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Hello all,
Notes from the JFSA Meeting at Kineton 28" July.
First, thank you to all those who attended and especially a very big thank you to those who donated
refreshments and helped out in the kitchen. Who brought the big cake? Please let me know, so I can
contact you. I would have liked to have shared it with everyone if I had known earlier.
Anyway the meeting, initially, the events of the past 12 months were summarized, leading to the
Interim Report produced by ane Sight which was presented to MPs in Westminster on July 38 Kay
Linnell our, JFSA, independent forensic accounting expert went through the report and the
background to it.
As Kay had to leave by 1pm (she had another meeting to attend) we rather hastily moved on to the
developments of the last week as it was important that she was there to address some of the issues
arising.
There was a meeting in London last Thursday (25 July) between POL, and Sight and myself on behalf
of JFSA. This meeting had come about due to conversations in the background between James
Arbuthnot MP, Paula Vennells and I during July, to try and find a way to take the whole issue forward
towards some kind of conclusion for everyone without it dragging on for years. The meeting in
London was to put some skin on the bones of these conversations.
The outcome of that meeting was a rough draft of a mediation process that would review all the
historic cases, i.e. the cases of exSPMRs, and it was this rough draft that was introduced at the
Kineton meeting with the assistance of Kay Linnell who also happens to be a qualified mediator.
Later in the meeting the proposed mediation proposal was put to the vote and was unanimously
accepted by the 80 or so people who attended.
Although it was probably discussed in more detail at Kineton, what I am going to outline below is still
in draft and as such may change, but unlikely to change greatly. I am only including the main points
at present until the final details have been resolved and then the full details will be sent to all, but it
should offer some insight into the proposal.
The main point I do want to make clear, is that this is a mediation proposal and not arbitration, and
as such it means that you can walk away from the process (if you opt to enter it) at any time without
any commitment to yourself. But it is a way to move your case forward if you so choose, that has
been ratified by all those at the meeting as the way forward for JFSA.
1. exSPMR requests initial information pack and registration form — pack currently being
developed and a launch date for scheme in mid-August to be agreed.
2. Completed form to be returned to 2" Sight — details of how will follow, also there are 3 JFSA
members ready to assist others complete initial forms if assistance is required.
3.2" Sight will make an initial assessment within 2 weeks based upon information contained
within the registration details submitted, and then send out the full detailed application
form and guidance notes. While it is expected that the majority of those who register will be
sent the full pack, there may well be some of those whose registration may not be
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appropriate for a variety of reasons, and these will be referred to a Working Group for
assessment.
4. The applicant will have 4 weeks to complete the detailed application form (more details of
how and what to send in support will be in the guidance notes) and to assist the applicant to
make the best possible representation of their case, there will be an option for using an
Independent Expert Advisor, and we, JFSA, can offer guidance here if required.
5. The applicant’s form is then returned to am Sight who will have 4-12 weeks to produce a
completed case review. During this period, and since the time of the detailed application
pack was sent out, POL would have been informed of the applicant in order to retrieve and
forward their documentation about the applicant’s case to and Sight.
6. When 2" Sight has produced the case review, there may be a natural outcome at this stage
or the case will be sent to an Independent Mediator to address.
7. The Mediator would then prepare a case pack and send it out to the applicant and POL, this
could take 4-8 weeks after which the Mediator will call a meeting of the parties which
hopefully will lead to Resolution and your MP receiving a report.
NB — Where prosecutions have been involved there are other steps to be taken. Further details of
this and a more comprehensive guide to the process is currently being worked on, but the above is a
brief outline to let you know what is being pursued. There should be no cost to you at any point in
the process and again further details will follow.
So for now, that is about it. There are more meetings planned to refine the process and agree the
details to be sent out. As ever, I will send out information as soon as it is available.
Alan