timetable. Dr Mason advised that the dea dline is likely to be made however the new Governance Statements are expected to make the process mor e complex. 4.3.6. The NIAO Audit Strategy for 2012/2013 was approved by the Board of Gover nors. 4.4. Review of most recent Armagh Observatory and Armagh Planetarium Risk Registers and Quarterly Assurance Statements 4.4.1. Board members wer e provided with an updated version of Risk Registers and Quarterly Assurance Statements which included changes which wer e recommended at the most recent meeting of the ARMC. 4.4.2. Professor Bailey drew Members' attention to a number of changes to the Risk Register, notably that (i) the hea der had been changed to include a date for review by the Board of


MINUTES OF THE ANNUAL VISITATION BY THE BOARD OF GOVERNORS 22 March 2013 Page 3 Governors, Management Committee and the ARMC; (ii) The Board Risk Appetite level had been inserted and that the general statement is that the risk should be as low as reasonably practicable (low to medium) though this could vary for each risk; (iii) minor changes ha d been ma de to risk number 2 ­ Funding, following recommendations from the ARMC. (This risk rema ins yellow as funding is outside of the control of the organisation though the Department is very supportive of Ar magh Observatory and Planetarium); (iv) Inter nal Audit had provided limited assurance for Health and Safety (Ref. risk number 4); the Health and Safety Officer had retir ed and not yet been r eplaced and the recommendations of a recent fir e inspection ma y be difficult to implement owing to cost and the nature of the listed building. These r ecommendations included upgrading the wiring of the fire alarms. The Board quer ied if DCAL would fund this and the consensus at the meeting was that this would be essentia l maintenance work for which funding should be ma de available. Dr Mason highlighted that it may be possible to fit wiring in the spaces around the windows. The Board and Directors agreed that this was a high priorit y item. Professor Bailey also discussed the interrelated risks 8, 9 and 10 and the new risk 11 relating to the loss of a key member of staff. Board members again discussed whether the Risk R egister is to be made public; Professor Bailey explained that the Risk Register is accessible to all staff including ma nagement and DCAL, but as a live document is not publicly available. On the question of recruitment and retention of staff, this is a complex, volatile risk. The Board quer ied if the matter was being addr essed; Professor Bailey advised that a review is due to be carried out by the Department. This issue is constrained by the fina ncial and regulatory framework under which the organisation operates. Professor Bailey emphasised that the Observatory does not wish to lose expertise of staff members, and this needs to be addr essed to allow opportunity for staff promotion at all levels. Professor Bailey drew Members' attention to a number of changes to the Obser vatory's Quarterly Assurance Statement following the most recent ARMC meeting, including (i) extra lines added to the DCAL template; (ii) revisions implemented as recommended by the ARMC; (iii) inclusion of a new risk relating to the long-ter m absence of a member of staff; (iv) the need for the Management Committee and Board of Governors to assess their effectiveness on an annual basis. (This is an action for the Board to complete with guidance from the deputy chair of the Mana gement Committee). Professor Hibbert is to provide a questionnair e; (v) the introduction of a policy review following a request from the ARMC meeting in January 2013 and (vi) refer ence to recommendations from the recent Inter nal and External audit reports. Dr Mason dr ew attention to changes which are to be made to the Planetarium's Risk Register, including (i) an a mended hea der; (ii) updates to be highlighted in italics; (iii) the long-ter m absence of a member of staff as a new risk; (iv) the risk of recruitment and retention of staff; and (v) the or ganisation operates in a highly controlled NICS system. This risk is to be discussed in a DCAL review is to take place in coming weeks. The Board discussed the risk of a lack of funding, and it was emphasised that the Department have been very financially supportive of the orga nisation. The Board discussed the long-ter m strategy of the or ganisation and the related pla ns which are in place to address this. The Directors advised that the DCAL review is taking place faster than anticipated with a first meeting to be held in the coming week. Dr Mason is to addr ess succession and future planning; which includes carrying out a review of staff posts and the duties which are carried out by each staff member. This will deter mine if the actual role the staff member is carrying out is differ ent from the post which was originally advertised. The Board discussed the role of the Management Committee in address ing this and Dr Mason advised that he has prepared pertinent documents to assist those who may be hiring r eplacements. The Board approved the Quarterly Assurance Statements for the Observatory and Planetarium; however emphasis was placed on the caveats highlighted above. Professor Bailey circulated the r evised ter ms of refer ence of the Audit and Risk Management Committee, which had been updated following a recommendation from the ARMC. The Board of Gover nors approved the document.

4.4.3.

4.4.4.

4.4.5.

4.4.6.

4.4.7. 4.4.8.


