Agenda and minutes

1.1 The Chair welcomed Members to the meeting of the Finance Committee.

1.2 Apologies were received from Rhianon Passmore MS. Buffy Williams MS substituted for Rhianon Passmore MS.

2.1 The papers were noted.

Margaret Kelly, Northern Ireland Public Services Ombudsman

Andrew Crawford, Acting Scottish Public Services Ombudsman

Ger Deering, Office of the Ombudsman (Ireland), Ombudsman and Information Commissioner for Ireland

3.1 The Committee took evidence on the Post-legislative review of the Public Services Ombudsman (Wales) Act 2019 from Margaret Kelly, Northern Ireland Public Services Ombudsman; Andrew Crawford, Acting Scottish Public Services Ombudsman; and Ger Deering, Office of the Ombudsman (Ireland), Ombudsman and Information Commissioner for Ireland.

3.2 The Committee agreed to write to the witnesses with questions that weren’t reached during the evidence session.

Nick Bennett, former Public Services Ombudsman for Wales

4.1 The Committee took evidence on the Post-legislative review of the Public Services Ombudsman (Wales) Act 2019 from Nick Bennett, former Public Services Ombudsman for Wales.

Ken Skates MS, Cabinet Secretary for Transport and North Wales, Welsh Government

Alex Walters, Deputy Director, Public and Integrated Transport, Welsh Government

Andrew Hobden, Economist, Welsh Government

James Burgess, Head of Bus and Community Transport, Welsh Government

Supporting documents:

Bus Services (Wales) Bill, as introduced

Explanatory Memorandum

5.1 The Committee took evidence on the Bus Services (Wales) Bill from Ken Skates MS, Cabinet Secretary for Transport and North Wales, Welsh Government; Alex Walters, Deputy Director, Public and Integrated Transport, Welsh Government; Andrew Hobden, Economist, Welsh Government; and James Burgess, Head of Bus and Community Transport, Welsh Government.

5.2 The Cabinet Secretary for Transport and North Wales agreed to provide a note on the following:

·         the generalised journey time approach;

·         the cost of transitioning to a zero-emissions bus fleet;

·         the research being undertaken by the Wales Centre for Public Policy on success factors for contracting and awarding bus franchising, once this research has been completed;

·         the methodology adopted by Transport for Wales in developing the ‘aspirational network’;

·         the 10 full-time equivalents required for the bus reform model which has been estimated in the Regulatory Impact Assessment at a cost of approximately £1.2 million per year, in particular, further detail on how the £115,000 annual salary for staff was calculated, and a break down of the functions of these roles and the costs associated with them.

6.1 The motion was agreed.

7.1 The Committee considered the evidence received.

8.1 The Committee considered the evidence received.

9.1 The Committee considered the supplementary budget requests of the directly funded bodies.