Reimbursement of HRA Committee Members Expenses Policy and Procedure

Background

The Health Research Authority (HRA) will sometimes appoint members to incur expenses as part of their role. These expenses are usually travel related, such as train fares, subsistence and occasionally over-night accommodation.

The HRA is committed to supporting Committee members in the performance of their role whilst also ensuring that the delivery of our services is effective, efficient and economical. This policy and procedure explains what expenses can be incurred, the process for booking travel and accommodation and the process for reimbursement of these expenses.

Policy

The HRA will reimburse Committee members for additional expenses incurred wholly, necessarily and exclusively in connection with HRA business.

Committee members should not be either financially disadvantaged or advantaged because of genuine expenditure incurred in carrying out their HRA role.

For most Committee member expenses (rail fares and accommodation) the HRA has a direct purchase and settlement arrangement in place with our service provider, Corporate Travel Management (CTM). This not only enables HRA to purchase economically, it also provides comprehensive data to understand better our travel and accommodation purchasing. For other expenditure (for example, subsistence) Committee members are responsible for the payment of the expenses they incur and the timely submission of expense forms for reimbursement.

This policy and procedure has been developed with consideration to the HRA’s six core values: Inspiring Leadership, Integrity, Trusted, Transparent, Collaborative and Empowering. Further information on our values is available on the HRA Website.

Procedure

1. Purpose

The purpose of this procedure is to ensure that Committee members expenses are incurred and reimbursed efficiently, effectively and economically in support of the HRA’s strategic and operational objectives. In particular by

1.1. Determining what expenditure can be incurred and reimbursed and the procedure for doing so

1.2. Ensuring our Committee members’ time is used efficiently and effectively

1.3. Ensuring fair and equitable treatment and enabling reasonable adjustment where appropriate

1.4. Encouraging active travel options for health and well-being and sustainable travel where practical

1.5. Protecting the HRA’s reputation through consideration of the external impact of expense-related decisions (for example the use of first class travel and how this might be perceived)

This policy and procedure are designed to ensure that all expenses incurred and reimbursed meet the HRAs remit and statutory obligations. Where the requirements of this policy and procedure have not been met, associated expenses will not be reimbursed

2. Scope

This policy covers all Committee member-related expenses. This includes REC and CAG Committee members. It does not include those involved in Patient and Public involvement who are covered by a separate policy and procedure.

3. Responsibilities

3.1 All Committee members 

We expect our Committee members to consider the expenditure they incur carefully, being mindful that the HRA is publically funded and that we should seek best value in all that we do.

3.2 Managers Responsibilities

• To know and understand the HRA’s reimbursement of HRA Committee Members Expenses policy and to promote and apply this in their work
• To encourage booking travel as far in advance as practically possible
• To ensure that expense claims are supported by receipts
• To ensure that expense claim details are correct and meet the requirements of this policy before approving and forwarding for payment;

3.3 Committee Members Responsibilities

• To know and understand the HRA’s reimbursement of HRA Committee Members policy and apply these in carrying out their role
• To submit expense claims, supported by receipts, on a timely basis, and no less frequently than within three months of incurring the expenditure if less than £200.

4. Allowable expenses

This section provides detailed guidance on the range of allowable REC member expenses listed below;

• Travel (including rail, plane, taxi & mileage claims)
• Hotel costs
• Subsistence
• Carers allowance
• Equipment
• Other allowable expenses

4.1 Travel

The HRA will reimburse the reasonable travel costs necessarily incurred in the performance of your role, for example, travelling to a meeting, attending training or to a regional office on HRA business.

Committee members should travel by the most cost-effective and sustainable method of transport taking into account journey time, the nature of the journey (rail preferable to car) and monetary cost. We encourage the use of daily travel cards as these can reduce the cost of travel and will be reimbursed where it can be demonstrated that the cost of the card is less than the cost of the equivalent tickets. Committee membes are also encouraged to use rail cards although the cost of these cannot be reimbursed by HRA.

4.1.1 By rail:

Committee members should travel standard class and should book their journeys sufficiently in advance (ideally at least six weeks), through their HRA contact and using CTM, to obtain the best possible prices and collect all travel data. Where there are no standard class tickets available or first class travel is the cheapest option then first class travel can be taken, supporting evidence will be required as well as Director of Finance approval.

4.1.2 By plane:

Our aim at the HRA is to minimise all short-distance flights given their impact on the environment. No domestic flights should be booked unless to Ireland. If exceptionally a flight is required, Director of Finance approval is required before booking. If a flight is required members should travel economy class and should book their journeys sufficiently in advance, and only through CTM, to obtain the best possible prices and support the organisation in collecting all travel data. All air travel is reported to DHSC as part of the HRA’s commitment to Greening Government objectives.

