Agenda and minutes

PAC(4)-26-15 Paper 1 – Letter from the Auditor General for Wales (6 October 2015)

1.1 The Members received a briefing from the Auditor General for Wales.

Owen Evans – Deputy Permanent Secretary, Education and Public Services Group, Welsh Government

John Howells – Director, Housing and Regeneration, Welsh Government

Richard Baker – Acting Joint Head of Property Division, Welsh Government

2.1 The Committee received a briefing from the Welsh Government and discussed the scope of the inquiry with them.

View the meeting transcript (PDF 415KB) View as HTML (525KB)

3.1 The Chair welcomed the Members to the meeting. The Chair that he was pleased that the Public Accounts Committee was able to participate in the #SeneddSwansea week and thanked the staff at the National Waterfront Museum for their assistance in hosting the meeting.

3.2 Apologies were received from Mohammad Asghar. Andrew R T Davies substituted.

3.3 Jocelyn Davies excluded herself under Standing Order 18.8. Alun Ffred Jones substituted.

3.4 Members made the following declarations:

PAC(4)-26-15 Paper 2 – Welsh Government Response to the AGW Report (7 September 2015)

PAC(4)-26-15 Paper 3 – Letter from the Permanent Secretary (23 July 2015)

Research Briefing

Owen Evans – Deputy Permanent Secretary, Education and Public Services Group, Welsh Government

John Howells – Director, Housing and Regeneration, Welsh Government

Richard Baker – Acting Joint Head of Property Division, Welsh Government

4.1 The Committee scrutinised Welsh Government officials who are currently responsible for the Regeneration Investment Fund for Wales, questioning Owen Evans, Deputy Permanent Secretary, Education and Public Services Group, John Howells, Director, Housing and Regeneration and Richard Baker, Acting Joint Head of Property Division.

4.2 Owen Evans agreed to send further information on the following:

·       Copy of the valuation report produced for the Welsh Government by King Sturge (now Jones Lang LaSalle);

·       How the assets that went into the portfolio transferred to RIFW were selected, together with details of any previous Welsh Government marketing of the assets in the RIFW land portfolio and a copy of the minutes of the meeting at which the portfolio selection was agreed;

·       The consideration that the Welsh Government gives to the implications for the UK Exchequer of future tax revenues when entering into commercial transactions with off-shore entities ;

·       Clarification of the legal status of the Welsh Government’s relationships and contract with Amber Infrastructure Ltd (as a fellow LLP Member, and as the RIFW Fund Manager), and the Welsh Government’s legal advice on the potential impacts of any Welsh Government decision to terminate the contract.

PAC(4)-26-16 Paper 4 - Paper from Former RIFW Board Members

Research Briefing

Former RIFW Board Members

Richard Anning

Ceri Breeze

Richard Harris

Chris Holley

5.1 The Committee scrutinised four former Regeneration Investment Fund for Wales Board Members who were each appointed to the Board by the Welsh Government. They questioned:

·       Ceri Breeze: Board member from March 2010, appointed as Chair in October 2011  resigned in October 2013;

·       Richard Anning: Board member from December 2010, resigned in October 2013;

·       Councillor Christopher Holley: Board member from November 2010, resigned in October 2013; and

·       Richard Harries: Board member from July 2012, resigned June 2013

5.2 The Chair advised that Jonathan Geen, a further former RIFW Board members, had declined the invitation to attend this session due to a conflict of interest.

5.3 The former RIFW Board Members agreed to review and send any comments they may have on the market valuations undertaken by Savills (January 2012) and the  District Valuer’s report of July 2015.

Item 7

6.1 The motion was agreed.

7.1 Members considered the evidence received.