Agenda and minutes

1.1 The Chair welcomed Members to the meeting of the Finance Committee.

Minutes of the meeting held on 22 June 2022

2.1 The papers were noted.

Rebecca Evans MS, Minister for Finance and Local Government

Emma Watkins, Deputy Director, Budget and Government Business

Sharon Bounds, Deputy Director, Financial Controls

Supporting documents:

Welsh Government First Supplementary Budget 2022-23

Research Service brief

3.1 The Committee took evidence from Rebecca Evans MS, Minister for Finance and Local Government; Sharon Bounds, Deputy Director Financial Controls; and Emma Watkins, Deputy Director, Budget and Government Business on the Welsh Government First Supplementary Budget 2022-23.

3.2 The Minister for Finance and Local Government agreed the following:

·         To ask the Minister for Education to provide the Committee with information on the actual unit cost of free school meal provision.

·         To ask the Minister for Health and Social Services to provide the Committee with information on funding allocated to NHS recovery that addresses workforce pressures, and the impact of allocated funding in reducing NHS waiting times.

·         To write to the Committee on the concept of ‘no detriment’ in relation to relocating civil service jobs to Wales.

·         To ask the Permanent Secretary to provide the Committee with information on ‘Welsh Government 2025’, in relation to civil service jobs.

·         To ask the Counsel General to provide the Committee with information on Welsh Government capacity in its Legal Services, in relation to managing the high volume of Legislative Consent Memorandums and the Welsh Government’s Legislative programme.

4.1 The motion was agreed.

5.1 The Committee considered the evidence received.

Hannah Blythyn MS, Deputy Minister for Social Partnership

Jo Salway, Director - Social Partnership and Fair Work

Neil Surman, Deputy Director – Social Partnership

Sue Hurrell, Head of Fair Work Procurement

Supporting documents:

Social Partnership and Public Procurement (Wales) Bill (PDF, 279KB)

Explanatory Memorandum (PDF, 1.5MB)

Research Service brief

6.1 The Committee took evidence from Hannah Blythyn MS, Deputy Minister for Social Partnership; Jo Salway, Director, Social Partnership and Fair Work; Neil Surman, Deputy Director, Social Partnership; and Sue Hurrell, Head of Fair Work Procurement on the Social Partnership and Public Procurement (Wales) Bill.

6.2 The Deputy Minister agreed the following:

·         To provide the Committee with further information on the examples referenced during the session, relating to the impact of public procurement duty on the Welsh Government's local procurement initiatives.

·         To provide the Committee with further information on the range of materials to support and help contracting authorities, and a breakdown of what the guidance and support would include.

·         To notify the Committee when the Minister for Social Justice issues the consultation relating to the review of the Future Generations Commissioner and other bodies.

7.1 The Committee considered the evidence received.

The Rt Hon Simon Hart MP, Secretary of State for Wales

David Davies MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Wales

Supporting documents:

FIN(6)-15-22 P1 - Letter from the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Levelling Up, the Union and Constitution – 6 May 2022

Research Service Brief

8.1 The Committee took evidence from the Rt Hon Simon Hart MP, Secretary of State for Wales; and David Davies MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Wales on the inquiry into Post-EU funding arrangements.

8.2 The Secretary of State for Wales and the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Wales agreed to provide the Committee with the following:

·         The document referred to during the meeting which contained information on the level of funding allocated by the UK Government.

·         Figures relating to agricultural funding.

·         The distribution graph by local authority.

·         Information in relation to post-Horizon funding in Wales.

·         Clarification in relation to the Shared Prosperity Fund underspends.

9.1 The Committee considered the evidence received.