, Equality and Social Justice Committee
Social Partnership and Public Procurement (Wales) Bill: ministerial evidence session
Thanks, Joel. So, in terms of accountability, we've got measuring the legislation and there's a number of different aspects to it. So, we've touched on the social partnership council in that their reports will be published and that will be very clear and…
, Equality and Social Justice Committee
Social Partnership and Public Procurement (Wales) Bill: ministerial evidence session
The work is starting on the development of those model clauses. We're not yet in a position to share those examples, but we obviously recognise it's absolutely imperative that we engage not just with social partners, but a whole range of stakeholders, in…
, Equality and Social Justice Committee
Social Partnership and Public Procurement (Wales) Bill: ministerial evidence session
Yes, please.
, Equality and Social Justice Committee
Social Partnership and Public Procurement (Wales) Bill: ministerial evidence session
You're right, there is a process.
, Equality and Social Justice Committee
Social Partnership and Public Procurement (Wales) Bill: ministerial evidence session
Thanks, Jane. So, you're right, the Bill, as it stands, specifically sets out the contract management duties in relation to larger construction contracts and also the outsourcing of public services. If I touch on the outsourcing of public services first, and…
, Equality and Social Justice Committee
Social Partnership and Public Procurement (Wales) Bill: ministerial evidence session
So, the Scottish Government has always transposed EU directives into Scottish law, and, as you referred, the last time they did it was with the sustainable procurement duty. So, I think that my understanding is that the legislation in Scotland doesn't include…
, Equality and Social Justice Committee
Social Partnership and Public Procurement (Wales) Bill: ministerial evidence session
You're right, this is a different approach to the one we've taken before. It's the first time, I believe, we have legislated in a Welsh context on procurement. I think we discussed previously there have been numerous reports into procurement from the Wales…
, Equality and Social Justice Committee
Social Partnership and Public Procurement (Wales) Bill: ministerial evidence session
We would anticipate data would be part of that, and that would also go to the procurement sub-group but also the social partnership council to provide advice and make recommendations as well. That would give us an opportunity then to bring it to the floor of…
, Equality and Social Justice Committee
Social Partnership and Public Procurement (Wales) Bill: ministerial evidence session
If I just speak more broadly and perhaps bring Sue in on some of the more specific points you raised towards the end there. Obviously, the broad purpose of the socially responsible procurement duty is to ensure that public bodies take action to improve…
, Equality and Social Justice Committee
Social Partnership and Public Procurement (Wales) Bill: ministerial evidence session
Ultimately, it will be for public bodies as employers themselves to work with their trade unions or other representatives of their staff, as set out in the duty, in agreeing what further steps and progress can be made in relation to fair work as part of the…
, Equality and Social Justice Committee
Social Partnership and Public Procurement (Wales) Bill: ministerial evidence session
Thanks, Sarah. You're right, the approach in the Bill as published now differs from how it was set out in the draft Bill, which we consulted on prior to the Senedd elections in 2021, which feels like an age ago now. But, one of the things I would say, and I'm…
, Equality and Social Justice Committee
Social Partnership and Public Procurement (Wales) Bill: ministerial evidence session
The Welsh Ministers' duty in setting well-being objectives is already different to other public bodies in the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015 anyway. As you'll be familiar with, our duty to set objectives is triggered following a Senedd…
, Equality and Social Justice Committee
Social Partnership and Public Procurement (Wales) Bill: ministerial evidence session
So, I think it might be helpful, first of all, to just refer back to some things in my opening remarks to the first question from the Chair, in terms of there being already many examples of social partnership working in operation and, particularly during the…
, Equality and Social Justice Committee
Social Partnership and Public Procurement (Wales) Bill: ministerial evidence session
There are already many established social partnership arrangements in Wales across public bodies, some of which actually predate devolution, and I think it's important that we make clear that we're not necessarily proposing that these existing arrangements…
, Equality and Social Justice Committee
Social Partnership and Public Procurement (Wales) Bill: ministerial evidence session
So, how many times people can re-stand.
, Equality and Social Justice Committee
Social Partnership and Public Procurement (Wales) Bill: ministerial evidence session
So, it's our intention that social partnership council appointments should, obviously, take into account both diversity and considerations around inclusion, and this will be made clear to nominating bodies. This time, we haven't specified the requirements for…
, Equality and Social Justice Committee
Social Partnership and Public Procurement (Wales) Bill: ministerial evidence session
Sorry, Ken, if I may, I think Neil just wanted to come in.
, Equality and Social Justice Committee
Social Partnership and Public Procurement (Wales) Bill: ministerial evidence session
Thanks. You touched on your own answer there, I think, a little bit, in terms of these being public appointments, ultimately, and the majority of public appointments in Wales usually run for between three and four years. So, the social partnership council has…
, Equality and Social Justice Committee
Social Partnership and Public Procurement (Wales) Bill: ministerial evidence session
So, I think, yes, as Neil said, basically there would be an expectation that the nominations wouldn't just be in respect of those trade unions that are currently affiliated to the Wales TUC. I think, in the process of this legislation and this Bill, there…
, Equality and Social Justice Committee
Social Partnership and Public Procurement (Wales) Bill: ministerial evidence session
So, in terms of unions affiliated to them?
, Equality and Social Justice Committee
Social Partnership and Public Procurement (Wales) Bill: ministerial evidence session
Thank you for that question. I think the first point to make, actually, is that in both instances the First Minister will have discretion as to whether to appoint specific individuals nominated by employers or the worker representatives nominated through the…
, Equality and Social Justice Committee
Social Partnership and Public Procurement (Wales) Bill: ministerial evidence session
Chair, if I may, I think Neil wanted to come in.
, Equality and Social Justice Committee
Social Partnership and Public Procurement (Wales) Bill: ministerial evidence session
[Inaudible.]
, Equality and Social Justice Committee
Social Partnership and Public Procurement (Wales) Bill: ministerial evidence session
So, more broadly in terms of the social partnership council and the social partnership duty, as I said, it's about actually how the social partnership approach, that process, that means to an end of evolving the equal voice for Government in terms of the…
, Equality and Social Justice Committee
Social Partnership and Public Procurement (Wales) Bill: ministerial evidence session
Right. Whilst we do say this is very much, we call it, a Welsh way of working, it's not something that's new or necessarily unique to Wales and it has progressed over the years, in different formats, in different countries, particularly some of the ones you…
