Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 4:19 pm on 22 March 2022.
The Senedd will, of course, be aware that Plaid Cymru opposed the creation of these corporate joint committees in the last Senedd. That's a battle that we lost, of course, and therefore if these joint committees are to come into existence, then they need to be accountable to the same standards and expectations as local authorities, particularly in terms of code of conduct standards. So, we don't oppose these regulations, but I think there's a valid question on the role of the Public Services Ombudsman for Wales in this regard, and a question on the budgetary implications of the the work of the ombudsman in placing the joint committees under the ombudsman's auspices, which is the right thing to do. But, it does shock me that the regulatory impact assessment suggests that the Government doesn't feel that there would be additional costs, or if there are additional costs, they can be incorporated into the budget that the ombudsman would usually receive. I would assume that the Finance Committee would have something to say about that. As a former member of that committee, I'm highly aware that these bodies that are directly funded do come to ask for funding and are told to go back and look at things again. Budgets are tight. I would also assume that, given these CJCs are further away from the coal face and further away from communities, the potential for challenges or issues arising is greater. I would assume, therefore, that there would be more work for the ombudsman as a result of that, and shouldn't that be reflected in the regulatory impact assessment? I just want to better understand the Government's rationale in assuming that it can be incorporated into current budgets.