4.1.3 By taxi:

Any claims for travel by taxi should include a receipt, and should show the reason for using a taxi, as well as the start and end postcode of the journey taken in the other information box on EASY. Committee members are not usually expected to use taxis however the list below provides details on when travel by taxi is considered an allowable expense;

• When carrying heavy luggage / equipment on HRA business
• If required as a reasonable adjustment or for other reasons related to equality, such as personal safety
• If no other public transport is reasonably available due to remote location / unsociable time of travel
• When traveling alone in early morning / late at night for personal safety
• In emergencies

Valid supporting information:

Only travel expenses supported by a valid receipt, confirmation of purchase, bank statement or ticket will be reimbursed.

4.1.4 By Committee member’s own vehicle / bike:

On the rare occasion where travelling by car / motorcycle is the most cost effective and sustainable method of travel, the HRA provides a mileage allowance. The most common allowances are:

Rates per mile*

Where a Committee member uses their own vehicle, they should ensure that the vehicle is in good working order, fully insured (including business travel), taxed and MOTd. Committee members must also have a valid drivers licence.

For convenience this is managed through the authorised car user process, which requires you to register your vehicle on EASY e-expenses system, before you can claim mileage.

Parking fines, clamping charges and penalty fees for non payment of congestion charges will not be reimbursed by the HRA.

4.1.5 Hotels

REC meetings are held online, and usually REC training sessions and events are held at locations that can be accessed on the day avoiding the need for overnight accommodation.

In the unusual event that overnight accommodation is needed, for example national training events, hotel bookings should be made in advance, at the best possible rates, and via CTM, the corporate travel and accommodation system.

Rates should not exceed:

• £85/night (£130/night London / major European city) inclusive of Vat and breakfast

Any booking in excess of these amounts needs to be approved by the Director of Finance. If booking full board accommodation £25/night can be added to the limits above and Director approval is also required.

4.2 Subsistence

The HRA reimburses reasonable out of pocket expenses incurred by Committee members when it is necessary to travel away from home on HRA business for a period of time. This includes the cost of overnight accommodation (see above), meals and beverages (not alcohol), travel costs (see above), parking and the cost of business calls incurred.

Allowances are payable up to these rates:

*Where all inclusive packages have been used for accommodation, or refreshments are provided, subsistence allowances do not apply.

To help demonstrate that expenses are being claimed to recover the extra cost of business travel, all expense claims must be supported by valid receipts (or supporting information as above) for HRA approval. Receipts should be attached in the EASY expense system in all circumstances, as where no evidence is available to demonstrate that the expense being claimed is to recover the additional costs associated with your role only, the expense payment will be treated as taxable income.

4.3 Carer’s allowance

Committee members are able to claim for costs incurred for the care of children, a dependent relative or their own carer requirements when necessarily incurred as a result of performing their HRA role. The allowance should cover actual costs incurred up to the following hourly limits:

4.4 Equipment

Where REC members do not have their own equipment available to support their Committee Membership, the HRA will provide a contribution towards their purchase. Evidence of purchase is required. The support listed below would be a maximum available over a 5 year term of appointment. With the exception of HRA devices, any items purchased would be your own and would not need to be returned if you were no longer able to volunteer as a REC member.

Please note this expense type is allowable only for REC Members in England – different equipment arrangements exist in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Should you require advice or guidance, please contact members support.

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4.5 Other expenses

Usually all expenditure is purchased through the HRA agreed procurement process. In exceptional circumstances a Committee member may need to purchase goods and services and reclaim them through expenses. In these circumstances advance approval from your HRA contact is needed.

The HRA will reimburse:

• professional registration fees for Committee members, no longer performing their professional role, but where the HRA has specifically requested registration is required to act as a professional member on a HRA Committee. The arrangement must be documented in writing and approved by HRA Member Support Team. The professional fees invoice issued by the awarding body or email confirmation from the awarding body confirming the total fee paid and date must be attached to the expense claim in EASY.
• Up to £25 per annual REC networking event as a contribution to the cost of a meal at the annual REC in person event. This is allowable once per year per REC member only, claims should be made via EASY with a receipt for the meal attached.
• Additional phone call charges enabling attendance at meetings at a rate of 16p/min where members are on a pay as you go tariff.. All claims should be submitted via EASY, with appropriate evidence of the pay as you go tarif status, and length of the call attached. Where mobile / international rates apply members are asked to discuss these with the HRA Member Support Team prior to the meeting to gain agreement on reimbursement and rate. Agreement evidence should also be attached in EASY in these circumstances.
• Meeting paper printing costs for REC members with prior approval as a result of reasonable adjustments, for documents relating to the role at a rate of 7p/page. Members are encouraged to consider the environmental impact of the printing where possible. Claims should be submitted via EASY and include supporting details of the printing costs (i.e Rec meeting details and total page count) in the other information box.

