JAC Board minutes June 2026

Approved minutes from the June 2026 JAC Commission Board

Minutes of Board Meeting – 11 June 2026

Present (Back to top)

Commissioners

Ian Dove (Vice-Chair)
Noel Arnold
Chris Bones
Tom Cross
Siwan Davies
Tony Harking
Uchechi Igbokwe
Tan Ikram
Adam Johnson
Clive Lane
Clare McGlynn
Sarah Pittam
Angela Rafferty

Staff

Chief Executive
Deputy Chief Executive/ Head of Strategy and Policy
Head of Operational Delivery
Head of Senior Appointments
Head of Selection Policy
Head of Targeted Outreach and Research
Head of Diversity, Engagement and Communications
Senior Policy Advisor
Strategic Communications Manager
Head of Secretariat
Secretariat Manager
Senior Executive Assistant
Secretariat Support Officer

1. Apologies and matters arising (Back to top)

This meeting was chaired by the Vice Chair Ian Dove.

The minutes of the 16th April were agreed with minor addendum to be made.

Apologies were received from Nicolina Andall.

2. Chief Executive’s Report and Management Information Pack (Back to top)

The Chief Executive provided an update on:

• the 2025/26 budget allocation.
• the 2025/26 Judicial recruitment programme.
• performance against the 2025-26 Business Plan.
• an update on complaints and ongoing litigation (legally privileged).

3. Report back from Working Groups (Back to top)

The Chair asked for report backs on recent meetings of committees and working groups.

Sarah Pittam reported back on the Audit and Risk Committee meeting which took place on the 30th April, and took questions against the ARC Chair’s Annual Report. The Audit and Risk Committee:

• The Committee reviewed the corporate risk register and was content with the position of each risk as at the end of the reporting year. The JAC will therefore report against 8 Medium and 2 Low rated risks in its Annual Report.
• The Committee reviewed a risk deep dive paper on ‘Business Continuity’
• The Committee reviewed the draft financial statements following the end of the Financial Year

Internal Audit

• Internal Audit: The Government Internal Audit Agency provided an overview of the delivery of their audit plan for the past year and have provided an indicative overall assurance rating of ‘moderate’ based on the four audit reports issued during the year.

The Committee also signed off on the draft audit plan for 2026/27. External Audit Update

• Deloitte confirmed that they identified no areas of concern during their interim audit in March. The auditors were also in the process of conducting their review of the JAC Annual Report.

Tony Harking reported back on the Advisory Group meetings which took place on the 14th April and the 12th May. The Advisory Group:

• The member representing the Chancery Bar Association finished their tenure after being a member of the Advisory Group for six years. A new representative of the Chancery Bar Association was welcomed to the group.
• All exercises that launched under the old competency/skills and abilities framework have now had their materials passed through Advisory Group, meaning all materials considered by the Advisory Group going forward will be under JSAF.
• In addition, the Advisory Group were given updates on the following:
  • the publication of the guidance on the use of A.I.
  • the appointment of Lord Justice Ian Dove as vice chair
  • the JAC ‘s 20th anniversary

Uche Igbokwe reported back on the Digital Product Board meeting which took place on the 21st May. The Digital Product Board:

• Welcomed Uche as its new Commissioner member and thanked Noel Arnold in his absence for his valuable contribution to the Board.
• The Board was updated on the outcome of the recent recruitment campaign to identify an inhouse technical lead
• The Board was informed that the JAC’s AI usage guidance for candidates has now been published, setting out appropriate use for applications, and a zero-tolerance policy for Qualifying Tests.
• The Board noted good progress against the roadmap, with improvements to the character agency checks function now live.
• The Board reviewed the RAID log

4. Chair’s Report (Back to top)

The Vice Chair reported back on the following:

• The Vice Chair updated regarding his engagement with the government’s preferred candidate for JAC Chair.
• Adam Johnson as Acting Vice Chair conducted conversations with prospective candidates for the JAC Chair position.

5. Weighting of Skills and Abilities – Update (Back to top)

An update was provided to the Board regarding the proposed weighting of skills and abilities.

The Board noted the update and asked that any consultation materials be shared with the Board for comment and approval in advance of distribution.

6. Annual Report and Accounts (Back to top)

The Strategic Communications Manager presented the Annual Report and Accounts

The Board noted the Annual Report and Accounts and noted the plans for its laying before Parliament.

7. Further Update regarding implementation of social media checks in selection exercises (Back to top)

The Head of Secretariat presented an update on work that had been carried out to implement social media checks, including proposed next steps to identify a delivery partner

The Board noted and agreed the recommendations of the paper and requested that further update be provided to the September Board.

8. New Chair Induction Programme (Back to top)

The Head of Secretariat presented the proposed induction programme for a new JAC Chair.

The Board noted the proposed programme and approved its content.

9. Statutory Consultation Exercise Decisions (Back to top)

The Senior Policy Advisor presented the proposal regarding the application of Statutory Consultation on individual upcoming exercises.

The Board noted and approved the proposals for the exercises.

10. Forward Look and AOB (Back to top)

The Board noted the 2026 Forward Look, and the Vice Chair confirmed that the next Board meeting would take place on 1st July.

This concluded the business of the Board.