, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Evidence Session: NHS Finances and Governance (Part 2)
Okay. Can we just turn quickly to one of the other themes that have arisen quite often in relation to this project, which is whether the new centre represents the best clinical model in terms of cancer treatment for the future and the changes we can see on…
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Evidence Session: NHS Finances and Governance (Part 2)
One of the main things that stem from the court case that I've referred to is the lack of clarity in terms of procedures relating to dispute resolution that arise very often with PFI contracts—namely the two parties disagreeing about who's responsible…
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Evidence Session: NHS Finances and Governance (Part 2)
Does that, perhaps, point to some of the risks under these sorts of contracts, where there is general agreement—without knowing the detailed facts of the court case—but also a dispute relating to the PFI hospital project? So, it's very similar, in general…
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Evidence Session: NHS Finances and Governance (Part 2)
Are you aware that one of the two main companies, Kajima, has recently taken a consortium or a partner relating to a hospital and the associated health trust in England as part of a private finance initiative project to court because of a dispute relating to…
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Evidence Session: NHS Finances and Governance (Part 2)
Oh, sorry. Yes, sure.
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Evidence Session: NHS Finances and Governance (Part 2)
Okay. Perhaps we'll have to return to these issues. Let's discuss and turn to the financing model and the clinical model associated with the new centre. What assurance can you give us that the new centre and financing through the mutual investment model…
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Evidence Session: NHS Finances and Governance (Part 2)
Okay. I understand that difference, but wouldn't you expect the trust to inform you in order that you could scrutinise in terms of your role, and in terms of scrutinising the business case and also making the decision for allowing the contract to go ahead?
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Evidence Session: NHS Finances and Governance (Part 2)
Once again, unless the appeals process has taken a year and a half, and that's not what was expected, the status of that process will have changed, either way. Either that appeal will have been rejected, as happened with Kajima, or the company will have been…
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Evidence Session: NHS Finances and Governance (Part 2)
Thank you very much, Chair. There's a little difference of opinion about how to pronounce Sacyr—I'm not sure—but we know which company we're referring to. Sacyr, together with a number of other construction companies in Spain, had been fined, in their case…
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Evidence Session: NHS Finances and Governance (Part 2)
Chair, if you'd like to come in.
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Evidence Session: NHS Finances and Governance (Part 2)
Further to that, I can understand in terms of the original decision in terms of whether to bar them, but surely the fact that this has happened during the period that you were considering going through the outline business case and then the final business…
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Evidence Session: NHS Finances and Governance (Part 2)
—the partner? And if they haven't, aren't they in breach of their undertaking?
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Evidence Session: NHS Finances and Governance (Part 2)
But you also said that they'd given an undertaking to inform you if the status of those cases had changed. If what I have just said is correct, the status of that relevant case has changed. It doesn't seem to me that you are aware of the detail of what I've…
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Evidence Session: NHS Finances and Governance (Part 2)
Can I just finish on this? Come in, by all means, Chair, after I've asked this question. In relation to the court cases, just to be clear, two Kajima executives were found guilty in 2021 of the relevant illegal practices. That was appealed, but based on the…
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Evidence Session: NHS Finances and Governance (Part 2)
I'd just like to finish on this point—
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Evidence Session: NHS Finances and Governance (Part 2)
Let's turn to the companies that are part of the consortium, Acorn. There are many members of the consortium, but concerns specifically have arisen regarding two companies that are part of the consortium, two main companies—Sacyr of Spain and Kajima of Japan…
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Evidence Session: NHS Finances and Governance (Part 2)
But has the fact that you have said now that the elements regarding the MIM and the contract have been approved reduced any ability to negotiate that you have, regarding those other elements that are outside of that? Do you have less leverage because you have…
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Evidence Session: NHS Finances and Governance (Part 2)
On the face of it, it would strike people, in general, as a bit strange that you can approve the contract without having approved the final business case. What if you were to decide that you didn't want to approve the final business case? Would there be any…
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Evidence Session: NHS Finances and Governance (Part 2)
But you haven't approved the final business case.
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Evidence Session: NHS Finances and Governance (Part 2)
Thank you, Chair. I'm going to turn to questions regarding the new Velindre Cancer Centre. You have now given approval for the trust to execute the contract. Is that correct?
, Plenary
Statement by the First Minister: Senedd at 25
First Minister, you mentioned some of the important achievements that we have had in the last 25 years, and for me, a personal favourite is certainly universal free school meals. But you and other speakers also referenced areas where you could say we have so…
, Plenary
Questions to the First Minister
The Republic of Ireland Parliament, the Oireachtas, has been holding an inquiry into this area of the safety of elected Members and the online harassment and abuse and so on, and the taskforce is about to publish its report, and one of the main…
, Plenary
Plaid Cymru Debate: Cap on political donations
Let's be clear, in terms of the motion, we're not having that wider debate, which I understand, at Westminster, led the Labour Party to oppose a cap on individual donations for the reasons that he's outlined. What we're talking about here is donations to…
, Plenary
Plaid Cymru Debate: Cap on political donations
I think that was a very poor contribution from my fellow Senedd Commissioner. I hope he wouldn't mind me saying that at the outset. Look, money in politics, concerns about it—it's been one of the drivers of what we were talking about yesterday, the collapse…
, Plenary
Welsh Conservatives Debate: The Cass review
—and they deserve all of our support.
