Meetings

PAC(4)-04-14 (paper 2)

Wales Audit Office Report: Improving Financial Management and Governance: issues from the Audit of Community Council Accounts 2011-12 (September 2013)

3.1 Committee was briefed by officials from the Wales Audit Office on their responses to the recommndations contained in the Committee’s report on the Caldicot and Wentlooge Levels Internal Drainage Board which were directly relevant to the WAO.

PAC(4)-01-14 (paper 2)

4.1 The Committee considered and noted the Welsh Government’s response to the Committee’s report on the Caldicot and Wentlooge Internal Drainage Board.

4.2 Committee agreed to write to the Minister for Natural Resources and Food to ascertain whether the cross border audit regime can be achieved without legislation.

PAC(4)-25-13 (paper 9)

10.1 Members considered the draft report and agreed to agree a final version by email.

5.1 The Committee discussed the evidence provided for the inquiry into Caldicot and Wentlooge Levels Internal Drainage Baord.

James Harris, Former Board Member of Caldicot and Wentlooge Levels Internal Drainage Board

2.1 The Chair welcomed James Harris, former Board Member of Caldicot and Wentlooge Levels Internal Drainage Board.

2.2 The Committee questioned the witness.

5.1 Members discussed the evidence heard during their inquiry

Via Video Conference: Audit Commission (9:05 – 9:30)

David Aldous, Associate Controller – Audit Technical Services, Audit Commission

Wales Audit Office (9:30 – 10:00)

PAC(4) 17-13 – Paper 1

Anthony Barrett, Assistant Auditor General for Wales, Wales Audit Office

Mike Usher, Technical Director for Financial Audit, Wales Audit Office

David Rees, Governance Manager, Wales Audit Office

Audit Commission

2.1 The Chair welcomed David Aldous, Associate Controller of Audit Technical Services, Audit Commission

2.2 The Committee scrutinised the witness.

Wales Audit Office

2.3 The Chair welcomed Anthony Barrett, Assistant Auditor General for Wales, Mike Usher, Technical Director for Financial Audit and David Rees, Governance Manager, from the Wales Audit Office.

2.4 The Committee scrutinised the witnesses.

Action Points:

2.5 The witnesses were asked to provide:

·         A note on when Newport Internal Audit became involved in investigating concerns about the Drainage Board; and

·         A note on the escalation options available to auditors.

5.1 Members discussed the evidence gathered during the meeting.

Welsh Government (9:00 – 10:00)

Gareth Jones, Director General, Sustainable Futures, Welsh Government

Natural Resources Wales (10:00 – 10:50)

Emyr Roberts, Chief Executive, Natural Resources Wales

Break (10:50 – 10:55)

Caldicot and Wentlooge Levels Internal Drainage Board and the Association of Drainage Authorities (10:55 – 11:45)

PAC(4) 14-13 – Paper 1

PAC(4) 14-13 – Paper 2

Richard Penn, General Manager, Caldicot and Wentlooge Levels Internal Drainage Board

Dr Jean Venables, Chief Executive, Association of Drainage Authorities

Former Clerk and Engineer of Caldicot and Wentlooge Levels Internal Drainage Board (11:45 – 12:35)

Dean Jackson-Johns, Former Clerk and Engineer, Caldicot and Wentlooge Internal Drainage Board

Welsh Government

2.1 The Chair welcomed Gareth Jones, Director General, Sustainable Futures, Welsh Government; and Jo Larner, Head of Flood and Coastal Risk Management, Welsh Government.

2.2 The Committee scrutinised the witnesses.

Action points:

2.3 The Welsh Government agreed to provide:

·         a note on whether the Welsh Government was consulted by DEFRA in the development of model standing orders (which were issued in 2005)

·         a note on who responded to the Welsh Government’s consultation on potential reform of the Internal Drainage Boards.

Natural Resources Wales

2.4 The Chair welcomed the witnesses Dr Emyr Roberts, Director, Natural Resources Wales; and Tim England, Area, Flood and Coastal Risk Manager- South East Area, Natural Resources Wales.

2.5 The Committee scrutinised the witnesses.

Action point:

2.6 Natural Resources Wales agreed to provide:

·         a note on whether the Gwent area had had its funding arrangements re-priced and re-evaluated, following a 2006 DEFRA report

Caldicot and Wentlooge Levels Internal Drainage Board and the Association of Drainage Authorities

2.7 The Chair welcomed Richard Penn, General Manager, Caldicot and Wentlooge Levels Internal Drainage Board; and Dr Jean Venables, Chief Executive, Association of Drainage Authorities.

2.8 The Committee scrutinised the witnesses.

Action points:

2.9 The General Manager agreed to provide:

·         a copy of the Drainage Board’s current, approved, Standing Orders and assurance that they would be published onto the Board’s web site.

2.10 The Legal Adviser to the Committee agreed to provide further information on the legal competence of Welsh Ministers in relation to Drainage Authorities.

Former Clerk and Engineer of Caldicot and Wentlooge Levels Internal Drainage Board

2.11 The Chair welcomed Dean Jackson-Johns, Former Clerk and Engineer, Caldicot and Wentlooge Internal Drainage Board

2.12 The Committee questioned the witness.

Action point:

2.13 Dean Jackson-Johns agreed to provide:

·         an electronic version of the paper he provided to the Committee at the meeting.

6.1 The Committee discussed and agreed its Terms of Reference for its inquiry into Caldicot and Wentlooge Levels Internal Drainage Board and discussed which witnesses it would like to take evidence from.

8.1 The Committee considered options for its inquiry into the findings of the Wales Audit Office report ‘Caldicot and Wentlooge Levels Internal Drainage Board’ and instructed the Clerk to prepare Terms of Reference for the inquiry.

6.1 The Committee discussed options for handling issues arising from the Wales Audit Office’s report on the ‘Audit of Accounts 2010-2011: Caldicot and Wentlooge Levels Internal Drainage Board.’

Action point:

The Committee instructed its clerking team to prepare a scoping paper for a short inquiry into issues raised by the Wales Audit Office’s report on the ‘Audit of Accounts 2010-2011: Caldicot and Wentlooge Levels Internal Drainage Board.’

PAC(4) 04-13 – Paper 1

2.1 The Chair welcomed Anthony Barrett, Assistant Auditor General and David Rees, Wales Audit Office Governance Manager.  

Action points:

The Wales Audit Office was asked to provide:

·       A note with additional information on the attendance of appointed members to the Drainage Board’s meetings (separated into Local Authorities’ Members and Officers). 

·       A note with information on the past membership of the Drainage Board.