, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Maximising EU Funding - Evidence Session with Welsh Government
That's great. Thank you.
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Maximising EU Funding - Evidence Session with Welsh Government
I can. I had anticipated that you might, but I'm happy to do so.
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Maximising EU Funding - Evidence Session with Welsh Government
Thank you. I invite Rhianon Passmore to take up the next couple of sets of questions.
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Maximising EU Funding - Evidence Session with Welsh Government
Okay. Can I invite Natasha Asghar to take up the next two sets of questions, please?
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Maximising EU Funding - Evidence Session with Welsh Government
Okay, thank you. Rhianon Passmore.
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Maximising EU Funding - Evidence Session with Welsh Government
Okay. Thank you very much indeed. Moving on to my final question in this section: why has the reported level of overcommitment for the rural development programme fallen by around £6 million between March and July of this year?
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Maximising EU Funding - Evidence Session with Welsh Government
Okay. Hugh Morgan.
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Maximising EU Funding - Evidence Session with Welsh Government
Okay. There we go. Obviously, you detail your work to minimise the risk of exposing the Welsh Government from having to use domestic funding. Has either WEFO or Welsh Government allocated any specific financial resources to cover projects if they do all spend…
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Maximising EU Funding - Evidence Session with Welsh Government
Natasha Asghar, briefly.
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Maximising EU Funding - Evidence Session with Welsh Government
Thank you. Rhianon Passmore, is that your hand up? Yes, it is.
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Maximising EU Funding - Evidence Session with Welsh Government
Okay, thank you, Peter. Hugh Morgan, do you wish to add something?
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Maximising EU Funding - Evidence Session with Welsh Government
Okay, thank you very much indeed. As you'll both expect, we have a number of questions. I'd be grateful if both Members and you could be as succinct as possible to enable us to a cover the wide range of issues this topic has generated. I will begin, as is…
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Maximising EU Funding - Evidence Session with Welsh Government
Thank you.
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Maximising EU Funding - Evidence Session with Welsh Government
Okay, croeso. Welcome back to the Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee meeting this morning. We're now moving to our third item, which is maximising European Union funding. We have an evidence session with Welsh Government officials. Could I…
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Papers to note
Right, we'll have a quick break, then, as stated.
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Papers to note
Thank you very much indeed.
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Papers to note
Okay, thank you. What time would you suggest we ask Members to be available again?
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Papers to note
Okay. Thanks very much, Matt. Members, I invite you to note the letter but also to discuss it, if you have any comments or if any further follow-up is required. Any further matters of concern could also be raised—I think as Matt alluded to—during scrutiny of…
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Papers to note
Okay, thank you. In that case, at this stage, could I invite Members to just note the item? Thank you. Item 2.12 is a letter from the Permanent Secretary to me as Chair of this committee on the Welsh Government's annual report and accounts 2020-21. This is in…
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Papers to note
Thank you. Any further thoughts or comments or proposed actions? No. Okay, thank you very much indeed. Item 2.11 is the Welsh Government's organisational response to the auditor general's report '"Cracks in the Foundations"—Building Safety in Wales'. The…
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Papers to note
Perhaps I could bring this public session conversation about this to a close, by advising Members—and you're probably aware—that following the evidence session that we had with the Welsh Government, we wrote to the Welsh Government with several additional…
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Papers to note
Okay, thank you. Rhianon.
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Papers to note
Well, it's a very valid point, Mike. I don't know whether the auditors have any thoughts on this, bearing in mind the criteria within which such applications for funding should operate.
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Papers to note
If I recollect, the letter that we're discussing at some point states it would have been unaffordable for them in their view, which is why they followed the path they did. But that's their contention, and I'm not one to comment. Obviously, if the Welsh…
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Papers to note
I'm also conscious that the letter is now in the public sphere, and another Member was also named who hasn't had an opportunity to comment one way or another. So, again, I don't think we should pursue that publicly at this stage. Mike.
