Bovine TB Eradication Programme Board: terms of reference

The Bovine TB Eradication Programme Board has been established to provide strategic advice to the Chief Veterinary Officer (CVO) and the Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs. 

The Board provides advice on the wide spectrum of TB related challenges both in response to requests from policy makers, CVO and the Cabinet Secretary and identify other areas for consideration to accelerate TB eradication in Wales.

The Board does not have the autonomy to make decisions on funding allocation or Service Level Agreements with delivery bodies/agencies or approve contingency plans or Ministerial submissions. Members will serve in an individual capacity and not represent any organisations, the exception to this will be the Technical Advisory Group (TAG), British Veterinary Association (BVA), NFU Cymru, FUW and Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) members. Members will not be entitled to nominate alternates to attend in their absence. Appointed Officials and representatives from BVA, NFU Cymru, FUW and APHA either represent an organisation or hold an official position within Welsh Government. Therefore, they do not serve in an individual capacity and can nominate alternatives depending on circumstance. 

The Board’s responsibilities include:

• providing advice to policy makers, CVO and the Cabinet Secretary
• to consider issues required to meet the strategic outcomes within the Wales TB Eradication Plan and its attendant Delivery Plan
• to review and constructively challenge progress on the TB eradication programme against milestone targets
• provision of independent advice to support the development of new and emerging policy decisions

The Board is made up of a mixture of publicly appointed members, directly appointed members, ex-officios and the Chair. 

The CVO will work closely with the Board to provide their expertise and a government perspective. Whilst the Board will consider the views of the CVO, they will retain ownership of any advice given and will not need to secure the CVO’s agreement or align any advice or reports to the CVO’s views. 

Members will hold office subject to compliance with the Public Standards Committee’s seven Principles of Public Life.

The Board may identify a requirement for subgroups to support its work and submit a proposal via the Secretariat. The remits of such subgroups will be agreed by the Chair and Board. Individual Board members will be tasked with leading or co-ordinating these groups. 

As members of the Board, you acknowledge the responsibilities arising from an undertaking of confidentiality as per the agreement signed on acceptance of a position on the Board. Members will respect the boundaries of confidentiality at all times. Meetings are held under a strict and shared understanding, relating to all discussions and deliberations, and that any papers or documents disclosed are considered “CONFIDENTIAL” and are not to be discussed or disclosed outside of the meeting or Board without consent.

The Secretariat for the Board is provided by Welsh Government’s Office of the Chief Veterinary Officer (OCVO).

The Board does not have a delegated budget, but the Board may approach OCVO for funding for a specific piece of work. This will be considered on a case-by-case basis by the CVO. 

The Board should review and agree these Terms of Reference at its first meeting, and annually at the first meeting in the calendar year, or when required.

Minutes arising from the Board meetings will normally be published in English and Welsh by Welsh Government on its website in accordance with legislation governing public access to information.

Work undertaken by the Board will comply with Welsh Government’s Welsh Language Standards. Further information regarding Welsh Government’s commitment towards the Welsh language and its vision of a bilingual nation can be accessed here.

When a member’s period of appointment comes to an end the Cabinet Secretary will decide whether to re-appoint that member for a further period or to conduct a public appointment process to identify a replacement.