5. Disallowable expenses

The items listed in this policy as allowable expenses, and the examples included under other expenses should be used to determine if an expense is allowable. Where any other matter arises that may result in a member incurring expenditure on behalf of the organisation, advice should be sought from members support before proceeding.

The list below provides some examples of disallowable expenses:

• Any expense listed as allowable requiring documentation (receipt/invoice/purchase confirmation) where documentation is omitted from the request
• Alcohol purchases (if purchased as part of a meal, the element relating to the alcohol purchase cannot be reimbursed by the organisation)
• Professional registration fees for members still active within their profession outside of their role at the HRA, to whom the HRA has not influenced the decision to maintain active registration

6. Breakdown of activities covered by the procedure

6.1 Corporate Travel Management (CTM) Booking System (rail, air and accommodation)

The CTM Booking System is the preferred method for booking all rail (excluding oyster cards), air and accommodation requirements.

Designated bookers in the HRA have been trained on the system and are happy to process all your travel and accommodation needs.

For travel and/or accommodation requests, please provide the following information to your HRA contact.

• Name of traveller
• Traveller type (HRA Committee member)
• HRA Contact
• Travel details (departure date, time & station; return date, time & station; flexibility)
• Ticket collection point
• Hotel requirements
• Traveller email address
• Cost centre code

These details will then be passed onto one of our designated bookers by your HRA contact also including:

• Cost centre code
• Approving manager

6.2 Out of pocket expenses

Where you have incurred costs directly on HRA business and need reimbursement you will need to complete an expense claim request on EASY the organisations expense claim system. For support accessing the EASY system please contact members support.

Receipts should be provided to evidence the extra costs that you have incurred. These must be attached to the relevant expense claim in EASY. In the unlikely event where this is not possible (lost wallet for example) You should contact members support for advice and guidance.

Managers in authorising expense claims via EASY must confirm that the claim meets the requirements of the policy. Where items are claimed that are not in accordance with this policy the manager must return the form to the claimant for amendment and resubmission. This includes allowable expenses requiring receipts of purchase confirmation evidence that is not attached within the EASY system.

If your expense claim is rejected, you should first review it to ensure all relevant information has been included, and contact members support if you require guidance.

Payment will be made directly into your bank account by NHS SBS.

7. Monitoring of activities covered by the procedure

Travel and accommodation activity is reviewed monthly by senior managers to monitor expenditure, usage trends and policy compliance. The CTM invoice is also reviewed by the Director of Resources to highlight any exceptions to this policy together with adhoc follow up with individuals.

Expense claims made via the EASY expense system are reviewed by management with reference to a series of reports generated from system data to ensure all expenses requiring evidence have receipts attached and monitor volume and trends.

Expenses incurred by cost centre are recorded within the accounting system and reported to budget managers on a monthly basis together with the narrative provided by CTM. Budget managers are expected to review and monitor expenses to ensure they have been correctly coded and authorised.

8. How lessons are learnt and incorporated into the procedure

The finance department will review this policy at least every two years and more frequently if a need arises or agenda for change rates or terms and conditions are amended.

Request for review, stating the reasons should be sent to the Director of Finance.

9. Dissemination and publication of the document

A copy of this document is held on HRA ATLAS. It is made available to members via the Committee Member Resources available on the online Learning Management System

All members are expected to read and understand the expenses policy and procedure as part of their HRA induction and when revised versions are released

11. Screening Questions - HRA Equality Analysis and Privacy Impact Assessment

Equality and privacy screening questions

For every HRA policy (defined by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) as a function, strategy, procedure, practice, project or decision). Please answer the question below to determine whether further analysis is required. 

What is Privacy?

Privacy refers to freedom from intrusion and relates to all information that is personal or sensitive in nature to an individual.

If Yes please give details below of the impact and the actions being taken to address any adverse impact.

Personal information – such as name / contact details, travel details Information saved securely in Easy expenses. Transfer to ESR / NHS SBS secure. Privacy policy in place for staff personal data.

HRA retention policies adhered to.

If you have answered YES to the questions above and the answers do not mitigate and adequately address the adverse impact, you may need to complete a full PIA.

Please consult the Director of Finance, Procurement and Estates.

Full Privacy Impact Assessment required? NO