Concise Minutes - Finance Committee

Meeting Venue: Hybrid - Committee

room 3, Senedd and video conference

via Zoom

Meeting date: Thursday, 29 January 2026

Meeting time: 09.30 - 10.50
This meeting can be viewed
on Senedd TV at:
http://senedd.tv/en/15918

Hybrid

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Attendance

Category	Names
Members of the Senedd:	Peredur Owen Griffiths MS (Chair) Mike Hedges MS Rhianon Passmore MS Sam Rowlands MS Mark Isherwood MS Adam Price MS
Witnesses:	Catherine Mealing-Jones, Preferred Candidate for Auditor General for Wales
Committee Staff:	Owain Roberts (Clerk) Mike Lewis (Deputy Clerk) Owen Holzinger (Researcher) Ben Harris (Legal Adviser)

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Registration

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Private pre-meeting

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1 Introductions, apologies, substitutions and declarations of interest

1.1 The Chair welcomed Members to the meeting of the Finance Committee.

1.2 The Chair welcomed Mark Isherwood MS and Adam Price MS, who attended agenda items 3 and 5 as Members of the Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee, in accordance with Standing Order 17.49.

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2 Paper(s) to note

2.1 The papers were noted.

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2.1 PTN 1 - Letter from the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Welsh Language: Gender Budgeting - 19 January 2026

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2.2 PTN 2 - Welsh Government Draft Budget 2026-27: Welsh Government response to the Finance Committee's report - 23 January 2026

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3 Pre-nomination Hearing - Auditor General for Wales

3.1 The Committee conducted a Pre-nomination Hearing of the preferred candidate for the position of Auditor General for Wales, Catherine Mealing-Jones.

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<AI8>

4 Motion under Standing Order 17.42 (ix) to resolve to exclude the public from the remainder of this meeting

4.1 The motion was agreed.

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<AI9>

5 Pre-nomination Hearing - Auditor General for Wales: Consideration of hearing

5.1 The Committee considered the appropriateness of the preferred candidate for  nomination to His Majesty for appointment as Auditor General for Wales, and agreed to consult with bodies which represent the interests of local government in Wales, in accordance with section 2(3) of the Public Audit (Wales) Act 2013.

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<AI10>

6 The Land Transaction Tax and Anti-avoidance of Devolved Taxes (Wales) Act 2017 (Amendments to Schedule 5) Regulations 2026

6.1 The Committee considered the Land Transaction Tax and Anti-avoidance of Devolved Taxes (Wales) Act 2017 (Amendments to Schedule 5) Regulations 2026 and agreed not to report.

</AI10>

<AI11>

7 The Land Transaction Tax (Modification of Relief for Acquisitions Involving Multiple Dwellings) (Wales) Regulations 2026

7.1 The Committee considered the Land Transaction Tax (Modification of Relief for Acquisitions Involving Multiple Dwellings) (Wales) Regulations 2026 and agreed not to report.

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