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Public Accounts Committee |
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Meeting Venue: |
Committee Room 3 - Senedd |
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Meeting date: |
Tuesday, 7 July 2015 |
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Meeting time: |
09.02 - 10.47 |
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This meeting can be viewed on
Senedd TV at: |
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Concise Minutes: |
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Assembly Members: |
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Darren Millar AM (Chair) Mohammad Asghar (Oscar) AM Jocelyn Davies AM Mike Hedges AM Ann Jones AM (In place of Sandy Mewies AM) Julie Morgan AM Jenny Rathbone AM Aled Roberts AM |
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Witnesses: |
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Simon Jones, Welsh Government James Price, Welsh Government |
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Committee Staff: |
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Michael Kay (Clerk) Claire Griffiths (Deputy Clerk) Joanest Varney-Jackson (Legal Adviser) Sophie Knott (Wales Audit Office) Jeremy Morgan (Wales Audit Office) Matthew Mortlock (Wales Audit Office) Mike Usher (Wales Audit Office) |
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Transcript
View the meeting transcript.
1 Introductions, apologies and substitutions
1.1 The Chair welcomed the Members to the meeting.
1.2 Apologies were received from Sandy Mewies. Ann Jones substituted.
2 Welsh Government Investment in Next Generation Broadband Infrastructure: Evidence Session 2
2.1 The Committee took evidence from James Price, Deputy Permanent Secretary, Economy, Skills and Natural Resources Group, Welsh Government and Simon Jones, Director, Finance and Performance, Economy, Skills and Natural Resources Group, Welsh Government as part of its inquiry into Welsh Government Investment in Next Generation Broadband Infrastructure.
2.2 James Price agreed to send a note on:
· A list of locations where issues of access have been difficult for Openreach
· What the Welsh Government expects to be delivered as part of the £1.7m marketing budget and how it is used on a geographical basis
· On permitted development rights
· The roll out of Fibre-on-Demand
· Location of where additional contracts will be required following the anticipated announcement on ‘Infill Stage 2’
3 Papers to note
3.1 The papers were noted.
3.1 Covering Teachers’ Absence: Letter from Owen Evans, Director General for Education and Skills (29 June 2015)
3.2 Welfare Reform: Pan-Wales Discretionary Housing Payments Policy Document
4 Motion under Standing Order 17.42 to resolve to exclude the public from the meeting for the following business:
4.1 The motion was agreed.
5 Welsh Government Investment in Next Generation Broadband Infrastructure: Consideration of Evidence Received
5.1 The Committee considered the evidence received.
6 Meeting the Financial Challenges Facing Local Government in Wales: Consideration of correspondence
6.1 Members noted the letter from the Auditor General for Wales and agreed that the Chair should copy the exchange of recent correspondence to Owen Evans, the newly appointed Deputy Permanent Secretary with responsibility for this area, asking for his reflections on the questions asked. The Committee will return to this issue in September.
7 Forward Work Programme
7.1 Members noted the paper. However, the Clerks were asked to re-schedule the meeting suggested for Monday 28 September to an alternative Monday as a number of Members will be away.
7.2 Members agreed with the suggested list of bodies for account scrutiny and also agreed to prepare a legacy paper.
7.3 Members noted the Chair’s request for a valedictory Director General session with the recent departures from the Welsh Government. The Chair was advised that a valedictory session for the outgoing Directors General would not be appropriate as the circumstances of their exit from the organisation was quite different from a previous Director General departure.