, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Session on the Cabinet Manual and Access Talks
Okay, thank you for that. I should, actually, re-correct myself, again. The rules, the Senedd rules, I was referring to—it is actually a Commission document. It's the 'Rules and Guidance on the Use of Senedd Resources', which actually bars party-political…
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Session on the Cabinet Manual and Access Talks
So, if an opposition party, or whatever, decides, 'We want to do X on childcare', and the Government says, 'There's this policy, can you go away and analyse it?', there are no rules around protecting, abuse. So, actually, those costings, then, could be used…
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Session on the Cabinet Manual and Access Talks
I'll jump in again. In relation to access talks, I remember them well in the run-up to the 2007—indirectly—but is a sitting Government allowed, for example, to commission an analysis by the civil service of the policies of an opposition party? The costings…
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Session on the Cabinet Manual and Access Talks
Yes.
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Session on the Cabinet Manual and Access Talks
Right, okay. Thank you.
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Session on the Cabinet Manual and Access Talks
Right. So, there are pieces of information that are now in the public domain that you weren't aware of, but they would have no bearing on your advice.
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Session on the Cabinet Manual and Access Talks
Can you in that factual information also tell the committee whether the results of that forensic analysis revealed IP addresses as part of the outcome of the inquiry? Can I just, then, return to the other matter that we've touched upon, which is the…
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Session on the Cabinet Manual and Access Talks
Can I ask you a further set of questions, then, given that you're not prepared to tell us whether a formal leak inquiry—? I take it, and I have to say that my assumption now is that you do have knowledge as to whether a formal leak inquiry has been…
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Session on the Cabinet Manual and Access Talks
I'm afraid—I've checked the pre-election guidance; the pre-election guidance is about impartiality, and it actually places a duty upon you to provide factual answers to factual questions, so it goes in a different direction, I would contend. Is your evidence…
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Session on the Cabinet Manual and Access Talks
It's a factual question. The answer is either you are aware that a formal leak inquiry was commissioned, or you are not aware. That is the question that I'm putting to you.
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Session on the Cabinet Manual and Access Talks
My question is whether you're aware now.
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Session on the Cabinet Manual and Access Talks
The three of you now—you're not aware at this point as to whether a formal leak inquiry was commissioned.
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Session on the Cabinet Manual and Access Talks
I'd like to return, actually, to some of the matters that I've raised. I've had some time to consider some of the responses, and I'd like to save time, really, by not having to write to you all with a whole host of follow-up questions, so if we're able to…
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Session on the Cabinet Manual and Access Talks
Okay. That concludes my questions. Thank you very much.
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Session on the Cabinet Manual and Access Talks
For clarity, I think it's a remuneration board policy, which I think the accounting officer of the Senedd is responsible for carrying out. It's not a Senedd Commission role. I speak as a Senedd Commissioner, so I should get that bit right, anyway.
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Session on the Cabinet Manual and Access Talks
Given the decision by the remuneration board in its determination that no Senedd resources, including the buildings themselves, can be used for party-political purposes, and that has been underlined on several occasions to party groups, how are political…
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Session on the Cabinet Manual and Access Talks
Physically, are they held always in Cathays Park? Are they sometimes held here, in this building?
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Session on the Cabinet Manual and Access Talks
How often are political Cabinets held? Are they regular?
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Session on the Cabinet Manual and Access Talks
Finally, there is a reference in the UK Cabinet manual to political Cabinet meetings, which I'll sort of paraphrase or summarise here, but essentially meetings that are without officials, and the conclusions—the discussions are not necessarily minuted, and it…
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Session on the Cabinet Manual and Access Talks
In providing the advice that you gave that was subsequently written up by a colleague, did you have all the information relevant to this case that is now in the public domain, for example the extent of the donations and the loan by the Development Bank of…
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Session on the Cabinet Manual and Access Talks
The decision to publish, is that a decision now—? It would've been a decision by the former First Minister, but it now falls to the First Minister himself to decide whether to publish that.
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Session on the Cabinet Manual and Access Talks
But it hasn't so far been published.
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Session on the Cabinet Manual and Access Talks
Could I ask you, then, about your advice to the former First Minister that Vaughan Gething had not broken the ministerial code? That's in the public domain that such advice was provided. Was that advice provided by you in writing?
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Session on the Cabinet Manual and Access Talks
One would expect, though, as director of propriety and ethics, it would be fairly extraordinary if you were not aware whether a report had been produced on the ministerial code.
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Session on the Cabinet Manual and Access Talks
Let's ask a very focused factual question, then: was a report provided on any breach of the ministerial code by Hannah Blythyn?
