Concise Minutes - Finance Committee


Meeting Venue: Hybrid - Committee

room 3, Senedd and video conference

via Zoom

Meeting date: Wednesday, 24 April 2024

Meeting time: 09.30 - 11.32
This meeting can be viewed
on Senedd TV at:
http://senedd.tv/en/13865


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:

Jane Hutt MS, Trefnydd and Chief Whip

Will Whiteley, Welsh Government

Gareth Davies, National Audit Office

Lee Summerfield, National Audit Office

Committee Staff:

Owain Roberts (Clerk)

Leanne Hatcher (Second Clerk)

Cerian Jones (Second Clerk)

Mike Lewis (Deputy Clerk)

Christian Tipples (Researcher)

Owen Holzinger (Researcher)

Božo Lugonja (Researcher)

Ben Harris (Legal Adviser)

Catherine McKeag (Citizen Engagement Manager)

 

<AI1>

Private pre-meeting / Registration

</AI1>

<AI2>

1       Introductions, apologies, substitutions and declarations of interest

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

 

1.2 Apologies were received from Rhianon Passmore MS for items 4-6 and 10.

</AI2>

<AI3>

2       Paper(s) to note

2.1 The papers were noted.

</AI3>

<AI4>

2.1   PTN 1 - Letter from the Minister for Finance and Local Government: Additional information following the evidence session on the second supplementary budget 2023-24 - 18 March 2024

</AI4>

<AI5>

2.2   PTN 2 - Letter from the Minister for Finance and Local Government: Finance: Interministerial Standing Committee Meeting - 19 March 2024

</AI5>

<AI6>

2.3   PTN 3 - Letter from the Senedd Commission: Further information on recommendations made in the Finance Committee's report on the Scrutiny of the Commission's Draft Budget 2024-25 - 19 March 2024

</AI6>

<AI7>

2.4   PTN 4 - Letter from the Senedd Commission: Response to recommendations made in the Committee's report on the Financial Implications of the Senedd Cymru (Members and Elections) Bill - 20 March 2024

</AI7>

<AI8>

2.5   PTN 5 - Letter from the Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee to the Minister for Climate Change: Welsh Government’s Legislative Consent Memoranda on the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Bill - 19 Mar 2024

</AI8>

<AI9>

2.6   PTN 6 - Letter from the Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee: Welsh Government’s Legislative Consent Memorandum on the Renters (Reform) Bill - 19 March 2024

</AI9>

<AI10>

2.7   PTN 7 - Letter from the Cabinet Secretary for Housing, Local Government and Planning: Welsh Government’s Legislative Consent Memorandum on the Renters (Reform) Bill - 8 April 2024

</AI10>

<AI11>

2.8   PTN 8 - Joint letter from the Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee, and the Finance Committee: Welsh Tax Acts etc. (Power to Modify Act) 2022: Section 6 (Review of operation and effect of this Act) - 19 March 2024

</AI11>

<AI12>

2.9   PTN 9 - Letter from Philip Rycroft: Additional information on Fiscal Intergovernmental Relations - 11 April 2024

</AI12>

<AI13>

2.10 PTN 10 - Welsh Government response to the Finance Committee's report recommendations on the Financial implications of the Local Government Finance (Wales) Bill - 11 April 2024

</AI13>

<AI14>

2.11 PTN 11 - Response from the Member in Charge to the Finance Committee's report recommendations on the Financial implications of the Residential Outdoor Education (Wales) Bill - 15 April 2024

</AI14>

<AI15>

3       Fiscal Intergovernmental Relations: Evidence session 2

3.1 The Committee took evidence on its inquiry into Fiscal Intergovernmental Relations from Gareth Davies, Comptroller and Auditor General, National Audit Office; and Lee Summerfield, Director of Investigations, National Audit Office.

 

3.2 The National Audit Office agreed to provide a note on the following:

·         Details regarding the deficits faced by Health Boards in England that were written off by HM Treasury.

 

 

 

</AI15>

<AI16>

Break

</AI16>

<AI17>

4       Financial implications of the Senedd Cymru (Electoral Candidate Lists) Bill: Evidence session

4.1 The Committee took evidence on the Financial implications of the Senedd Cymru (Electoral Candidate Lists) Bill from Jane Hutt MS, Trefnydd and Chief Whip, Welsh Government; and Will Whiteley, Deputy Director, Senedd Reform Division, Welsh Government.

</AI17>

<AI18>

5       Motion under Standing Order 17.42 (ix) to resolve to exclude the public from the remainder of this meeting

5.1 The motion was agreed.

</AI18>

<AI19>

6       Financial implications of the Senedd Cymru (Electoral Candidate Lists) Bill: Consideration of evidence

6.1 The Committee considered the evidence received.

</AI19>

<AI20>

7       Fiscal Intergovernmental Relations: Consideration of evidence

7.1 The Committee considered the evidence received.

</AI20>

<AI21>

8       Wales Audit Office Board Membership

8.1 The Committee considered the supporting documents relating to this item.

</AI21>

<AI22>

9       Motion to instruct the Finance Committee relating to the Public Services Ombudsman for Wales

9.1 The Committee considered the cover paper and noted the motion. 

</AI22>

<AI23>

10    Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Draft Budget 2025-26: Approach to engagement

10.1 The Committee considered the paper on its approach to engagement relating to the scrutiny of the Draft Budget 2025-26.

</AI23>

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