, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Evidence Session: Senedd Commission Public Appointments
Luke Fletcher has some questions.
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Evidence Session: Senedd Commission Public Appointments
Thank you. Natasha Asghar.
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Evidence Session: Senedd Commission Public Appointments
Thank you. I'll just ask a quick supplementary before I bring Natasha in. I chair the cross-party group on disability and we've taken evidence on this. Some disabled people have learnt, through experience, not always to declare their impairment at the…
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Evidence Session: Senedd Commission Public Appointments
Thank you. Rhianon, could you take up the questions again, please?
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Evidence Session: Senedd Commission Public Appointments
Okay. Mike.
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Evidence Session: Senedd Commission Public Appointments
Sorry, Rhianon, Mike Hedges is asking if he can come in, but have you finished your sentence, first?
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Evidence Session: Senedd Commission Public Appointments
No further questions, Mike? Well, in that case, can I invite Rhianon Passmore to take up the questions?
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Evidence Session: Senedd Commission Public Appointments
Okay, thank you. Did anybody else wish to comment? No. Other Members will now take up the questions. I invite Mike Hedges to raise some matters with you. Mike.
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Evidence Session: Senedd Commission Public Appointments
Okay. And a further question for you in particular, if I may: what procedures does the organisation have in place to support you and the Senedd committees in arranging the recruitment to Crown and Senedd appointments, and how do you ensure that these are…
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Evidence Session: Senedd Commission Public Appointments
Thank you. We have a number of questions for you. I’d be grateful if both yourselves and Members could be as succinct as possible in answering them in order to cover the wide range of topics generated. As you’ve heard, we propose a short break after about an…
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Evidence Session: Senedd Commission Public Appointments
Croeso, bawb. Welcome, everybody, back to the Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee meeting this morning in the Senedd. We will now take evidence from the Senedd Commission, the Welsh Parliament Commission, in relation to our usual annual…
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Motion under Standing Order 17.42 to resolve to exclude the public from item 4 of the meeting and for the remainder of the meeting after item 6
In accordance with Standing Order 17.42(ix), I propose that the committee resolves to meet in private for item 4 of today's meeting and the remainder of the meeting after item 6. Are all Members content? Thank you. I see that all Members are content, so I'd…
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Evidence Session: Cabinet Manuals and the Ministerial Code
Goodbye.
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Evidence Session: Cabinet Manuals and the Ministerial Code
Okay. Thank you. Members, do you have any further questions? I can't see any indication. In which case, I thank Dr Goodall for being with us this morning. We've concluded our questions a little earlier than anticipated, which I'm sure will be devastating for…
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Evidence Session: Cabinet Manuals and the Ministerial Code
Thank you. If you were pushed on this, hypothetically, in the future, could you just say 'no'?
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Evidence Session: Cabinet Manuals and the Ministerial Code
Can I bring in Luke Fletcher?
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Evidence Session: Cabinet Manuals and the Ministerial Code
And that would be permissible.
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Evidence Session: Cabinet Manuals and the Ministerial Code
If a Minister texts their family to say they're going to be late for dinner, or texts their friend to say that they'll meet them in the pub on Saturday night, is that official Government business?
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Evidence Session: Cabinet Manuals and the Ministerial Code
And just developing on your answers, if you could just clarify, are all communications on Welsh Government-issued devices considered official business, and if not, why not?
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Evidence Session: Cabinet Manuals and the Ministerial Code
Will this be a routine part of ministerial induction in the future?
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Evidence Session: Cabinet Manuals and the Ministerial Code
You referred to the guidance issued internally. Could you develop that a little bit? What specific guidance, if any, is provided to Ministers on the use of Welsh Government-issued devices, including mobile phones, and does such guidance specify any activities…
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Evidence Session: Cabinet Manuals and the Ministerial Code
Moving on, the ministerial code sets out that Government property should not generally be used for constituency work or party political activities. But as you know, the waters have become muddied by the development of modern technology and what devices can…
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Evidence Session: Cabinet Manuals and the Ministerial Code
Just to confirm, the other Governments in the UK have appointed independent advisers into a role specified for that purpose. Am I correct?
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Evidence Session: Cabinet Manuals and the Ministerial Code
Given, as you quite rightly indicate, that civil servants are required to provide impartial advice to Ministers and support for them, is it right in your view that civil servants should be put in the position of having to potentially investigate the very…
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Evidence Session: Cabinet Manuals and the Ministerial Code
Okay. Thank you very much indeed. I think I will just pick up on a point there. Transparency International have provided a response to us, stating the Welsh Government should appoint an independent adviser 'through a transparent process, removed from the…
