, Finance Committee
Senedd Cymru (Members and Elections) Bill: Evidence session with the Senedd Commission
Yes, and already work we're carrying out—. I give that undertaking absolutely, and we're already carrying out consultation with Members with regard to expenditure on the estate through Member drop-in sessions, and that will continue. Members are going to have…
, Finance Committee
Senedd Cymru (Members and Elections) Bill: Evidence session with the Senedd Commission
Yes. I think there's a fair point there. I don't think it's entirely accurate though to assume that costs would increase by a third if you're increasing the number of Members, because we've been able to identify that all of those additional Members will be…
, Finance Committee
Senedd Cymru (Members and Elections) Bill: Evidence session with the Senedd Commission
Thanks, Chair. Just to add to that, it's worth appreciating as well that the Commission has independent advisers and the assistance of the audit and risk assurance committee as well, who are able to look at any potential savings, real savings, and then the…
, Finance Committee
Senedd Cymru (Members and Elections) Bill: Evidence session with the Senedd Commission
Alun's absolutely right. If we decide to sit more days, then that will have cost implications, and that's baked into the scenarios that we've been providing the data for.
, Finance Committee
Senedd Cymru (Members and Elections) Bill: Evidence session with the Senedd Commission
Thanks, Chair. First of all, it's important say that the RIA is, of course, a Welsh Government document, and the calculations that the Welsh Government made are based on the data that the Commission provided. I'm content with the robust process that was…
, Finance Committee
Senedd Cymru (Members and Elections) Bill: Evidence session with the Senedd Commission
Diolch, Chair. I'm Ken Skates, Member of the Senedd for Clwyd South. I'm the Commissioner responsible for the finance portfolio.
, Plenary
Welsh Conservatives Debate: Mental health
I'm very grateful for the opportunity to speak in this important debate, and I thank the Welsh Conservatives for tabling this debate today. I've just got three points that I'd like to raise with the Deputy Minister. First of all, in regard to what Jenny…
, Plenary
Questions to the Senedd Commission
I'm really grateful for the question. It does highlight the difficulty that we face in ensuring that we have a budget that can provide for the services that Members wish to have delivered in the best possible way, but that also pays our employees a decent…
, Plenary
Questions to the Senedd Commission
Diolch yn fawr iawn. The draft Commission budget for 2024-25, which was laid before the Senedd in September, includes provision for an annual uplift—as Members will be aware—in pay for Commission staff under the terms of our current pay framework that was…
, Plenary
Questions to the Senedd Commission
Can I thank Huw Irranca-Davies for his question? It really is quite an interesting area of work, actually, and extensive engagement is taking place, not just with Parliaments in Britain, but also further afield. For example, during COVID, business continuity…
, Plenary
Questions to the Senedd Commission
Although our Parliaments don't undertake formal benchmarking, we do share best practice and make comparisons for environmental performance and also energy use and services within the Commission. We also have good working relationships with their counterparts…
, Plenary
Questions to the Senedd Commission
One of the problems that we've got with Tŷ Hywel, as the Member is aware, is that its ownership changes hands quite regularly, and I am aware of news articles back in, I think it was, 2015 that reported on the owners of Tŷ Hywel being individuals that perhaps…
, Plenary
Questions to the Senedd Commission
Tŷ Hywel is owned by Equitix Tiger English LP, and they're a limited partnership based in Leeds, but we do not hold any specific information on the tax status of the owners.
, Plenary
Questions to the Senedd Commission
I think Peter Fox raises a number of important questions there. First of all, the process, which is to plan for reform over several financial years. Of course, we do as a Commission run a very tight budget, and, as can be seen by the draft budget we've been…
, Plenary
Questions to the Senedd Commission
Well, can I thank Peter Fox for the question? So, the best estimate of the anticipated costs of the Senedd reform to the Senedd Commission are presented in a regulatory impact assessment, which, as the Member knows, is accompanying the Welsh Government’s…
, Plenary
Questions to the First Minister
Thank you, First Minister. Later this afternoon, the health Minister will deliver a statement on planning for the NHS in the next 10 years, but tragically, we've lost almost a decade of opportunity to protect young people from the harmful effects of vaping…
, Plenary
Questions to the First Minister
3. What is the Welsh Government's policy on the use of e-cigarettes in public places? OQ60068
, Finance Committee
Scrutiny of the Senedd Commission Draft Budget 2024-25: Evidence session
This is largely down to the director of communications, actually. The director attended the Chairs' forum, has attended the political contact group, is seeking views from Members about the Commission's communications and engagement strategy, and also…
, Finance Committee
Scrutiny of the Senedd Commission Draft Budget 2024-25: Evidence session
I—[Interruption.] Oh, sorry. Sorry, Chair.
, Finance Committee
Scrutiny of the Senedd Commission Draft Budget 2024-25: Evidence session
Sure.
, Finance Committee
Scrutiny of the Senedd Commission Draft Budget 2024-25: Evidence session
So, it's actually quite a simple, straightforward answer, this—it's because we deemed that communications and engagement were so similar, we joined them together. So, it's a more streamlined—[Inaudible.]
, Finance Committee
Scrutiny of the Senedd Commission Draft Budget 2024-25: Evidence session
Yes, absolutely, I can. If it helps, I can provide the figures in writing for the costs of parking. We're continuing with the engagement with Members as well, and with staff. What we want to make sure we do is keep the lowest paid from any car parking…
, Finance Committee
Scrutiny of the Senedd Commission Draft Budget 2024-25: Evidence session
Yes, and you're absolutely right. There's the rather exciting project in Cardiff of the heat exchange, which we're part and parcel of, which will start delivering benefits, I think, in 2026, but I stand to be corrected. But I believe that it's from 2026…
, Finance Committee
Scrutiny of the Senedd Commission Draft Budget 2024-25: Evidence session
Yes, indeed, absolutely. Just as an example, actually, with our ability to zone the heating system, we were able to save, I think, £5,000 of gas last winter. And, indeed, we're planning on further reductions in the coming winter. We're going to reduce the set…
, Finance Committee
Scrutiny of the Senedd Commission Draft Budget 2024-25: Evidence session
They're both correct.
