Agenda and minutes

Paper 1 - Minutes from 27 January meeting

Paper 2 - Letter from the Chief Executive and Clerk relating to a number of issues for consideration

Paper 1 – minutes from 27 January meeting

Paper 2 – Letter from the Chief Executive and Clerk, relating to a number of issues for consideration 

1.1              The Chair welcomed everyone to the meeting.

1.2              Apologies were received from Jane Roberts. 

1.3         The Chair gave feedback to the Board following her recent meetings with the Chief Executive and Clerk. The Board noted a letter from the Chief Executive and Clerk that covered a number of issues.  

1.4         The Board noted the paper ‘Respective Roles and Remit’ that provides Members with an overview of the Senedd Commission, Accounting Officer, the Board and the Standards Commissioner in the governance of Members’ access to services and resources. They agreed it provided helpful background.  

1.5         The Board is keen to understand further the interaction and any overlap between the Determination and services provided to Members by the Commission and any gaps in provision.   

1.6         The Board noted additional correspondence from the Chief Executive and Clerk that was received during the meeting. The correspondence provided the Board with an update on the consultation on the Rules on the use of Senedd Resources and also information on support for the Board in order to support its strategic work programme.  

1.7         The Board agreed to consider the contents of the letter by email (out of Board), and feed any comments back to the secretariat, to be incorporated into the response to the Chief Executive and Clerk.  

1.8         The Board reflected on the drop in session, held the previous day with Members in the Senedd, and agreed that it was useful and informative. The Board agreed for the next drop in session to trial appointments with Members and for Board Members to meet Members in groups of two or three. 

1.9         The Board agreed the minutes of the 27 January meeting and asked for a matters arising paper and an actions agreed paper to be included in all future meeting packs. 

Action: The Secretariat to prepare the update letter to Members following the meeting, draft response to the Chief Executive and Clerk and the draft minutes and matters arising.

Paper 3 – Overview

Paper 4 – Chapters 3, 7 and 8 – Member and Support Staff remuneration and Support for Political Parties Allowance

Paper 5 – Chapter 4 – Residential Accommodation Expenditure

Paper 6 – Chapter 6 – Office and Constituent Liaison Fund and the Policy, Research and Communications Fund

Paper 7 – Miscellaneous Issues

Paper 3 - overview

2.1         The Board considered all responses received and welcomed the high level of engagement from Members, Support Staff and groups on its consultation.

2.2         As part of its consideration, the Board acknowledged that we are living in exceptional times and that several of the consultation proposals, agreed by the Board in November 2021, are ‘behind the curve’ of the situation currently being faced.

2.3         The Board agreed to publish a consultation report and supporting evidence alongside the new Determination, which must be laid by 1 April 2022.

Action: The Secretariat to:

·                     prepare the revised Determination and report and make arrangements for its laying and publication by 1 April 2022.

·                     draft responses to all respondents of the consultation and issue said responses as soon as possible, and in any event by the Easter recess.

Paper 4 – Chapters 3,7 and 8 member and Support Staff remuneration and Support for Political Parties

2.4         The Board considered and agreed that staff salaries should increase by 3 per cent (consolidated), for both Member staff and staff employed by the Party Groups, and not increase by ASHE Wales which for this year was due to be 0.4%.

2.5         In coming to this decision the Board recognised the exceptional economic circumstances, and specifically how they impact on Member support staff.  Given the current and future economic context, an increase of 3 per cent was deemed appropriate. The Board also recognised the value placed on support staff by their employing Members.  This decision related to Proposal 7.

2.6         The Board agreed that in relation to Members’ salaries, no change will be made to the Determination. Member’s salaries will increase according to ASHE Wales, which for this year is 0.4 per cent.

2.7         The Board agreed to consider a paper at the next meeting in relation to the Support Staff Pension scheme in order to compare it with other schemes, including the Civil Service pension scheme provision.

2.8         The Board agreed to make provision for paid and unpaid time off for public duties. The decision taken for Reservists was to afford them up to 15 days per annum paid special leave for compulsory training.  The Board agreed not to seek to recover the double payment element in respect of any member of staff granted paid time off for reservist training where they also receive remuneration from the MOD. This decision related to Proposal 9.

2.9         The Board agreed to increase the proportion of the Support for Political Parties Allowance in 2022-23 that related to staffing expenditure by 3% rather than 0.4%.  This decision related to Proposal 10.

Paper 5 – Chapter 4 Residential Accommodation Expenditure

2.10       The Board considered and agreed to uplift the allowance by applying the most recent CPI figure available to them of 5.5 per cent (January 2022) as opposed to that which had been proposed (3.1 per cent).

2.11       The Board agreed that this uplift would apply to both the quantum of the annual allowance for the rental of  ...  view the full minutes text for item 2.

Paper 8 – Update paper

Paper 8 – update paper

3.1         The Board noted updates on: 

-      the impact of Covid-19 arrangements on Senedd business;

-      the Board’s Member engagement programme;

-      the work of the Special Purpose Committee on Senedd Reform;

-      the Members’ Pension Scheme; and

-      finance.

3.2         The Board agreed to schedule its next formal meeting for Thursday 26 May.

Paper 9  - The Board’s Strategic Forward Work Programme

Annex - Identifying priorities

Annex – Forward work programme

Paper 9 – Forward work programme

4.1         The Board considered its strategic forward work programme for its remaining term in office. It agreed that it would need to undertake two phased workstreams and conduct this work in tandem.

4.2         The first workstream to focus on the Determination for the Sixth Senedd which will include all routine business such as annual review, annual reports and existing commitments. Such commitments include for example, considering an update on security assessments for Members in the autumn term of 2022 and reviewing the implications of the Co-operation Agreement.

4.3         The Board also identified two additional priority areas for thematic review for the Sixth: new ways of working, which will include a review of the Office and Constituent Liaison Fund and support for working from home, and reviewing the support staff allowance, including the job role, pay and grading structure.

4.4         The Board agreed to begin the scoping of the new ways of working review at its next meeting in May and the support staff allowance at its July meeting.

4.5         The second workstream that the Board agreed related to preparing the Determination for Seventh Senedd. As decisions on Senedd Reform become clearer, the Board agreed its intention to take stock and decide on the scale of change required and priority areas for thematic review. In advance of this, the Board will seek to undertake preparatory research and commence conversations regarding high level principles for the future design of the Determination during this coming year.

4.6         The Board also agreed to explore some particular cross-cutting issues, simplification and flexibility, as well as decarbonisation.           

4.7         The Board agreed to continue to seek to work jointly with the Senedd Commission to explore the interaction between the uses by Members of the Determination’s allowances and services provided to Members by the Commission. The Board also agreed to undertake a mid-term effectiveness review later in the year and will review how best to engage with Members and their staff to understand their needs.

4.8         The Board gave initial consideration to the approach to resourcing its strategic work programme and agreed that the Chair and Senior Adviser should consider this matter further and brief the Chief Executive and Clerk.