29 Tachwedd 2023 , Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Sesiwn dystiolaeth gyda Llywodraeth Cymru: Amgueddfa Cymru
Okay, thank you.
29 Tachwedd 2023 , Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Sesiwn dystiolaeth gyda Llywodraeth Cymru: Amgueddfa Cymru
—is a new and different role. Starting from when?
29 Tachwedd 2023 , Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Sesiwn dystiolaeth gyda Llywodraeth Cymru: Amgueddfa Cymru
So, the current role that is being undertaken—
29 Tachwedd 2023 , Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Sesiwn dystiolaeth gyda Llywodraeth Cymru: Amgueddfa Cymru
Sorry, Chair, can I just ask, just for clarity, is this a new role, or is this a continuing role?
29 Tachwedd 2023 , Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Sesiwn dystiolaeth gyda Llywodraeth Cymru: Amgueddfa Cymru
So, that would be useful to get some clarity on.
29 Tachwedd 2023 , Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Sesiwn dystiolaeth gyda Llywodraeth Cymru: Amgueddfa Cymru
Sorry, I think, Chair, that it's not just about being accepted, it's whether it was part of a deal that you would nominate, or a party would nominate, the mediator. So, we're just seeking some clarity on that, that there was authority given—
29 Tachwedd 2023 , Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Sesiwn dystiolaeth gyda Llywodraeth Cymru: Amgueddfa Cymru
Thank you, Chair.
29 Tachwedd 2023 , Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Sesiwn dystiolaeth gyda Llywodraeth Cymru: Amgueddfa Cymru
And we have been told that there was definitive advice that this could have cost two or three times more if it had gone to tribunal.
29 Tachwedd 2023 , Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Sesiwn dystiolaeth gyda Llywodraeth Cymru: Amgueddfa Cymru
And finally, then, in terms of wider public interest and our involvement as a committee, does the Welsh Government think the settlement agreement for the former director general provides value for money for the public purse, particularly given that 'Managing…
29 Tachwedd 2023 , Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Sesiwn dystiolaeth gyda Llywodraeth Cymru: Amgueddfa Cymru
I presume, then, that you are satisfied with the terms and conditions of the settlement.
29 Tachwedd 2023 , Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Sesiwn dystiolaeth gyda Llywodraeth Cymru: Amgueddfa Cymru
So, we're talking Queen's Counsel advice, yes?
29 Tachwedd 2023 , Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Sesiwn dystiolaeth gyda Llywodraeth Cymru: Amgueddfa Cymru
I'm very ready to. The museum told the committee it was limited in the information it could share about the settlement agreement with the former director general, since, if reopened, it could expose it to unlimited financial liability. Why wasn't legal advice…
29 Tachwedd 2023 , Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Sesiwn dystiolaeth gyda Llywodraeth Cymru: Amgueddfa Cymru
Thank you. Shall I go on to my next question, Chair, or—?
29 Tachwedd 2023 , Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Sesiwn dystiolaeth gyda Llywodraeth Cymru: Amgueddfa Cymru
I don't know, I'm asking you.
29 Tachwedd 2023 , Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Sesiwn dystiolaeth gyda Llywodraeth Cymru: Amgueddfa Cymru
So, you don't see any need for a separation of roles there, or any potential conflict of interest, very briefly, before the Chair cuts me off.
29 Tachwedd 2023 , Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Sesiwn dystiolaeth gyda Llywodraeth Cymru: Amgueddfa Cymru
Okay. I'm going to move on. In terms of the role of the Welsh Government's director of human resources—who was one of the signatories, I believe, of the heads of terms and settlement agreement and was also involved in the mediation process, I understand, so…
29 Tachwedd 2023 , Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Sesiwn dystiolaeth gyda Llywodraeth Cymru: Amgueddfa Cymru
Thank you, Chair. Do you think that bringing forward the tailored review was the correct response to the concerns raised around governance?
29 Tachwedd 2023 , Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Sesiwn dystiolaeth gyda Llywodraeth Cymru: Amgueddfa Cymru
Okay.
29 Tachwedd 2023 , Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Sesiwn dystiolaeth gyda Llywodraeth Cymru: Amgueddfa Cymru
Okay. So that’s what I’m trying to understand and unpick. So, in terms of this precedent that's happened, and in terms of rolling out new practice, what have you learned?
29 Tachwedd 2023 , Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Sesiwn dystiolaeth gyda Llywodraeth Cymru: Amgueddfa Cymru
So, you would put that eight-month delay from that letter about expedition of the situation down to the submission of grievances, et cetera.
29 Tachwedd 2023 , Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Sesiwn dystiolaeth gyda Llywodraeth Cymru: Amgueddfa Cymru
Because just because something hasn't happened yet, this is not uncommon; it might not have happened yet in our basket, but it does happen. So, just for reassurance, we have a process in place now, yes?
29 Tachwedd 2023 , Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Sesiwn dystiolaeth gyda Llywodraeth Cymru: Amgueddfa Cymru
And can I stop you there? My understanding from previous witnesses is that this precedent has now been thematically looked at in terms of how it is approached across our other arm's-length bodies.
29 Tachwedd 2023 , Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Sesiwn dystiolaeth gyda Llywodraeth Cymru: Amgueddfa Cymru
I accept that.
29 Tachwedd 2023 , Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Sesiwn dystiolaeth gyda Llywodraeth Cymru: Amgueddfa Cymru
It would be interesting for this committee to test out how that process worked previously. So, that would be useful for us. So, I'm going to move on, then, in regard to, I suppose, the pace of intervention and communication between Welsh Government and…
29 Tachwedd 2023 , Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Sesiwn dystiolaeth gyda Llywodraeth Cymru: Amgueddfa Cymru
Can you articulate what those concerns were? Can you recall?
