Agenda and minutes

·        Declarations of interest

1.1 The Chair welcomed Board members to the meeting.

1.2 Apologies had been received from Stuart Castledine.

1.3 Subject to minor amendments, the Board agreed the minutes of the meeting on 16 January 2015.

2.1  The Board considered all responses to the consultation on the 2015-16 pay ward for Assembly Member Support Staff.

2.2  The Board noted that the decision on AMSS pay for 2016-17 will be a matter for consideration in January 2016.

Action point:

·         Write to AMSS setting out the Boards intention to increase their salary by 1% or the increase in ASHE Welsh median earnings – whichever is greater.

3.1 The Board noted that the Welsh Liberal Democrat group were the only formal respondents to the consultation on the Determination for the final year of the Fourth Assembly.

3.2 The Board noted that this consultation will apply up to the day of the election results.

3.1 The Board viewed and commented on video of media coverage of the consultation on AM salaries, which included in depth analysis and an interview with the Chair. The Board noted a paper summarising the consultation responses, social media and media coverage, and the Assembly Petition protesting against the proposed increase.

3.2 The Board emphasised that it was disappointed that so few had responded to the consultation.

3.3  In discussing the contents of the Draft Determination of the Fifth Assembly, the Board agreed that to come to an appropriate conclusion it needed to revisit the reasons it came to its original proposal on salaries.

3.4 The Board agreed that it had given full consideration to all factors including – the changing responsibilities of the role, comparative salaries both in the general Welsh market and other UK Parliaments, and the different levels of average pay in different parts of the UK, in reaching its original proposal.

3.5  The Board discussed at length two key messages from the consultation: that the salary was too high, and that the current economic situation meant this was not the right time for an increase.

3.6  The Board concluded that it would retain its original proposal for AM salaries (£64,000) in the consultation on the Determination for the Fifth Assembly.

3.1 The Board considered a paper on Group Support for the Fifth Assembly, which outlined the current system of financial support for political groups and sought the Board’s decision to include in the consultation on the Determination.

3.2 The Board discussed feedback received from Party Groups, which had been gathered through informal discussions with the Chair and the Clerk.

3.3 The Board agreed to consider further models for Group Support before agreeing a proposal for inclusion in the Draft Determination for the Fifth Assembly.

Action points:

·         Monojit to provide a variety of different models for Group Support by Monday 23 February.

6.1 The Board discussed legacy issues for the new Remuneration Board.

6.1 The Board noted progress in preparing the Draft Determination for the Fifth Assembly and the accompanying report, pending the decisions reached earlier in the meeting.

6.2 The Board agreed to consider new passages containing the new decisions, and any other amendments to the Draft Determination and the accompanying report via email.

Action point:

·         The Secretariat to complete and amend the draft Determination and accompanying report accordingly and circulate the Board for comment.

6.3        The Board noted the draft Communications Plan for the consultation on the Determination for the Fifth Assembly, and discussed the key messages it wished to convey.