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Petition title: Senedd Reform Bill to be amended to include provisions for constituency approval of MS pay increases Text of petition:
We demand that the Senedd develop and institute an approval system for all MS Pay Rises and that the procedure must be incorporated in the "Senedd Reform Bill. This would mean that once any pay rise is recommended by the Remuneration Board, each Member's Constituents have a binding vote to approve or veto each of their individual representatives' receipt of the agreed pay rise based on their performance as a good incumbent. This system to be applied to both Constituency and Regional Representatives. The above-described system would allow the Electorate to give clear and effective feedback to Members by linking their pay rise to their actual performance in serving the best interests of their voters, while also saving money from the Welsh Budget! Voting could be online to further minimise costs to Welsh budget. |
Pay, pensions and allowances for Members of the Senedd are set by the Independent Remuneration Board of the Senedd. The Board was established by the National Assembly for Wales (Remuneration) Measure 2010.
The Board publishes a Determination at the start of each Senedd term to set out the rules about what Members are entitled to claim for, which is then reviewed annually.
The Determination on Members' Pay and Allowances 2024-25 took effect on 1 April 2024.
Chapter 3 of the Determination sets out Members’ remuneration.
A Member’s salary is currently £72,057 plus any additional office holder salary they are entitled to, for example, if they are a Minister or the Chair of a Committee.
The pay of Members and office holders is adjusted in April of each year by the change in the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, annual gross median earnings for full-time employee jobs in Wales over the previous 12 months. This adjustment can be no lower than zero per cert and no higher than three per cent.
The Board may make no more than one determination on Members’ salaries in each Senedd term, except in exceptional circumstances.
The Board is conducting a thematic review of Members Remuneration and Personal Support as part of its strategic work programme in the Sixth Senedd. This will inform its annual reviews of the Determination and the new Determination for the Seventh Senedd.
The Senedd Cymru (Members and Elections) Bill was introduced on 17 September 2023.
The Bill addresses some of the recommendations made by the Special Purpose Committee on Senedd Reform, which reported in May 2022.
The changes proposed by the Bill include:
· Replacing the constituency and regional model with larger multi-member constituencies;
· Increasing the number of Members of the Senedd from 60 to 96;
· Introducing a closed-list proportional electoral system to elect Members;
· A return to the Senedd being elected for four-year terms;
· Enabling the Senedd to elect a second Deputy Presiding Officer;
· Increasing the maximum number of Welsh Ministers from 12 to 17 (with potential to increase to 19);
· Putting provisions in place for reviews of Senedd constituency boundaries to be undertaken; and
· Making it a requirement for candidates to, and Members of, the Senedd to be registered to vote at an address in Wales.
The Senedd voted by 43 to 16 to approve the Bill at its Stage 4 proceedings on 8 May 2024.
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Every effort is made to ensure that the information contained in this briefing is correct at the time of publication. Readers should be aware that these briefings are not necessarily updated or otherwise amended to reflect subsequent changes. |