Cynulliad Cenedlaethol Cymru / National Assembly for Wales

Etifeddiaeth y Pedwerydd Cynulliad / Fourth Assembly Legacy

Tystiolaeth gan Y Pwyllgor Cyllid/ Evidence from Finance Committee

6 November 2015

Dear Rosemary

Business Committee legacy consultation

Thank you for your letter of 7 October regarding the Business Committee’s legacy consultation and for providing the Finance Committee the opportunity to contribute to gathering views on the work carried out by committees over the past five years.

We discussed the consultation and came to the following conclusions which you may find helpful:

Meeting times: Members are agreed that the Committee’s approach to meeting as is necessary has worked well during this Assembly. The Committee has sought not to fill agendas with unnecessary work and has focussed its attention on areas which can add value and demonstrate results. The Finance Committee has seen a number of external bodies and individuals congratulate us on the quality of our work, including contributing to the work of the Silk Commission and most recently Sir Adrian Webb held our report on the powers of the Public Services Ombudsman up as an example of exemplary scrutiny. Whilst we appreciate the work of the Finance Committee will increase in the Fifth Assembly with budgetary changes and taxation Bills, we think the approach of undertaking selective work is one which should be advocated.

Number of Members on Committee: Finance Committee has eight members which is smaller than the policy committees. The Committee’s experience over the course of this Assembly has found that of a smaller number of members has been workable and has not impacted on the quality of work produced.

Chairing of Finance Committee: The Committee believes that given the nature of its work, it is important that an opposition Member chairs the Committee and this should be prescribed in Standing Orders. Although we understand that whilst we have the oversight role of the Wales Audit Office Finance Committee is required to have an opposition Chair and perhaps this should be detailed in Standing Orders in the same way it is detailed for the Public Accounts Committee.

We hope you find these comments helpful in your consideration of legacy related issues.

Yours sincerely

Jocelyn Davies

Chair