, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Maximising EU Funding - Evidence Session with Welsh Government
All right, fair enough. My final question is how the anticipated 30 September modification in the rural development programme is actually progressing now, and what will the modification involve. If you can shed some light on that for the committee, I'd be…
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Maximising EU Funding - Evidence Session with Welsh Government
Yes, that's exactly it. Thank you very much for that. I just wanted to ask another sub-question before I go to my final question. Some RDP schemes, such as—and this is one I'm just giving you off the top of my head—the enabling natural resources scheme, have…
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Maximising EU Funding - Evidence Session with Welsh Government
All right, thank you for that. Are you confident that any further changes that may be required in order to move money from one pot to the other, or however you refer to it—between the structural funds priority pots, I should say—can be accommodated with the…
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Maximising EU Funding - Evidence Session with Welsh Government
Thank you for that. The one element that I think a lot of people sometimes forget is the exchange rate. How much of it are you actually monitoring, because it does have a huge impact on the spending, what we've got, what we're going to be paying out, et…
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Maximising EU Funding - Evidence Session with Welsh Government
Okay. Fine. Now, I'd like to ask you a bit about some of the programme adaptations. The auditor general's report stated that there may be limited scope to extend or set up new schemes or projects, and I wanted to know if anything has moved in relation to…
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Maximising EU Funding - Evidence Session with Welsh Government
Fine. I do have one question, and it's not going off track; it is related to what we're talking about. Perhaps you could give me some clarity on it and, being the gentlemen in the job, you're probably the only ones who can. In July, I believe that the Welsh…
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Maximising EU Funding - Evidence Session with Welsh Government
Apparently, only an additional £4 million of EU grant was spent for the rural development programme in July. Was that for a specific reason or was there any particular cause behind that being spent, or any change in the structure, programme et cetera that…
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Maximising EU Funding - Evidence Session with Welsh Government
Okay. Why was only an additional £4 million of EU grants spent on the rural development programme in July?
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Maximising EU Funding - Evidence Session with Welsh Government
You mentioned a couple of times 'exceptional circumstances'. Just for my benefit, and I'm sure the committee would love to hear, what are some examples of exceptional circumstances for you in your department?
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Maximising EU Funding - Evidence Session with Welsh Government
Okay, so I wanted to ask you also whether your deadline of 7 July 2023 for most beneficiaries to submit their final claims—I know you've mentioned claims coming through—under the RDP was actually achieved. You did say that they had been so far. But what are…
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Maximising EU Funding - Evidence Session with Welsh Government
If you could, please, in your response, Hugh, be as specific as you can, to avoid back-and-forth, that would be really, really appreciated.
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Maximising EU Funding - Evidence Session with Welsh Government
Yes.
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Maximising EU Funding - Evidence Session with Welsh Government
Yes, £27.3 million of funding for the rural economic and sustainability programme, and that was for 2022-23.
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Maximising EU Funding - Evidence Session with Welsh Government
That's great. The Welsh budget included £27.3 million of funding for the rural economy and sustainability programme for 2022-23 for farmers and land managers. Can you just confirm this funding has been spent in full on the actual farmers and land management…
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Maximising EU Funding - Evidence Session with Welsh Government
Okay. Pardon me, gentlemen, as I'm not the biggest agricultural expert and EU expert when it comes to spending, so you may have to humour me for the next question or two that I'm going to ask you. So, I only was elected in 2021, but, in June 2020, Audit Wales…
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Maximising EU Funding - Evidence Session with Welsh Government
Great. Thank you so much. A last few couple of things about the RDP, if that's okay, now. So, I've done a little bit of homework on my own—I will also ask some of the questions that have been prepared for us as well—but I just wanted to know: what's been the…
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Maximising EU Funding - Evidence Session with Welsh Government
Fine. Thank you so much for that. Okay. So, I just wanted to know in relation to the structural funds programme the extent to which the current spend levels put the structural funds programme on a trajectory to maximise the draw-down of EU funds by the end of…
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Maximising EU Funding - Evidence Session with Welsh Government
So, the metro, for example, the A40, given some of your projects.
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Maximising EU Funding - Evidence Session with Welsh Government
Peter, do you mind giving us, just for the benefit of the committee, some examples of some of these projects that you're waiting on—it could be anything—off the top of your head?
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Maximising EU Funding - Evidence Session with Welsh Government
Thank you so much, Chair. Hi, gentlemen. So, I'm going to begin by asking whether there are any further updates on the spend outturn beyond what is currently in the public domain—so, June for structural funds and July for the rural development…
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Maximising EU Funding - Evidence Session with Welsh Government
Thank you, Chair, for allowing me to ask the question.
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Maximising EU Funding - Evidence Session with Welsh Government
Okay. At what point would you know?
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Maximising EU Funding - Evidence Session with Welsh Government
Thank you so much, Chair. Good morning, gentlemen. You mentioned, obviously, if, for any reason, there would be a reason where the responsibility fell on the Welsh Government—. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but, in case that eventuality occurred—and you…
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Papers to note
Sorry, Chair, I feel like I'm piping up. I promise this is the last one on papers to note. I did ask previously, but just to put on record, in the last paragraph of the letter, there was a question raised about the interest accrued on the loan and also there…
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Papers to note
Thank you, Chair. Just one or two things. I'm happy to note the letter on this occasion, and I take what you said and what Rhianon said on board, but flying Mike Hedges's flag, I have been named in this letter personally, and in the name of transparency, on…
