Agenda and minutes
Venue: Conference Room 4B - Tŷ Hywel. View directions
Contact: Sulafa Thomas, x6227
No. | Item |
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Introduction |
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Introduction and apologies Minutes: No
apologies were received. |
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Declarations of interest Minutes: There
were no declarations of interest. |
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Minutes of the previous meeting Minutes: The
Minutes of 5 December were agreed. |
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New Official Languages Scheme and annual reporting requirements Minutes: Adam
Price, as portfolio holder, introduced proposals for the Assembly Commission’s
new Official Languages Scheme for the Fifth Assembly. Commissioners paid
particular attention to the consultation that had taken place and ways that the
views of consultees
had
helped shape the draft Scheme. Responses to the
consultation were generally supportive and Commissioners considered some of the
areas where suggestions had been made and how the draft had been adjusted as a
result. They also discussed how staff would be supported and the relationship
between the Commission’s responsibilities for the provision of services in both
official languages and others, such as equalities. Commissioners noted the
positive progress made since the introduction of the Official Languages Scheme,
and they agreed that the version considered by the Commission represented a
step up in terms of service delivery and a balanced approach in order to take
us towards achieving our ambitions. Commissioners
agreed the draft Official Languages Scheme, proposals for further scrutiny of
the Scheme prior to formal approval in Plenary and that Adam Price AM should
sign off the final version on behalf of the Assembly Commission. The Commission also agreed the draft annual report, which will be laid for consideration by Plenary in due course, thereby effecting closure of the current Official Languages Scheme. |
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Update on strategic issues |
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Assembly estate Minutes: Dave
Tosh confirmed that he had met with each of the Commissioners to update them on
ongoing work. Commissioners requested that a paper be provided with additional
background information. Commissioners took a decision to limit the scope of the work to be done to explore the options for future capacity provision. |
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The Expert Panel on constitutional reform Minutes: Following
discussion at the last Commission meeting, Commissioners were content that work
to establish an Expert Panel on electoral reform was progressing. Continuing their work to address the capacity of the Assembly, the Commission were updated on progress towards the appointment of membership of the Expert Panel on Assembly Electoral Reform. The Panel will operate independently, and its role will be to make recommendations to the Assembly Commission, by autumn 2017, on the number of Members the Assembly needs, the most suitable electoral system, and the minimum voting age for Assembly elections. While the Panel will operate independently, it
cannot work wholly in isolation from political realities. The Llywydd will also
establish, and chair, a Political Reference Group with an advisory role
to help the Panel ensure its work culminates in workable recommendations. Commissioners
agreed that the Llywydd should progress with announcements. |
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EU update Minutes: Following the departure of
the Commission’s previous EU Advisor, Commissioners were told of the new
arrangements that had been put in place, taking account of the changed
landscape following the EU referendum. The
new postholder will be based in Cardiff and travel frequently to Brussels to
continue to network and represent the Assembly’s interests and facilitate
Member and committee visits. |
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ACARAC minutes 21 November meeting Minutes: Commissioners noted the minutes of the ACARAC meeting of 21 November. |
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Commission arrangements Minutes: Commissioners noted information provided about their meetings in the period until summer recess 2017. |
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Any other business Minutes: Adam
Price mentioned the up-coming AM/AMSS survey. |