Agenda and minutes
Venue: Conference Room A - Tŷ Hywel. View directions
Contact: Clerk of the Remuneration Board
Expected timing | No. | Item |
---|---|---|
(09.00 - 10.10) |
Chair's introduction Minutes: 1.1.
The
Chair welcomed the Board members to the meeting. 1.2.
The
Board agreed the minutes of the meetings on 11 and 12 July 2017. 1.3.
The
Board noted its work programme for the remainder of 2017 and its meeting dates
up to March 2019. 1.4.
The
Board noted: -
the
progress made by the Wales Governance Centre regarding the data collection for
the research into the barriers to and incentives for standing for election to
the Assembly; and -
the
update on the cost cap valuation and annual allowance for the Members Pension
Scheme. 1.5.
The
Board considered and agreed, subject to minor alterations, the proposals for
its own independent microsite. The Board agreed to review the microsite on a
regular basis in line with its wider engagement strategy. 1.6.
The
Board considered the effect of a Member leaving a political group and
re-affirmed their decision from 24 May 2017 that Political Party Support
Allowance will be allocated to independent Members. 1.7.
The
Board agreed to write to all Members who are yet to implement the security
measures identified following the review their office(s) to urge Members to
ensure the relevant work is undertaken. Further to this, the Board agreed to
write to all Members to ensure that all volunteers based in their offices
undertake the relevant security checks. 1.8.
The
Board considered the financial implications of Members having more than one
office and agreed to consider this at a later date. 1.9.
The
Board considered the provisions surrounding redundancy and agreed to consider
redundancy during an office restructure at a later date. 1.10. The Board considered the implications
of the proposed new funding arrangements for caseworker system for Members and
agreed to revisit the issue during its review of the office cost allowance for
2018-19. Action points: The
Board to write to: - Members who are yet to implement the
measures identified following the security review of their office; -
all
Members to ensure that any volunteers in their offices undergo the relevant
security checks; and - return to the issues noted above at
relevant dates. The
secretariat to publish the minutes of the meeting of the 11 and 12 July
meeting. |
|
(10.10 - 10.20) |
Item for discussion: The National Assembly for Wales Members' Pension Scheme: Annual Allowance Minutes: 2.1. The Board noted the implication of
the tapered Annual Allowance on the level of remuneration received. 2.2. Donna Davies, Head of Pensions at the
Assembly, informed the Board that Ieuan Wyn Jones
(Former Plaid Cymru Assembly Member) had been nominated as the one of the
Member representatives on the Pension Board in place of Gareth Jones (former
Plaid Cymru Assembly Member). The Board approved the nomination. |
|
(10.30 - 12.00) |
Item for decision: Agreeing the scoping paper for the review of the career structure and terms and conditions of Assembly Member Support Staff Minutes: 2.1. The Board considered the scoping
paper for the review. 2.2. To inform discussion Board members
shared the key themes which arose from their discussions with Support Staff
based in constituency and regional offices and the Assembly Member and Assembly
Member Support Staff Representative Groups respectively. 2.3. The Board agreed: -
the
terms of reference of the review, subject to minor alterations; -
to
rename the review to the ‘Review of staffing support for Members’; -
the
structure, approach and anticipated timescale of the review; and - that some recommendations of the
review may need to be revisited in preparation of the Determination for the
Sixth Assembly to reflect any potential Assembly reform. Action point: The
secretariat to arrange the next phase of data collection to inform the review. |
|
(12.45 - 14.00) |
Item for discussion: Meeting the Chair of the Expert Panel on Assembly Electoral Reform Minutes: 4.1. The Chair welcomed Professor Laura
McAllister, Chair of the Expert Panel on Assembly electoral Reform, and Helen
Finlayson, Clerk to the Panel, to the meeting. 4.2. Professor McAllister provided an overview
of the Panel’s work which may be of relevance to the Board’s Determination for
the Sixth Assembly. Action point: The
Board to consider the implication of the Panel’s report and any legislative
proposals which may be introduced by the Commission on the Board’s forward work
programme. |
|
(14.00 - 14.20) |
Item for discussions: Process for Assembly Members' expenses and allowance: Claims process, appeals and business cases Minutes: 5.1 The Board considered
and agreed the processes for Assembly Members’ expenses and allowance. |
|
(14.20 - 14.50) |
Item for decision: Survey on the effectiveness of the Determination: Report Minutes: 6.1. The Board considered the report
outlining the results of its recent survey on the effectiveness of the
Determination and agreed to publish a summary of the results in its Annual
Report for 2017 – 2018. 6.2.
The
Board also agreed to publish relevant extract of the results as and when
appropriate to evidence any recommendations it may wish to implement as part of
its wider work programme. Action point The
secretariat to prepare a summary of the results for the Board’s consideration
in time for the publication of its Annual Report in July. |
|
Paper(s) to note Minutes: 7.1. The Board noted the correspondence
from Lord Bew, Chair of the Committee on Standards in Public Life. |