Concise Minutes - Public Accounts Committee

Meeting Venue:

Committee Room 3 - Senedd

Meeting date: Monday, 3 April 2017

Meeting time: 14.00 - 16.10
This meeting can be viewed
on Senedd TV at:
http://senedd.tv/en/3917

Attendance

Category	Names
Assembly Members:	Nick Ramsay AM (Chair) Mohammad Asghar (Oscar) AM Neil Hamilton AM Mike Hedges AM Neil McEvoy AM Rhianon Passmore AM Lee Waters AM
Witnesses:	Gawain Evans, Welsh Government Shan Morgan, Welsh Government David Richards, Welsh Government
Wales Audit Office:	Huw Vaughan Thomas - Auditor General for Wales Matthew Mortlock Ben Robertson Nick Selwyn
Committee Staff:	Fay Bowen (Clerk) Claire Griffiths (Deputy Clerk) Katie Wyatt (Legal Adviser)

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Transcript

View the meeting transcript (PDF 999KB) View as HTML (999KB)

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1 Introductions, apologies, substitutions and declarations of interest

1.1 The Chair welcomed Members to the Committee.

1.2 There were no apologies.

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2 Paper(s) to note

2.1 The papers were noted.

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2.1 Governance Review of the National Library for Wales: Letter from Welsh Government (20 March 2017)

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3 Welsh Government Grants Management Report 2015-16

3.1 The Committee scrutinised Shan Morgan, Permanent Secretary; David Richards, Director of Governance and Gawain Evans, Director of Finance, Welsh Government on the Welsh Government Grants Management Report 2015-16.

3.2 The Permanent Secretary agreed to:

· Consider whether the £25K threshold for tendering and procurement is still the appropriate threshold and will write to the Committee with her conclusions;

· Provide a note on the de minimus (minimal) position on the scale of contacts let out to tender and whether the Welsh Government considers this position to satisfy value for money;

· Provide a note with the split and value of the hypothecated grants awarded to the health, local authority and third sectors in 2015-16;

· Provide a detailed analysis, including any savings, that have been made on administration costs in the Centre of Excellence in 2015-16; and

· Write with the redundancy terms for staff affected by the phasing out of Community First projects.

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4 Motion under Standing Order 17.42 to resolve to exclude the public from the meeting for the following business:

4.1 The motion was agreed.

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5 Welsh Government Grants Management Report 2015-16: Consideration of evidence received

5.1 The Committee considered the evidence received.

5.2 The Committee agreed the Welsh Government’s proposal to align future reports with the publication of the annual report and accounts.

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6 Welsh Government oversight of further education colleges 'finances and delivery': Auditor General for Wales report

6.1 The Committee received a briefing on the Auditor General for Wales’ report on his recent report on Welsh Government oversight of further education colleges 'finances and delivery.

6.2 The Committee agreed to undertake a short inquiry on this issue.

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7 Reforming local government: Resilient and renewed: Consideration of the Committee's response to the Welsh Government's consultation

7.1 Members considered and subject to a few minor amendments, agreed the draft letter.

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8 Inquiry into Regulatory oversight of Housing Associations: Consideration of key issues

8.1 Members considered and discussed the key issues paper.

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