MINUTES OF THE ANNUAL VISITATION BY THE BOARD OF GOVERNORS 22 March 2013 Page 4 5. CHAIRMAN'S BUSINESS 5.1. Dr Mason discussed the long-ter m absence of a member of staff; the matter is ongoing with an investigatory meeting scheduled for April 2013. 5.2. Professor Bailey discussed the current ongoing review by DCAL into ALBs. The Phase 1 review acknowledged that Arma gh Observatory and Planetarium contribute gr eatly as a tourist attraction, draw significant numbers of people to the area and that Ar magh Observatory is the only one of its kind in Northern Ir eland. Suggestions have been ma de that ALBs could exist under alter native sponsorship arrangements, for exa mple consider ing the possible overlap between the Observatory's research and that carried out at Queen's University. Professor Bailey emphasised the importance of developing strong links with Queen's University. Another option suggested by the Phase 1 review was the possible a malga mation of Ar magh Obser vatory and Planetarium with National Museums Northern Ireland. An important issue, identified in the r eview, concer ned the question of ownership of the assets of the Corporation; it was agreed that legal advice would have to be sought regarding this. Other options suggested by the Phase 1 review included the potential for increased contributions from Ar magh City and District Council and the Church of Ir ela nd. Dr Mason highlighted the importance of quantifying the benefits in kind arising from the current arrangements. Alternative funding options are to be examined in mor e detail in the next phase of the DCAL review. The implications of all these issues need very careful consideration. 6. DIRECTORS' REPORTS 2012/13 Professor Bailey referr ed to the following matters; 6.1. Detailed reports by research astronomers are to be added to the draft annual reports submitted to the Board. 6.2. Staff at the Ar magh Observator y have ma intained a high level of research activity and other outputs during the year, producing a record 66 publications in refer eed scientific journals during 2012 as well as many other scientific papers and attracting some 287 identified mass -media citations to the Ar ma gh Observatory, its staff and their work. 6.3. During 2012, the counter at the entrance to the `Solar System' part of the Astropark registered approximately 42,000 visitors, which is believed to represent 56,000 visitors owing to the failur e of the counter during the busy summer months. 6.4. The Observatory has recently been a warded ё100,000 from DCAL for a new capital project in collaboration with Queen's University Belfast. 6.5. Ar magh Observatory has maintained a long standing collaboration with Trinity College Dublin (TCD) since the 1940's, which includes a variety of academic research, teaching and education/outreach links, and with a Lindsay Postgraduate Scholarship student to be recruited in collaboration with DIAS. In order to formalise these links, the Observator y has developed a nonexclusive Memorandum of Agr eement (MoA) with the University. After discussion, the Board of Governors authorised the Director to sign the MoA. 6.6. Staff have access to a number of powerful c omputer workstations. These are used for computationally intensive r esearch projects in areas such as solar physics, stellar atmospher es, stellar winds, radiation hydrodyna mics, numerical magneto-hydrodyna mics and solar system dyna mics. 6.7. The death on 2012 August 4 of Mr Seamus Shields, one of the DCAL nominees on the Management Committee was noted, with deep regret. 6.8. The number of identified citations of the Ar magh Observatory and its staff in the various mass media has grown rapidly during the past decade, from a pproximately 230 in 1999/2000 to an average of mor e than 300 in recent years. 6.10. Section 2.1 provides a summary of significant results and progr ess in astronomy and astrophysics as a result of Observatory activities during 2012/2013. 6.11. The Observatory's meteor ological archive contains the longest continuous daily climate series from a single site in the UK and Ireland, and one of the longest in Europe. Understanding the detailed processes, the changing composition of the Earth's atmospher e, and the changing circulation patterns of the Earth's oceans and atmospher e, and how they interact and together drive changes in


