Concise Minutes - Finance Committee

Meeting Venue: Hybrid - Committee

room 3, Senedd and video conference

via Zoom

Meeting date: Wednesday, 13 September 2023

Meeting time: 09.30 - 11.50
This meeting can be viewed
on Senedd TV at:
http://senedd.tv/en/13647

Hybrid

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Attendance

Category

Names

Members of the Senedd:

Peredur Owen Griffiths MS (Chair)

Peter Fox MS

Mike Hedges MS

Rhianon Passmore MS

Witnesses:

Jonathan Price, Welsh Government

Julian Revell, Welsh Government

Rebecca Evans MS, Minister for Finance and Local Government

Emma Watkins, Welsh Government

Gawain Evans, Welsh Government

Committee Staff:

Owain Roberts (Clerk)

Mike Lewis (Deputy Clerk)

Martin Jennings (Researcher)

 

<AI1>

Registration (09.00-09.15)

</AI1>

<AI2>

Private Pre-meeting (09.15-09.30)

</AI2>

<AI3>

1       Introductions, apologies, substitutions and declarations of interest

1.1 The Chair welcomed Members to the meeting of the Finance Committee.

</AI3>

<AI4>

2       Paper(s) to note

2.1 The papers were noted.

</AI4>

<AI5>

2.1   PTN 1 - Letter from the Minister for Health and Social Services: Health Service Procurement (Wales) Bill - Revised timelines - 30 June 2023

</AI5>

<AI6>

2.2   PTN 2 - Letter from the Minister for Finance and Local Government - Finance: Interministerial Standing Committee - 6 July 2023

</AI6>

<AI7>

2.3   PTN 3 - Letter from the Minister for Finance and Local Government: Welsh rates of Income Tax outturn statistics 2021-22 - 7 July 2023

</AI7>

<AI8>

2.4   PTN 4 - Letter from the Minister for Education and Welsh Language: School budget overspends - 11 July 2023

</AI8>

<AI9>

2.5   PTN 5 - Letter from the Minister for Finance and Local Government: Financial information for Directly Funded Bodies to consider in their budget planning - 12 July 2023

</AI9>

<AI10>

2.6   PTN 6 - Letter from the Chair of the Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee: Draft Budget 2024-25 timetable - 17 July 2023

</AI10>

<AI11>

2.7   PTN 7 - Letter from the Minister for Rural Affairs and North Wales, and Trefnydd: The Environment (Air Quality and Soundscapes) (Wales) Bill - 13 July 2023

</AI11>

<AI12>

2.8   PTN 8 - Letter from the First Minister to the Llywydd: Environmental Protection (Single-use Plastic Products) (Wales) Act 2023 - 27 July 2023

</AI12>

<AI13>

2.9   PTN 9 - Scrutiny of the Welsh Government First Supplementary Budget 2023-24: Welsh Government response - 11 August 2023

</AI13>

<AI14>

2.10 PTN 10 - Letter from the Chair of the Reform Bill Committee - 23 August 2023

</AI14>

<AI15>

2.11 PTN 11 - The Environment (Air Quality and Soundscapes) (Wales) Bill: Welsh Government response - 1 September 2023

</AI15>

<AI16>

2.12 PTN 12 - Letter to the Minister for Finance and Local Government: Cost of living payment - 11 July 2023

</AI16>

<AI17>

2.13 PTN 13 - Letter from the Minister for Finance and Local Government: Cost of living payment - 1 August 2023

</AI17>

<AI18>

2.14 PTN 14 - Letter from the Minister for Finance and Local Government - Finance: Interministerial Standing Committee - 7 September 2023

</AI18>

<AI19>

2.15 PTN 15 - Letter from Audit Wales: Notification of audit deadlines - 3 August 2023

</AI19>

<AI20>

2.16 PTN 16 - Letter from the Minister for Finance and Local Government: Evidence papers supporting the 2024-25 Draft Budget - 8 September 2023

</AI20>

<AI21>

3       Motion under Standing Order 17.42 (ix) to resolve to exclude the public from items 4,5,7,8,9 and 10

3.1 The motion was agreed.

</AI21>

<AI22>

4       Welsh Government Draft Budget 2024-25 - Technical briefing with the Chief Economist

4.1 The Committee received an economic and fiscal briefing from Jonathan Price, Chief Economist, Welsh Government; and Julian Revell, Head of Fiscal Analysis, Welsh Government.

</AI22>

<AI23>

5       Welsh Government Draft Budget 2024-25 - Technical briefing with the Chief Economist: Consideration of evidence

5.1 The Committee considered the evidence received.

</AI23>

<AI24>

6       Welsh Government Draft Budget 2024-25 - Pre-budget scrutiny

6.1 The Committee took evidence on the Welsh Government Draft Budget 2024-25 from Rebecca Evans MS, Minister for Finance and Local Government; Emma Watkins, Deputy Director, Budget and Government Business; and Gawain Evans Director of Finance.

 

6.2 The Minister agreed to provide:

 

·         A note on Welsh Rates of Income Tax (WRIT), focusing on how tax collected through WRIT is then realised in Welsh Government budgets.

</AI24>

<AI25>

7       Welsh Government Draft Budget 2024-25 - Pre-budget scrutiny: Consideration of evidence

7.1 The Committee considered the evidence received.

</AI25>

<AI26>

8       Welsh Government Draft Budget 2024-25: Approach to budget scrutiny

8.1 The Committee considered the correspondence and agreed the approach to budget scrutiny and consultation letter.

</AI26>

<AI27>

9       Review of the budget protocol

9.1 The Committee considered the paper on the review of the budget protocol and agreed to write to the Chief Secretary to the Treasury.

</AI27>

<AI28>

10    Future work: Strategic planning

10.1 The Committee considered the paper on strategic planning.

</AI28>

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