Concise Minutes - Finance Committee

Meeting Venue:

Committee Room 1 - Senedd

Meeting date: Thursday, 11 January 2018

Meeting time: 09.30 - 12.25
This meeting can be viewed
on Senedd TV at:
http://senedd.tv/en/4611

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Attendance

Category	Names
Assembly Members:	Simon Thomas AM (Chair) Neil Hamilton AM Mike Hedges AM Jane Hutt AM Nick Ramsay AM David Rees AM
Witnesses:	Richard Harries, Wales Audit Office Mike Usher, Wales Audit Office Matthew Coe, Wales Audit Office Mark Drakeford AM, Cabinet Secretary for Finance Andrew Jeffreys, Welsh Government Claire McDonald, Welsh Government
Committee Staff:	Catherine Hunt (Second Clerk) Leanne Hatcher (Second Clerk) Georgina Owen (Deputy Clerk) Ben Harris (Legal Adviser) Katie Wyatt (Legal Adviser)

<AI1>

1 Introductions, apologies, substitutions and declarations of interest

1.1 The Chair welcomed Members to the meeting.

1.2 Apologies were received from Steffan Lewis AM.

</AI1>

<AI2>

2 Paper(s) to note

2.1 The papers were noted.

</AI2>

<AI3>

2.1 Letter from the Minister for Housing and Regeneration - Regulation of Registered Social Landlords (Wales) Bill - 12 December 2017

</AI3>

<AI4>

2.2 Letter from the Future Generations Commissioner for Wales - Welsh Government budget 2018-19 - 14 December 2017

</AI4>

<AI5>

2.3 Letter from the Cabinet Secretary for Finance - Landfill Disposals Tax Communities Scheme - 13 December 2017

</AI5>

<AI6>

2.4 Letter from the Cabinet Secretary for Education - Additional Learning Needs and Education Tribunal (Wales) Bill - 15 December 2017

</AI6>

<AI7>

2.5 Letter from the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Services - Public Health (Minimum Price for Alcohol) (Wales) Bill - 21 December 2017

</AI7>

<AI8>

2.6 Regulation of Registered Social Landlords (Wales) Bill: Technical note

</AI8>

<AI9>

3 Devolution of fiscal powers to Wales: Evidence session 1 (Wales Audit Office)

3.1 The Committee took evidence from Mike Usher, Director and Sector Lead, Health and Central Government; Richard Harries, Director, Financial Audit; and Matthew Coe, Audit Manager on the preparations for the devolution of fiscal powers to Wales.

</AI9>

<AI10>

4 Devolution of fiscal powers to Wales: Evidence session 2 (Welsh Government)

4.1 The Committee took evidence from Mark Drakeford AM, Cabinet Secretary for Finance; Andrew Jeffreys, Director, Welsh Treasury; and Claire McDonald, Implementation Programme Manager, Welsh Revenue Authority on the preparations for the devolution of fiscal powers to Wales.

4.2 The Cabinet Secretary agreed to provide a breakdown of the WRA workforce in terms of numbers, types of contracts and diversity.

</AI10>

<AI11>

5 Motion under Standing Order 17.42 to resolve to exclude the public from the remainder of the meeting

5.1 The motion was agreed.

</AI11>

<AI12>

6 Devolution of fiscal powers to Wales: Consideration of evidence

6.1 The Committee considered the evidence received.

6.2 The Committee noted that the Secretary of State for Wales had declined its invite to provide oral evidence on the UK Government’s Third Annual Report on the Implementation and Operation of Part 2 (Finance) of the Wales Act 2014.

</AI12>

<AI13>

7 Landfill Disposals Tax (Wales) Act 2017: Tax Statutory Instrument

7.1 The Committee considered the Landfill Disposals Tax (Administration) (Wales) Regulations 2018 and agreed to report.

</AI13>

<AI14>

8 Correspondence from the Assembly Commission

8.1 The Committee noted the Assembly Commission’s supplementary budget request and projected underspend in relation to money drawn down to fund the Remuneration Board’s determination.

</AI14>

<AI15>

9 Public Services Ombudsman for Wales: 2nd Supplementary Budget 2017-18

9.1 The Committee noted the Public Services Ombudsman’s supplementary budget request.

</AI15>

<AI16>

10 Welsh Government budget 2018-19: Review of new budget process

10.1 The Committee reviewed the new process for draft budget scrutiny.

</AI16>

<AI17>

11 Inquiry into the financial estimates accompanying legislation: Welsh Government response

11.1 The Committee noted the Welsh Government’s response.

</AI17>

<AI18>

12 Regulation of Registered Social Landlords (Wales) Bill: Consideration of draft report

12.1 The Committee agreed the report with minor changes.

</AI18>

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