, Finance Committee
Scrutiny of the Senedd Commission Draft Budget 2025-26: Evidence session
We'll certainly take you up on that offer, because it is a technical area, and I can see the logic as to why you’d do some as a technical briefing. But I think we owe people out there—. If we're spending this sort of money, and we're talking about Welsh…
, Finance Committee
Scrutiny of the Senedd Commission Draft Budget 2025-26: Evidence session
Rhianon has been very patient there on the screen. I'll bring Rhianon back in.
, Finance Committee
Scrutiny of the Senedd Commission Draft Budget 2025-26: Evidence session
I'll bring Rhianon in—. Did you want to come in on that point?
, Finance Committee
Scrutiny of the Senedd Commission Draft Budget 2025-26: Evidence session
Okay, Mike.
, Finance Committee
Scrutiny of the Senedd Commission Draft Budget 2025-26: Evidence session
I know that Mike has a supplementary on this, but do you want to come in first, Rhianon?
, Finance Committee
Scrutiny of the Senedd Commission Draft Budget 2025-26: Evidence session
Okay. Thank you. We'll go back to Rhianon, then. Thank you.
, Finance Committee
Scrutiny of the Senedd Commission Draft Budget 2025-26: Evidence session
Okay. That's coming, yes. Peter, did you want to come in on that, or was it something else?
, Finance Committee
Scrutiny of the Senedd Commission Draft Budget 2025-26: Evidence session
And what makes up that project fund? What's pushing that increase?
, Finance Committee
Scrutiny of the Senedd Commission Draft Budget 2025-26: Evidence session
I think Simon just wants to add to that, Rhianon.
, Finance Committee
Scrutiny of the Senedd Commission Draft Budget 2025-26: Evidence session
Okay. Thank you very much. At that point, I'll bring Rhianon Passmore in for some questions, please.
, Finance Committee
Scrutiny of the Senedd Commission Draft Budget 2025-26: Evidence session
Very good.
, Finance Committee
Scrutiny of the Senedd Commission Draft Budget 2025-26: Evidence session
So, where was the main push-back? What was the feeling, and what have you had to change in sharpening up maybe some of those arguments, and maybe putting more detail behind it? What sorts of things have you been doing?
, Finance Committee
Scrutiny of the Senedd Commission Draft Budget 2025-26: Evidence session
So, after that engagement, did anything change?
, Finance Committee
Scrutiny of the Senedd Commission Draft Budget 2025-26: Evidence session
How's the—? I know you've been engaging with Senedd groups, parliamentary groups. You've been dealing with—. Obviously, you've been speaking to the unions; you've been doing some of that engagement work. What's been the feedback and how has that been…
, Finance Committee
Scrutiny of the Senedd Commission Draft Budget 2025-26: Evidence session
Peter.
, Finance Committee
Scrutiny of the Senedd Commission Draft Budget 2025-26: Evidence session
So, it's nearly twice as much.
, Finance Committee
Scrutiny of the Senedd Commission Draft Budget 2025-26: Evidence session
So, you've got the operational budget and you’ve got the ways of working. So, we're aware that you've got specific amounts laid out against ways of working, and we'll go into those in more detail. But the operational budget has gone up by 11 per cent. Could…
, Finance Committee
Scrutiny of the Senedd Commission Draft Budget 2025-26: Evidence session
Yes.
, Finance Committee
Scrutiny of the Senedd Commission Draft Budget 2025-26: Evidence session
So, you outlined the four main areas of expenditure there, and part of that is Senedd reform, ways of working—they're ring-fenced budgets. So, the total increase of operational resources is over 11 per cent. Can you explain the reasons for that and what…
, Finance Committee
Scrutiny of the Senedd Commission Draft Budget 2025-26: Evidence session
Mike.
, Finance Committee
Scrutiny of the Senedd Commission Draft Budget 2025-26: Evidence session
Okay, fine. Okey-dokes. So, your overall prioritisations and decision making in reaching the resources set out in this estimate now for 2025-26, can you describe the process that you've gone through this year? How does that align with this committee's…
, Finance Committee
Scrutiny of the Senedd Commission Draft Budget 2025-26: Evidence session
That's fine—just making that clear.
, Finance Committee
Scrutiny of the Senedd Commission Draft Budget 2025-26: Evidence session
And that figure then will come out of this budget, because you've already used it in the supplementary budget.
, Finance Committee
Scrutiny of the Senedd Commission Draft Budget 2025-26: Evidence session
Basically, because of the delay, and it's coming down the line next week—. Has there been any impact of that delay? Have you thought, 'Well, actually, this is not going to through, so therefore we'll stop doing something in the meantime'? Has it had any…
, Finance Committee
Scrutiny of the Senedd Commission Draft Budget 2025-26: Evidence session
Okay, thanks. You provided information about the impact of the two cost-saving exercises for 2023-24. What impact did those exercises have on the 2024-25 budget and your original target of the £315,000 saving?
