, Petitions Committee
New Petitions
I sit on the standards committee as well, and one of the things that we have been asked to do is do a bit of work around this, so I'm sure writing from this committee to the other committee about this, to highlight this, would be useful, and add into that…
, Petitions Committee
New Petitions
Diolch, Gadeirydd. Thanks to the petitioner for bringing this one forward, and it's had 779 signatures on there, so it's had some interest. I think the initial final monitoring reports for the pilots were published in March 2023 and February 2024. Transport…
, Finance Committee
Motion under Standing Order 17.42(ix) to resolve to exclude the public from the remainder of this meeting and the meeting on 6 March
Under Standing Order 17.42, can we resolve to exclude the public from the remainder of this meeting and the meeting on 6 March? Is everyone content? They are. Thank you very much.
, Finance Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Second Supplementary Budget 2023-24
Yes. It's something that we've been grappling with as a committee in understanding. Some of it is in legislation, some of it is in understandings between you and the directly funded bodies, and our role as a committee in that, so it's just understanding all…
, Finance Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Second Supplementary Budget 2023-24
I suppose it goes down to some of the things that we were talking about in the debate, around timing and the process that we go through, and, possibly, because of the way the directly funded bodies have to account and have to produce supplementary budgets at…
, Finance Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Second Supplementary Budget 2023-24
I believe that there is an increase in the Wales Audit Office of £94,000 but it's a non-cash international financial reporting standards thing. So, I don't know. That's an accounting element, so it's non-cash, but whether or not—. Our comments are on…
, Finance Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Second Supplementary Budget 2023-24
Rhianon. Hang on a sec. Just unmute. There we are. You're unmuted.
, Finance Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Second Supplementary Budget 2023-24
Thank you very much. And finally as we come to time, you've discussed previously proposed changes in the financial update with this committee. Can you summarise the key changes beyond that in this supplementary budget, and what do you intend to achieve with…
, Finance Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Second Supplementary Budget 2023-24
Okay. Thank you. You've talked about—. When you were setting the budget, I remember we were talking about reprioritising—. When we were talking about capital projects, you said last year, for the 2022-23 financial year, you didn't have to pause or reprogramme…
, Finance Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Second Supplementary Budget 2023-24
Okay. Thanks for that. Rhianon, did you have any more questions or are you okay?
, Finance Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Second Supplementary Budget 2023-24
How it happens, yes.
, Finance Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Second Supplementary Budget 2023-24
And does it have an impact then, obviously, on legislation? Because if there are any reductions in headcount, or reallocation of time, does it affect what we do here, as in the ability of the Welsh Government and your legislative programme? Does it have any…
, Finance Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Second Supplementary Budget 2023-24
But then there are some changes in the final budget, though, aren't there, for next year now as well, I think.
, Finance Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Second Supplementary Budget 2023-24
So, it doesn't have any knock-on effect into next year, into the baseline and—
, Finance Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Second Supplementary Budget 2023-24
So, that part is the civil service costs, effectively, isn't it?
, Finance Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Second Supplementary Budget 2023-24
Rhianon.
, Finance Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Second Supplementary Budget 2023-24
I think Mike would like to come in there. We're all cutting across you today, Rhianon—sorry about that. Mike, go for it.
, Finance Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Second Supplementary Budget 2023-24
Thank you, Rhianon. Sorry to cut across there, but—. Oh, hang on. Can we just—? There we are, you're unmuted. Go ahead.
, Finance Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Second Supplementary Budget 2023-24
But, obviously, the knock-on effect is, if the money doesn't come from the RSG or from grants, then it comes from local taxation in council tax, and we're seeing big numbers of council tax rises in certain parts of the country, so they're interrelated: if it…
, Finance Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Second Supplementary Budget 2023-24
And then, in those discussions between Ministers, do you then have a wider discussion then with the Welsh Local Government Association, to understand the implications of decisions made at that level to local government leaders and portfolio holders and that…
, Finance Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Second Supplementary Budget 2023-24
If I may, before I bring Rhianon back in, with education spend in particular—and obviously negotiations go on between unions and the Minister with regard to pay and pension contributions and that sort of thing—what element of that is taken into account when…
, Finance Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Second Supplementary Budget 2023-24
Yes.
, Finance Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Second Supplementary Budget 2023-24
Thank you. I'll bring Rhianon in at that point. Could we unmute Rhianon? There we are, you're unmuted now.
, Finance Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Second Supplementary Budget 2023-24
Obviously, we're on a pretty tight reporting deadline on this, but obviously if that comes beyond that timescale—. Because obviously we have to report because we're discussing this supplementary budget in a couple of weeks' time. So, we have to report before…
, Finance Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Second Supplementary Budget 2023-24
Okay, thank you. I'll bring Peter Fox in, then, please.
