, Plenary
Questions to the Counsel General and Minister for Delivery
But, Counsel General, you are responsible, aren't you, for litigation involving Welsh Ministers? Can you at least tell us when, given that the High Court has now recorded that the Senedd and the public were given an inaccurate, misleading description of these…
, Plenary
Questions to the Counsel General and Minister for Delivery
Diolch, Llywydd. Counsel General, the High Court, in its judgment on ATB v. Welsh Ministers, handed down on 25 November last year, after an initial hearing on 8 October, refused leave to judicially review secondary Senedd legislation in relation to the…
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Covering Teachers' Absence: evidence session with Welsh Government
Iawn, diolch yn fawr.
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Covering Teachers' Absence: evidence session with Welsh Government
But, in terms of a sensitive issue like that, you would have expected them to inform you if they had sub-contracted that work to someone else. Can I take that for granted?
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Covering Teachers' Absence: evidence session with Welsh Government
Yes.
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Covering Teachers' Absence: evidence session with Welsh Government
One final thing: do you know whether the company, Teacher Booker, had subcontracted some of the work in terms of identity recognition? Can you confirm that or not?
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Covering Teachers' Absence: evidence session with Welsh Government
Just for me to understand, how did that happen? Were you clear in terms of what the expectations were, that is, for the service to be offered in accordance with the standards, and, if we're referring specifically to the company here, or any other provider, it…
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Covering Teachers' Absence: evidence session with Welsh Government
Could I just raise a specific question, finally? The Welsh Language Commissioner published a very critical report on the pilot scheme, noting failures in terms of compliance with the Welsh language standards and monitoring deficiencies by the Welsh…
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Covering Teachers' Absence: evidence session with Welsh Government
Where are we now, then, in terms of the policy? Is there still a commitment to move away from a for-profit system, or is that not a commitment by now?
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Covering Teachers' Absence: evidence session with Welsh Government
But the Welsh Government has legislative capability to change that, don't they? The Welsh Government has the right, if it's still the policy intention, to resolve or overcome that barrier.
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Covering Teachers' Absence: evidence session with Welsh Government
Could I turn to that decision, therefore, to close that pilot scheme? This committee had received evidence at one time that the pilot was going well. Could you explain, therefore, why you moved in more detailed terms than you've already used? That is, there…
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Covering Teachers' Absence: evidence session with Welsh Government
Could I turn now to the national supply pool for Wales, and specifically the pilot scheme in Anglesey? This did stem, of course, from the co-operation agreement—maybe I should declare an interest there on the record—and the policy intention was to move…
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Covering Teachers' Absence: evidence session with Welsh Government
Could you explain why exactly there was a need to update the guidance on invoices, including NI payments, in this context?
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Covering Teachers' Absence: evidence session with Welsh Government
You referred earlier to the Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate. Are there any issues that they've raised, or local authorities and schools, that you will be interweaving into the design of the new framework?
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Covering Teachers' Absence: evidence session with Welsh Government
Within the current contract, there are great variations in the fees that are levied by the agencies themselves. Is that great variation related mainly to the different levels of profit that the agencies make, and if so, in your new framework contract, are you…
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Covering Teachers' Absence: evidence session with Welsh Government
How are you going to reflect, for example, the decision to bring to an end this idea of the national supply pool? How is that going to be reflected in any changes that you make?
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Covering Teachers' Absence: evidence session with Welsh Government
Thank you, Chair, and good morning to you. I want to turn now to the new framework contract, when the current contract comes to an end in the summer of 2027. So, when exactly will you be starting the formal work on the successor contract?
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Paper to note
Yes, let's invite them, then.
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Paper to note
Personally, I think that it is worth asking Industry Wales to appear before us, because I think that this matter does raise some very serious questions that are broader than just pertaining to this particular organisation. So, maybe that's something that we…
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Paper to note
Yes, I do, and they don't relate to the audit matter that the auditor general has just discussed, but to the broader question surrounding the dissolution of the organisation, which the Welsh Government claim was unrelated to the audit matter. And I think they…
, Plenary
Topical Questions
Clause 11 of the Bill creates a new criminal offence of misleading the public by Ministers and public authorities. As currently drafted, it doesn't apply to Welsh Ministers or public authorities in Wales as regards devolved functions. That's why, in your…
, Plenary
Questions to the First Minister
The report depicts a situation that is soberingly poor, with data either being limited or not available at all in key areas such as prevalence, trends over time, outcomes, expenditure and workforce, to such an extent that the report says that often users look…
, Plenary
Questions to the First Minister
7. Will the First Minister make a statement on the Welsh Government's response to the Office for Statistics Regulation's review on mental health data in Wales? OQ63708
, Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee
Group 2: Transitional and saving provisions (Amendments 20, 21, 22)
Okay. On that basis, I'm content to support the amendments.
, Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee
Group 2: Transitional and saving provisions (Amendments 20, 21, 22)
So, for example, you might have inadvertently deleted a section within previous legislation and, inadvertently, in doing so, you've actually prevented yourself from availing—[Inaudible.]
