Thank you, Llywydd, and may I thank Suzy Davies, the Commissioner for budget and governance, for presenting the Commission’s draft budget? As outlined, the Finance Committee has discussed the budget and appreciated the way in which Suzy Davies and officials came before the committee and answered our questions in an open manner and, of course, provided more information promptly following the evidence session.

We made four recommendations and, as suggested, the four have been accepted and we’ve received the Commission’s response to all four as well. We’re very pleased with that process. I think that the Government could learn a great deal from that process in terms of responding so quickly to committee recommendations.

The Commission’s draft budget sets out the intended expenditure plans for 2017-18, as well as indicative plans and financial requirements through to the end of the fifth Assembly. Our first recommendation supported the overall request for resources for the year in question, and I’m pleased to say that the Finance Committee recommended that the Assembly endorse the Commission’s draft budget. However, whilst the indicative spending plans up to 2021 are useful, due to the current uncertainty surrounding key challenges—such as the timing of the Wales Bill and Brexit, which have already been mentioned—we came to the conclusion that it would be inappropriate for the committee to make any comment on the wider spending plans at present. So, our recommendation appertains to the next financial year.

The Commission has requested an additional investment of almost £1 million for staff resources. We’ve heard already from Suzy Davies why that is needed: there will be investment for supporting an additional two committees, additional legislation, responding to constitutional change and also implementing the Commission’s priorities. But, there was a lack of detail in the draft budget on where this significant investment in staff would be made, so we did request additional information on how the money would be allocated following the Commission’s consideration of its capacity plans. We are pleased that the Commission committed to writing to us with the outcome of that in due course. Of course, Members will have received a letter from the Presiding Officer and the Commission since the tabling of the report as regards the work that’s being undertaken on the expansion of committee capacity, and so on, in the Assembly.

As has been the case in the previous years, the Commission is seeking the maximum amount of funding required for the remuneration board’s determination on Members’ pay and allowances in order to meet Members’ full entitlements. This was, of course, the only aspect of this budget on which there was any kind of dispute in the Assembly last year. Neither the Commission nor the Finance Committee are responsible for the remuneration board; they are responsible for the funding that is allocated for the pay and allowances of Members. Recognising that this approach may result in un-accessed funds, we agreed with the fourth Assembly’s Finance Committee and the Public Accounts Committee that we should have greater clarity on the use of this surplus allocation.

We are not talking about insignificant amounts here. The Commission’s accounts last year show an underspend of over £1 million. So, in order to avoid the possibility that this is some kind of reserve account that is used without it being obvious exactly how it will be spent, our third recommendation asked for updated information from the Commission towards the end of the financial year on this projected underspend and the way in which these surplus funds will be used at the end of the financial year. I’m pleased, once again, that the Commission agreed to provide this information in March 2017, and therefore we will note the full details of that expenditure in the annual report. I hope this will bring greater clarity to the way in which any reserve funding in the process will be used by the Commission.

Finally, we commend the Commission on the success of its ICT transition programme. It’s true to say that I am speaking a day after a number of us were without our e-mail for a day, but it has been successful when you think of the substantial financial saving that has been made by becoming more independent as regards ICT in the Assembly. We are grateful for the additional information on expenditure supplied by the Commission, but another of our recommendations was that future budgets should contain detailed costings associated with ICT investment projects. I therefore welcome the Commission’s commitment to include more information on this to include more information on this work over the ensuing years.

So, the Finance Committee and I are very happy to commend the commission’s budget for the financial year.