MINUTES OF THE ANNUAL VISITATION BY THE BOARD OF GOVERNORS 22 March 2013 Page 5 the obser ved monthly, seasonal and annual weather records of the UK and Ir ela nd is a matter of strategic importance for Norther n Ireland. This is especially the case when, as now, it appears that the Earth's climate system is entering a period of rapid climate change. Climate data for calendar year 2012 and comparisons with results in previous yea rs wer e presented in the report. 6.12. Ar magh Observatory continues an ongoing collaboration with Ar ma gh Public L ibrary. The collaboration has been successful in obtaining external funding for a joint project, which is being administer ed by Arma gh Public Library. Funding has come largely from the Landfill Communities Fund, with additional support from the Northern Ireland Museums Council. The principal aims of the project are to undertake a detailed conser vation and cataloguing programme for part of the Ar magh Public Library's collection of historic prints; and, within the Observatory, to undertake a similarly compr ehensive conser vation and cataloguing project for the historic scientific instruments. The Observatory thanks the Arma gh Public Library for facilitating this ongoing collaboration, which over the past several years has contributed to ver y significa nt improvements in the quality of cataloguing, storage and collections management of the Observator y's Library, Archives and astronomical museum collection. 6.13. The European Universe Awareness programme (EU-UNAWE) aims to use the beauty and grandeur of the Universe to inspir e young childr en and encourage them to develop an interest in science a nd technology, and space science. During 2012, the Obser vatory carried out a vibrant programme of EU-UNAWE Outreach visits to a number of primary schools across Northern Ireland. 6.14. Towards the end of March 2012, a number of FETTU (From Earth To The Universe) posters wer e reprinted and installed on the East wall of the Observatory's Library. This provides a very attractive outdoor display of a set of inspiring astronomical ima ges, which have been seen by approximately 40,000 visitors in 2012. In addition, the Observator y's UK EU-UNAWE project ma nager, Ms Libby McKearney, has wor ked closely with Libraries NI staff to extend the reach of the FETTU programme by displaying the Obser vatory's FETTU posters in libraries throughout Northern Ir ela nd. Dr Mason referred to the following matters; 6.15. Key P erfor mance Indicators as shown on page 4 include visitor numbers and outreach numbers. The projected figures for coming year are a slight incr ease on current year. Dr Mason highlighted that if no entrance fees wer e charged, numbers would incr ease significa ntly. 6.16. Programme for Gover nment (PfG) identifies priority targets for Gover nment action. Therefor e, the Planetarium's business pla n and operational progra mme must align closely with DCAL priorities . Through one of the key priorities, creating opportunities and tackling disadvantage, DCAL provided an additional ё40,000 to fund a successful Dragon pilot show. 6.17. Outreach numbers have increased in 2012/2013 despite the loss of a member of staff. The Planetarium is planning a new outreach programme, which will also address the PfG's key priorities. This will centre on Planetarium equipment being loaned to schools which will allow the Planetarium to link electronically with schools, using supplied tablet PCs and other high tech equipment. This will enable Planetarium staff to have a lively, remote interaction with classes and teachers. It is planned for this programme to run within the current budget as a pilot scheme in 2013/2014 to assess effectiveness and level of uptake. 6.18. A summary of the results of a Visitor satisfaction survey is provided on page 7. Approximately 8890% of the visitors enjoyed their visit. The coffee shop is still a problem (satisfaction rating of 73%) as ther e is insufficient footfall to employ a per manent staff member for it and it is too small for an agency to run. This issue is to be highlighted in the forthcoming DCAL r eview. 6.19. The Planetarium advertises on a limited budget; it cannot advertise without seeking Ministerial per mission. The Planetarium is currently using a number of small advertising strategies; these involve obtaining support from the community and local media sources. 6.20. During 2012/2013, the Planetarium promoted over 22 events off and on site. Each of these events brought several hundred visitors to the Planetarium. A new telescope was bought for public use which has been well received. 6.21. The Planetarium is working with collea gues at the Irish ESERO group and has been advised to apply for SFI funding which would enable the expansion of cross border teacher training. The Planetarium has also held a number of Irish language events over the past year.


MINUTES OF THE ANNUAL VISITATION BY THE BOARD OF GOVERNORS 22 March 2013 Page 6 6.22. The Planetarium has installed a Digistar 5 upgrade. This was ma de possible through the provision of significant capital funding to upgrade from the Digistar 4 to the D igistar 5. The new machiner y is much faster, has improved productivity and allows the theatre ma nager to work mor e efficiently. Ar magh is the only UK Planetarium to have a Digistar 5 installation. It means that the new hardware has created a 5 year comfort zone. The new Digistar 5 setup allows new shows to be ma de in house rather than purchasing shows. The Planetarium has several new shows in development and hopes to launch these in the summer. Dr Mason explained that the Planetarium does not sell shows ma de in house du e to copyright issues, but that this could be an area for growth; shows produced in house ha ve the advantage of being focused on the local audience in Northern Ir ela nd. 6.23. Dr Mason requested that Board members review the business plan and ema il him with any issues. 7. ANY OTHER BUSINESS Professor Bailey notified the Board that it has been confir med recently that Professor J. Gerry Doyle has been successful in obtaining a grant from the L ever hulme Trust of approximately ё250,000. This is to aid the research of Solar Physics over the next 3 years. The Board Members commended the work carried out by both the Observatory and the Planetarium, and expr essed their thanks to Professor Bailey, Dr Mason and all the staff. 8. DATE OF THE NEXT MEETING The next meeting will be on Frida y 28th March 2014. The meeting ended at 1.00pm Signed as a true record of the Meeting ............................................ (Chairman) Dated: