08 December 2023

Dear Andrew,

National Museum/Amgueddfa Cymru

I write further to your appearance before the Committee on 29 November 2023, on our scrutiny of the National Museum for Wales. Thank you for your attendance.

As discussed, the Committee had further questions to ask you:

§    Does the Welsh Government accept the recommendations the Auditor General makes in his Public Interest Report and, if so, what actions is it taking to implement them and ensure the issues at Amgueddfa Cymru are not repeated elsewhere in the public sector?

§    What do the findings of the Tailored Review Panel tell the Welsh Government about whether Amgueddfa Cymru remains fit for purpose and well-governed? Is it properly accountable and has it provided the required assurance to Ministers and the Principal Accounting Officer?

§    Did the outcome of the Tailored Review tell the Welsh Government and its sponsorship team anything they didn’t already know about Amgueddfa Cymru?

§    The Tailored Review Panel made 77 recommendations in its final report, noting it had been suggested it prioritise some of its more far-reaching ones. Is this this something the Welsh Government requested and if so, why?

§    Which recommendations does the Welsh Government see as the most critical for Amgueddfa Cymru?

§    The Tailored Review Panel recommended the Welsh Government provide funding to Amgueddfa Cymru on an invest-to-save basis to implement its recommendations. Has it done this and if so, are you able to provide details?

§    Following the pilot at the National Library for Wales, the Welsh Government said all Tailored Review reports would be published to “ensure action is taken in response to recommendations and to share good practice”. Given this, why was the Tailored Review Panel’s interim report about corporate governance at Amgueddfa Cymru not published or shared with this Committee?

We note that you agreed to follow up in writing on the following points:

§    Have all the recommendations from the Tailored Review of the National Library of Wales been implemented and when were they implemented, respectively?

§    How was the non-recurrent funding of £750,000 to the National Library of Wales determined as a sum, for what was it allocated for, specifically, and what specific outcomes did it deliver?

§    What concerns, if any, were identified at the performance review of the former President of Amgueddfa Cymru?

§    When will the revised version of Welsh Public Money be published and how will it differ from the previous iteration?

§    Has the Welsh Government assessed whether financial awards have been made at employment tribunals that match the amount of this relevant settlement, where the key element of the case didn’t include allegations of sexual or racial discrimination?

§    What was the composition of the Challenge Panel and what outputs did they produce that fed into the Tailored Review?

§    Is it common practice for the Welsh Government to engage in mediation where the other party specifies a particular mediator? Did the former Director General of Amgueddfa Cymru specify that he would only engage in mediation if he was able to select the mediator?

Thank you in advance for addressing these additional queries.

Please could you provide this information by 12 January 2024?

Yours sincerely,

 

Mark Isherwood MS

Chair of the Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee