Public bodies and the civil service

Adrian Crompton

7 November 2024, Finance Committee

Audit Wales - Scrutiny of the Estimate 2025-26 and Interim Report: Evidence session

I'm going to sound like a stuck record. Most of the gain you will see in the shape of the fees that we have to charge to our audited bodies, so we're applying data analytics tools now routinely to our audits—certainly the big audits that we undertake—and they are contributing directly into the…

Tagged from the title of its item or question: “Audit Wales”Official Record

Mike HedgesLabour

7 November 2024, Finance Committee

Audit Wales - Scrutiny of the Estimate 2025-26 and Interim Report: Evidence session

We talked about data analytics earlier. It's £214,000; you spoke very highly of it. Where do I see the gain on it? I see the cost. Where do I see the gain?

Tagged from the title of its item or question: “Audit Wales”Official Record

Mike HedgesLabour

7 November 2024, Finance Committee

Audit Wales - Scrutiny of the Estimate 2025-26 and Interim Report: Evidence session

Just like banks. The major high-street banks do that, don't they? If anything ever goes wrong, they might lose a day, but they can always go back to a safe previous version.

Tagged from the title of its item or question: “Audit Wales”Official Record

Kevin Thomas

7 November 2024, Finance Committee

Audit Wales - Scrutiny of the Estimate 2025-26 and Interim Report: Evidence session

Thanks, Mike. You'll remember that this time last year the committee supported us with additional funding for a cyber incident response retainer contract. That gives us 24/7 access to specialist consultants who are able to help us in the event of a cyber attack and to restore our systems quickly.…

Tagged from the title of its item or question: “Audit Wales”Official Record

Mike HedgesLabour

7 November 2024, Finance Committee

Audit Wales - Scrutiny of the Estimate 2025-26 and Interim Report: Evidence session

I want to talk about cyber security. I know you've got a £40,000 increase there. I'm going to ask is that enough or too little, and you're going to say the answer is both. You could spend huge sums of money on cyber security. Why is it going up by that amount, rather than more or less?

Tagged from the title of its item or question: “Audit Wales”Official Record

Adrian Crompton

7 November 2024, Finance Committee

Audit Wales - Scrutiny of the Estimate 2025-26 and Interim Report: Evidence session

…the estimate are for that team, but also the contribution of time and expertise from other members of Audit Wales in delivering the work.

Tagged for: “Audit Wales”Official Record

Rhianon PassmoreLabour

7 November 2024, Finance Committee

Audit Wales - Scrutiny of the Estimate 2025-26 and Interim Report: Evidence session

Thank you. Finally, in regard to your request for an increase of £10,000 from the WCF associated with staff time relating to your good practice exchange—and these are all great things to do—do you have staff who work exclusively on this? Given the resourcing challenges you face and the pressures…

Tagged from the title of its item or question: “Audit Wales”Official Record

Ann-Marie Harkin

7 November 2024, Finance Committee

Audit Wales - Scrutiny of the Estimate 2025-26 and Interim Report: Evidence session

Absolutely. Thanks, Rhianon. We've provided the additional detail I think you asked for last year in exhibit 9. The non-pay costs, as you'll see, include the cost of professional training for the accountancy studies, and there's also a small budget there for a trainee conference that we provide…

Tagged from the title of its item or question: “Audit Wales”Official Record

Rhianon PassmoreLabour

7 November 2024, Finance Committee

Audit Wales - Scrutiny of the Estimate 2025-26 and Interim Report: Evidence session

Got you. Thank you. You've requested an additional £30,000 in 2025-26 for the graduate trainee programme. The supporting information outlines increases in staff costs for trainees and apprentices, training, and programme management. Can you provide information on the non-pay cost increases within…

Tagged from the title of its item or question: “Audit Wales”Official Record

Adrian Crompton

7 November 2024, Finance Committee

Audit Wales - Scrutiny of the Estimate 2025-26 and Interim Report: Evidence session

'Yes' to 'is it ongoing?' The £97,000—I think we talked about it last year—was reflected in the regulatory impact assessment for the Bill on changing the shape of the Senedd and its term length. The £97,000 is a direct result of that. I'm required, under the future generations Act, to undertake a…

Tagged from the title of its item or question: “Audit Wales”Official Record

Rhianon PassmoreLabour

7 November 2024, Finance Committee

Audit Wales - Scrutiny of the Estimate 2025-26 and Interim Report: Evidence session

Right. So, we're clear. Thank you so much. I'm going to move on in terms of more specific funding increases that you've requested. I'll try and whizz through these. They are important, but if you could be brief in your responses, if you can. The supporting information includes a request for a…

Tagged from the title of its item or question: “Audit Wales”Official Record

Kevin Thomas

7 November 2024, Finance Committee

Audit Wales - Scrutiny of the Estimate 2025-26 and Interim Report: Evidence session

We accounted for the resource in 2024-25, as we have 2025-26 and thereafter, but we didn't have that cash requirement last year. We now have that because the rent-free period is over, so we've now got that cash requirement in the budget for 2025-26.

Tagged from the title of its item or question: “Audit Wales”Official Record