, Finance Committee
Fiscal Inter-governmental Relations: Evidence session 6
So, it feels that one of the key principles is transparency and being able to understand what's happening, because I suppose if you're trying to design something new you'd need to know what you're dealing with to start off with, and if that's cloaked in some…
, Finance Committee
Fiscal Inter-governmental Relations: Evidence session 6
So, is there an element there, as Mike says, as mayoral areas are finding their feet more and more, and that sort of devolution is happening within England—? Does it open the door to a conversation around Barnett and fiscal structures and understanding how…
, Finance Committee
Fiscal Inter-governmental Relations: Evidence session 6
Right.
, Finance Committee
Fiscal Inter-governmental Relations: Evidence session 6
So, you've both worked in Whitehall and around Westminster. Are Westminster and Whitehall geared up to deal with devolution?
, Finance Committee
Fiscal Inter-governmental Relations: Evidence session 6
So, do you think—? I suppose it's early days yet to see how that beds in, but, because of that churn, is it that we're not able to draw any conclusions yet or are there encouraging shoots there?
, Finance Committee
Fiscal Inter-governmental Relations: Evidence session 6
There we are. Any thoughts in general, really, on the reforms that have been going through and some of that work that—?
, Finance Committee
Fiscal Inter-governmental Relations: Evidence session 6
Lovely. Well, thank you very much. Thank you. We appreciate your time this morning—coming in and sharing your, hopefully, expertise with us this morning and your thoughts on inter-governmental relations when it comes to fiscal aspects. I'd like to start this…
, Finance Committee
Fiscal Inter-governmental Relations: Evidence session 6
Thank you very much.
, Finance Committee
Fiscal Inter-governmental Relations: Evidence session 6
The next item is the fiscal inter-governmental relations evidence session 6. And I'd like to welcome our witnesses here—croeso cynnes. It's good to see you both. I wonder if you would introduce yourselves for the record, please.
, Finance Committee
Fiscal Inter-governmental Relations: Evidence session 6
Welcome back to this meeting of the Finance Committee. We will move on now to item 8.
, Finance Committee
Motion under Standing Order 17.42(ix) to resolve to exclude the public from the items 5, 6, 7 and 9
I'm now going to propose, in accordance with Standing Order 17.42, that the committee resolves to exclude the public from items 5, 6, 7 and 9. So, we'll go into private. Diolch yn fawr iawn.
, Finance Committee
First Supplementary Budget 2024-25: Evidence session with the Senedd Commission
Yes. Excellent. Well, thank you very much for your time this morning, and at pretty short notice as well, so I do appreciate that. There will be a transcript available for you to check for accuracy.
, Finance Committee
First Supplementary Budget 2024-25: Evidence session with the Senedd Commission
And now to the last question, from Peter.
, Finance Committee
First Supplementary Budget 2024-25: Evidence session with the Senedd Commission
Peter.
, Finance Committee
First Supplementary Budget 2024-25: Evidence session with the Senedd Commission
If we were to be minded to agree this, does that help in those trade union negotiations, to be able to show a statement of intent, I suppose, or that support?
, Finance Committee
First Supplementary Budget 2024-25: Evidence session with the Senedd Commission
Mike, before you go on, we didn't explore it too much before, the filling of posts and taking time to fill posts. Did that create any additional pressure on the members of staff doing roles within those teams? How did that delay or elongating some of that…
, Finance Committee
First Supplementary Budget 2024-25: Evidence session with the Senedd Commission
Thanks. I'll go over to Mike Hedges.
, Finance Committee
First Supplementary Budget 2024-25: Evidence session with the Senedd Commission
Peter.
, Finance Committee
First Supplementary Budget 2024-25: Evidence session with the Senedd Commission
And what does that then look like from—? You're going to be bringing forward a draft budget for next year. Are some of those conversations happening? How will you handle it? What's going to happen?
, Finance Committee
First Supplementary Budget 2024-25: Evidence session with the Senedd Commission
Okay. You talked about some of that core stuff that I think we could probably all agree on—security and scrutiny and those elements. Are there any nice-to-haves that could be reduced to save some money towards this fairly large bill?
, Finance Committee
First Supplementary Budget 2024-25: Evidence session with the Senedd Commission
Okay. You mentioned there that sort of benchmarking against Welsh Government, and the intention is for this one-off adjustment to the pay scales to make them comparable with equivalent grades. Given that the Commission’s pay grading system is separate from…
, Finance Committee
First Supplementary Budget 2024-25: Evidence session with the Senedd Commission
So, thinking that through, then, if we decided that we weren't minded to agree this, could you give—? You've mentioned some ideas there of what could be affected: could you clarify exactly what would have to go, basically?
, Finance Committee
First Supplementary Budget 2024-25: Evidence session with the Senedd Commission
Okay. Thank you for that. Your proposed supplementary budget, therefore, is asking for funding for the entire cost of the proposed addition to the 3 per cent pay award already included in your budget. Given the wider pressures on public funding, what…
, Finance Committee
First Supplementary Budget 2024-25: Evidence session with the Senedd Commission
And with delaying filling vacancies and some of that, and that being baked into future years, what's the longer term aspect of that? Is it going to create any future problems, rather than just in this in-year?
, Finance Committee
First Supplementary Budget 2024-25: Evidence session with the Senedd Commission
So, has that impacted, then, on the services that the Commission provided?
