3. Questions to the Senedd Commission – in the Senedd on 25 November 2020.
1. Will the Commission make a statement on the amount of annual leave accrued by staff and the impact this will have on its finances? OQ55925
Thank you very much, Andrew. Annual leave is actively managed to ensure that staff take as much leave as possible for their own well-being and for the resilience of continuity of business at the Senedd. However, as you might imagine, since March this year, the impact of the pandemic has significantly increased demand on staff, including through recess, and the opportunity for many of those to take leave has been greatly reduced.
An international accounting standard requires the Commission to account for the cost of unused leave entitlement accrued by Commission staff as of 31 March, and this is an accounting requirement, not an additional cash requirement on the Welsh consolidated fund. And so, in short, while the Commission is considering the requirement for a supplementary budget for 2020-21 to cover this increase as of 7 December, it has no cash impact.
Thank you for that answer, Commissioner, and I'd endorse the comments that you've put on record—how important it is for the welfare of staff to take their leave, and, importantly, the hard work and dedication that all the staff across the Commission have put in to supporting Members in these very difficult and trying times. I was just taken by the statements you made at the time of the budget, when it was laid, that this was an issue that the Commission were having to deal with, and I'd be grateful if you could give an indication whether you'd be able, as Commissioner, to make Members aware of the scale of the amount of accrued holiday time that has to be worked through, because, obviously, that will, ultimately, at some point, have an impact on the ability to support Members in their role, but, importantly, for Members to understand the pressures that staff are facing when they haven't been able to take the time that they've built up over the pandemic.
Thank you, Andrew. Yes, and we can give that commitment. In laying a supplementary budget, obviously, we'd have to explain the reason for doing so, and that would explain the level of accrued leave and the value that's been attached to that. But can I just thank you for taking this opportunity for sharing your congratulations, if you like, with members of the Commission and their staff, who have, indeed, gone over and above, as indeed we have as Members, during a very difficult time to make sure that we serve the people of Wales well? Thank you.
Thank you. Question 2 will be answered by the Commissioner David Rowlands. Mike Hedges.