Review of the Determination for the Sixth Senedd
Review of the Determination for the Sixth Senedd
On 6 May the
National Assembly for Wales became the Welsh Parliament, to be commonly known
as Senedd. As a result, references on this site in documents and links reflect the change of name,
referring to the institution as the ‘Assembly' in a historic context (prior to
6 May) and ‘Senedd’ thereafter.
The
Remuneration Board, in its strategy
report for 2016-2021, outlines its commitment to publishing its
Determination for the Sixth Assembly one year before the Welsh general election
in 2021.
As
you will be aware the Board’s work is underpinned by a set of principles which
include that the financial support and remuneration available for Members
should support the strategic purpose of the Assembly; and that decisions must
be appropriate within the context of Welsh earnings and the wider financial
circumstances of Wales. The Board is also tasked with ensuring that its
Determination reflects the complexity and importance of the functions Members
discharge and does not deter individuals from seeking election to the Assembly
on financial grounds. As such the Board has agreed the following terms of
reference for this review:
- the suitability of the level of support
provided within the Determination;
- the flexibility, prescriptiveness and
accessibility of the provisions;
- the probity, accountability,
reasonableness and transparency of the expenditure made available.
The
Board agreed its approach to reviewing the Determination at its meeting on 11
October 2018. The review will be split into three parts. After considering
each part of work the Board will issue a consultation to seek views on its
proposals to amend any provisions within that part. Once the Board has
concluded its review of the three parts of the review, a final consultation
will be issued to seek views on the Determination as a whole to ensure the
package of financial support for Members continues to be fit for purpose.
Details of the issues contained in each part of the review and the provisional
consultation dates are outlined below:
|
Issues under consideration |
Provisional consultation
dates |
Part one |
-
Residential
Accommodation Expenditure (Chapter 4) -
Members’
Travel (Chapter 5) -
Office
Cost Allowance (Chapter 6) |
Spring
2019 |
Part two |
-
Support
for Assembly Members (Chapter 7) -
Support
for Political Parties (Chapter 8) |
Summer
2019 |
Part three |
-
Members’
Remuneration (Chapter 3) -
Members
leaving office (Chapter 9) |
Early
autumn 2019 |
Full consultation |
All
provisions within the Determination |
Late
autumn 2019 |
The
consultation dates are provided for information only and are subject to change.
Details of each consultation will be published on the Board’s website.
The
Board is aware that should the Commission decide to introduce legislation as
part of its Assembly
Reform programme it will need to consider if it needs to propose any
further changes to the Determination to reflect the legislative proposals. The
Board will monitor the development of the Assembly Reform programme to ensure
its Determination takes account of constitutional changes and equips Members to
undertake their role effectively on behalf of the people of Wales.
On
1 April the Board launched a public consultation
on its proposals arising from part one of its Review of the Determination for
the Sixth Assembly. These proposals relate to the chapters of the Determination
on Residential Accommodation Expenditure, Office Costs and Members’ Travel.
The
consultation closed on Friday 7 June 2019.
The
Board considered responses to its consultation at its meeting on 4 July 2019. Full details of the Board’ decision can be found here
Consultation on part two
On
11 July the Board launched a public consultation
on its proposals arising from part two of its Review of the Determination for
the Sixth Assembly. These proposals relate to the chapters of the Determination
on support for Assembly Members and Political Parties.
The
consultation closed on Friday 11 October 2019. Full details of the Board’
decision can be found here.
Consultation on part three
On 30 September the Board launched a public consultation on its proposals arising from part three of its Review
of the Determination for the Sixth Assembly. These proposals relate to the
chapters of the Determination relating to Members’ remuneration, winding up
provision and additional support for Members.
The consultation closed on Monday 11 November 2019. Full details of the Board’
decision can be found here.
Publication
of the Independent Remuneration Board’s Determination for the Sixth
Senedd
On
4 June 2020, The Independent Remuneration Board published its Determination
which sets out the pay and allowances available to Members of the Senedd
following the next Senedd election in May 2021. This Determination
for the Sixth Senedd has been published in June 2020 in order to provide those
thinking about standing for election in May 2021 with clarity on the pay and
support that will be available to them if elected. This Determination will not
take effect until after the next Senedd election in May 2021.
Business type: Other
Status: Report published
First published: 29/11/2018
Documents
- Consultation Decisions - part one PDF 212 KB
- Consultation Decisions - parts two and three PDF 151 KB
- Report on the Review of the Determination for the Sixth Senedd PDF 808 KB
Consultations
- Review of the Determination for the Sixth Assembly: Consultation on part one of the review (completed)
- Review of the Determination for the Sixth Assembly: consultation on part 2 of the review and changes to the Member's Pension Scheme Rules (completed)
- Review of the Determination for the Sixth Assembly: consultation on part 3 of the review (completed)
- Consultation on draft Determination for the Sixth Assembly (completed)