Diolch, Lywydd. The Constitutional and Legislative Affairs Committee, as has been mentioned by the Cabinet Secretary, considered this instrument at our meeting on 8 January. We reported two merit points identified under Standing Order 21.3.

The first point considered by the committee is that the Order was laid before the Assembly on 4 January 2018. The committee usually has 20 days from the date of laying the report on the statutory instruments. The committee was asked, in correspondence by the Cabinet Secretary, to report on the Order before today to allow for the Order to be approved by resolution of the National Assembly ahead of the Assembly's consideration of the local government finance report for the financial year beginning on 1 April, as the Cabinet Secretary has reported.

In effect, due to the committee's meeting schedule, this meant that we only had four days after the Order was laid to consider this instrument. We do, importantly, acknowledge the time pressures on the Welsh Government as a result of the delayed autumn statement and the action needed to get to this point before the Assembly is able to agree the local government finance report by the required deadline. We are also aware of the serious consequences should this not happen. However, this has meant a greatly reduced timescale for the committee to consider and report on this instrument. As the Order was relatively short and straightforward, we were able to meet the Welsh Government's request. Nevertheless, I would encourage the Government to give the committee as much notice as possible where it would like us to scrutinise statutory instruments within a shorter deadline than is provided for in Standing Orders.

Secondly, the Order specifies the new multiplier figure, and is explained in the explanatory note. However, this number is not referred to at all in the explanatory memorandum, which is a separate document intended to explain the intentions of the instrument. Given this figure is so crucial, it is our view that the explanatory memorandum accompanying this Order could have been more helpful in explaining the effect of the Order.