Agenda and minutes
Venue: Videoconference (via Microsoft Teams)
Contact: Lleu Williams
No. | Item |
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Chair's introduction Minutes: 1.1
The Chair welcomed Board members and officials
to the meeting. 1.2
The Chair welcomed Commission staff members Dean
Beard; Deb Suller; Dan Collier; and Huw Gapper to the meeting. 1.3
The Board agreed the minutes of the November
meeting as amended. 1.4
The Board noted an update on Covid-19 and agreed
no further changes were required to the support provided at present. 1.5
The Board noted an update on the progress of
legislation relating to powers to postpone the 2021 Senedd election if
required. The Board inquired about the impact of a postponed election on the
Determination for the Sixth Senedd and agreed to consider this further at its
next meeting. 1.6
The Board agreed minor amendments to the
Register of Interests form and agreed that members should aim to complete the
form by the next meeting. 1.7
The Board recognised the need to appoint a new
Data Protection Officer who is independent, an expert in data protection,
adequately resourced, and reports to the highest management level. 1.8
The Board agreed to review its privacy notice to
ensure it is compliant with the most recent legislation. 1.9
The Board agreed to consider a further update on
a new website at the next meeting. 1.10
The Board considered its future work programme
and agreed to divide future scenario planning into two separate discussions. Actions: ·
Secretariat to publish the November minutes. ·
Secretariat to prepare advice to the Board on
forthcoming Welsh Government legislation regarding the 2021 Senedd election for
consideration at the next meeting. ·
Secretariat to amend the Register of
Interests and circulate to the Board. ·
Secretariat to review the Board’s privacy
notice and advising the Board on the appointment of a Data Protection Officer. ·
Secretariat to prepare scenario planning
discussion papers for the next meeting. |
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Annual review of the Determination for the Sixth Senedd Minutes: 1.1
The
Board agreed to postpone the discussion on support for Members’ security to the
next meeting. It was agreed to consider the matters as part of a wider
strategic discussion on the security support provided to Members in the Sixth
Senedd. 1.2
The Board discussed proposals for consultation
on the annual review of the Determination for the Sixth Senedd. The Board
agreed to propose the following: ·
In light of the current economic circumstances,
having frozen Members’ salaries in 2019/20, the Board proposes: o
that for 2020/21 salaries, the Board’s decision
to freeze salaries at the 2019/20 rate is maintained (i.e. not to the apply the
4.4 per cent increase in average earnings as received by other workers in Wales
for the relevant year); o
for 2021/22 salaries, to apply to those frozen
base salaries the increase in average earnings of 2.4 per cent as received by
other workers in Wales for the relevant year – this means that Members’ base
salary for the start of the Sixth Senedd will be £69,273, rather than the
£72,321 as published in June 2020; o
introduce a maximum annual ASHE indexed increase
of three per cent and rule out any decrease below zero per cent to Member and
additional office holder salaries in the Sixth Senedd. ·
Not to make any changes to the Residential
Accommodation Expenditure allowance for the Sixth Senedd. ·
Remove or substitute (as appropriate) all
references to the European Union in the provisions in the Determination
relating to Members’ travel. ·
Move stationery costs in a cost-neutral way from
the Senedd Commission to the Office and Constituent Liaison Fund. To reflect
this, the Office and Constituent Liaison Costs allowance will be increased by
£1,800 to £20,060 (or £6,712 where the Member works exclusively from Tŷ
Hywel) for the start of the Sixth Senedd. ·
Returning Members will be able to claim the costs
arising from changing the institution’s name to Senedd, from the Office and
Constituent Liaison Fund. ·
Enhance the support staff pension scheme by
introducing a matching employer contribution, whereby the employer will match
the contributions paid by the employee up to a maximum amount of three percent
of the employee’s salary. ·
In relation to Members’ support staff pay in the
Sixth Senedd, introduce a maximum annual ASHE indexed increase of three per
cent and rule out any decrease below zero per cent. ·
Remove the need for additional Board guidance on
the Policy, Research and Communications Fund (“PRCF”). As with all spend under
the Determination, the Accounting Officer’s Rules and Guidance on the Use of
Senedd Resources will apply. As a consequential amendment, the Board proposes
to include in the Determination an equivalent time limit regarding policy and
research under the Support for Political Parties allowance, from four months
before a general election (this is currently included as a rule in the Members’
PRCF but only in guidance for the Support for Political Parties allowance). · Members may only fund the costs of printing and signage from the Office and Constituent Liaison Fund, ... view the full minutes text for item 2. |
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Board communications and engagement Minutes: 1.1
The
Board broadly agreed its priorities for its communications and engagement over
the course of its term in office. 1.2
The Board considered how to it could improve its
internal communications and agreed to consult with Members and support staff on
how it conducts its consultations. 1.3
The Board discussed options for its external
relations and communications. The Board expressed a desire to consider the use
of more deliberative forms of engagement for major issues and decisions, as
well as develop a more active relationship with media stakeholders. 1.4
The Board agreed to consider increasing its
social media presence and to receive advice from Senedd Communications on how
to make its work more engaging on such platforms. 1.5
The Board received a presentation on the new
Senedd website. 1.6
The Board discussed the Board’s pages on the new
Senedd website and when they could go live. It agreed to consent to the
transfer of the Board’s web domain to the new Senedd website following
amendments to the draft page designs. 1.7
It agreed to further consider its web pages at
the next meeting. Actions:
4
AOB: McCloud judgement 1.8
The Board considered a letter it received from
the Chair of the Pension Board. 1.9
The Board agreed to seek legal advice on the
application of the McCloud judgment to the Members’ Pension Scheme. 1.10
The Board agreed to consider the matter at its
next meeting Actions:
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