Meeting Venue: Hybrid - Committee
room 5 Ty Hywel and video conference
via Zoom
Meeting date: Wednesday, 15 November 2023
Meeting time: 09.30 - 12.17
This meeting can
be viewed
on Senedd TV at:
http://senedd.tv/en/13814
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|
Category |
Names |
|
Members of the Senedd: |
Peredur Owen Griffiths MS (Chair) Peter Fox MS Mike Hedges MS Jack Sargeant MS (In place of Rhianon Passmore MS) |
|
Witnesses: |
Rebecca Evans MS, Minister for Finance and Local Government Andrew Jeffreys, Welsh Government Gawain Evans, Welsh Government Mick Antoniw MS, Counsel General and Minister for the Constitution Michael Kay, Welsh Government Mathew Xerri, Welsh Government |
|
Committee Staff: |
Owain Roberts (Clerk) Leanne Hatcher (Second Clerk) Cerian Jones (Second Clerk) Mike Lewis (Deputy Clerk) Martin Jennings (Researcher) Christian Tipples (Researcher) Božo Lugonja (Researcher) Professor Ailsa Henderson (Expert Adviser) |
Registration (09.00-09.15)
Private Pre-meeting (09.15-09.30)
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.
1.3 Jack Sargeant MS substituted for Rhianon Passmore MS.
2 Paper(s) to note
2.1 The papers were noted.
2.1 PTN 1 - Letter from the Chair of Local Government and Housing Committee to the Counsel General and Minister of the Constitution: Elections and Elected Bodies (Wales) Bill - 3 November 2023
2.2 PTN 2 - Letter from the Deputy Minister for Climate Change: Environment (Air Quality and Soundscapes) (Wales) Bill - 9 November 2023
2.3 PTN 3 - The Senedd Commission's response to the Committee's report on the Scrutiny of the Senedd Commission Draft Budget 2024-25
2.4 PTN 4 - Letter from the Counsel General and Minister for the Constitution to the Chair of the Reform Bill Committee: Follow up questions on the Senedd Cymru (Members and Elections) Bill - 8 November 2023
2.5 PTN 5 - Letter from the Senedd Commission: Update on the Civil Service Pension triannual valuation - 13 November 2023
3 Update on Welsh Government 2023-24 in-year financial position: Evidence session
3.1 The Committee took evidence on the Welsh Government 2023-24 in-year financial position from Rebecca Evans MS, Minister for Finance and Local Government; Andrew Jeffreys, Director Treasury, Welsh Government; and Gawain Evans, Director of Finance, Welsh Government.
3.2 The Minister for Finance and Local Government agreed to:
· provide a note on the procedure for changing the Revenue Support Grant (RSG) within a financial year, and whether this procedure requires primary legislation.
· ask the Minister for Education and the Welsh Language for a note on the formula for allocating funding to secondary schools, and the assertion that similar sized schools can receive a marked difference in funding allocation.
Break
4 Financial implications of the Elections and Elected Bodies (Wales) Bill: Evidence session
4.1 The Committee took evidence on the Financial implications of the Elections and Elected Bodies (Wales) Bill from Mick Antoniw MS, Counsel General and Minister for the Constitution; Michael Kay, SRO for the Bill – Deputy Director, Elections Division; and Mathew Xerri, Head of Elections Policy, Elections Division.
5 Motion under Standing Order 17.42 (ix) to resolve to exclude the public from the remainder of this meeting and the meeting on 13 December.
5.1 The motion was agreed.
6 Financial implications of the Elections and Elected Bodies (Wales) Bill: Consideration of evidence
6.1 The Committee considered the evidence received.
7 Update on Welsh Government 2023-24 in-year financial position: Consideration of evidence
7.1 The Committee considered the evidence received.
8 Senedd Cymru (Members and Elections) Bill: Key issues paper
8.1 The Committee considered the key issues paper on the Senedd Cymru (Members and Elections) Bill.
9 Annual scrutiny of the Wales Audit Office and the Auditor General for Wales: Consideration of draft report
9.1 The Committee considered and agreed the draft report.
10 Annual Scrutiny of the Public Services Ombudsman for Wales: Consideration of draft report
10.1 The Committee considered and agreed the draft report.