Agenda and minutes

There were no apologies.

There were no declarations of interest.

The minutes of 11 July were agreed.

Commissioners considered the draft budget strategy document that had been prepared in line with the newly agreed Commission strategy and based on decisions taken by them in the summer.

The document set out the intended expenditure plans for 2017-18 as well as indicative plans and financial requirements through to the end of the Fifth Assembly. Commissioners considered a number of aspects of the budget in detail. Looking forward, Commissioners believe a step change is needed in how Assembly business information is produced, managed and used in order for the Assembly to be regarded as a world class digital parliament that is open, inclusive and easy to engage with, leading to better laws and scrutiny. The Commission will be working to improve the way people engage with the Assembly and how services are delivered to Members.

A budget strategy that modestly increases the Commission’s overall resourcing levels will be needed if the Commission is to maintain the delivery of excellent services to Assembly Members. The longer term financial plans could be subject to change as a result of a need to respond to the challenges that emerge over the next four years but, based on current assessments, Commissioners consider the proposals to be set at levels that are fair and prudent.

The Commission agreed that the draft budget should be laid on 30 September. Finance Committee scrutiny is expected to take place on 5 October. The plenary Budget Motion debate is planned for 16 November.

At their July meeting Commissioners had agreed to consider the potential scope of work and costs involved in changing the name of the Assembly, linked to the expectation that the Wales Bill 2016 will give the Assembly the legal competence to do so.

Having considered options for consultation and related issues, Commissioners agreed that work should be undertaken to develop a consultation paper, with a view to being ready to undertake the consultation at an appropriate time in the foreseeable future, taking account of progress of the Wales Bill at Westminster.

The Commission also agreed that the Llywydd would be the Member in Charge of any Commission Bill on this matter.

Commissioners considered proposed changes to the KPI report. The existing KPIs were developed in 2013 and had been reviewed to ensure that they meet the Commission’s performance reporting needs and are useful and relevant for the Fifth Assembly.

The proposals change how the KPIs are presented to include a number of headline indicators and, under these, specific indicators with targets. This headline/indicator set-up allows the report to change over time, while still ensuring consistency and being able to show a comparable dataset of headline indicators.

Commissioners agreed that the new format is easy to understand and more user friendly, and approved it for future use.

The Corporate Performance Report Apr 2015-Mar 2016 was noted, and will be published on the website and sent to the Finance Committee for information.

The Minutes of the ACARAC meeting of 11 July were noted.

The Llywydd indicated that the policy on sale of alcohol on the Estate had been raised with her. Commissioners felt that consuming alcohol while working was not appropriate, and could create risks for individuals. They therefore unanimously agreed that the existing policy should be maintained.