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Public Accounts Committee |
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Meeting Venue: |
Committee Room 2 - Senedd |
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Meeting date: |
Thursday, 16 May 2013 |
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Meeting time: |
09: - 13:00 |
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This meeting can be viewed on Senedd
TV at: |
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Concise Minutes: |
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Assembly Members: |
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Darren Millar (Chair) Mohammad Asghar Mike Hedges Julie Morgan Jenny Rathbone Aled Roberts Jocelyn Davies |
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Witnesses: |
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Gareth Jones, Welsh Government Jo Larner, Welsh Government Dr Emyr Roberts, Natural Resources Wales Tim England, Natural Resources Wales Richard Penn, Caldicot and Wentlooge Levels IDB Dr Jean Venables, Association of Drainage Authorities Dean Jackson Johns, Former Clerk, Caldicot and Wentlooge IDB |
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Committee Staff: |
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Tom Jackson (Clerk) Daniel Collier (Deputy Clerk) Joanest Jackson (Legal Advisor) |
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1 Introductions, apologies and substitutions
1.1 The Chair welcomed Members and members of the public to the meeting.
1.2 Apologies had been received from Sandy Mewies AM.
2 Issues arising from the findings of the Wales Audit Office report 'Caldicot and Wentlooge Levels Internal Drainage Board'
Welsh Government
2.1 The Chair welcomed Gareth Jones, Director General, Sustainable Futures, Welsh Government; and Jo Larner, Head of Flood and Coastal Risk Management, Welsh Government.
2.2 The Committee scrutinised the witnesses.
Action points:
2.3 The Welsh Government agreed to provide:
· a note on whether the Welsh Government was consulted by DEFRA in the development of model standing orders (which were issued in 2005)
· a note on who responded to the Welsh Government’s consultation on potential reform of the Internal Drainage Boards.
Natural Resources Wales
2.4 The Chair welcomed the witnesses Dr Emyr Roberts, Director, Natural Resources Wales; and Tim England, Area, Flood and Coastal Risk Manager- South East Area, Natural Resources Wales.
2.5 The Committee scrutinised the witnesses.
Action point:
2.6 Natural Resources Wales agreed to provide:
· a note on whether the Gwent area had had its funding arrangements re-priced and re-evaluated, following a 2006 DEFRA report
Caldicot and Wentlooge Levels Internal Drainage Board and the Association of Drainage Authorities
2.7 The Chair welcomed Richard Penn, General Manager, Caldicot and Wentlooge Levels Internal Drainage Board; and Dr Jean Venables, Chief Executive, Association of Drainage Authorities.
2.8 The Committee scrutinised the witnesses.
Action points:
2.9 The General Manager agreed to provide:
· a copy of the Drainage Board’s current, approved, Standing Orders and assurance that they would be published onto the Board’s web site.
2.10 The Legal Adviser to the Committee agreed to provide further information on the legal competence of Welsh Ministers in relation to Drainage Authorities.
Former Clerk and Engineer of Caldicot and Wentlooge Levels Internal Drainage Board
2.11 The Chair welcomed Dean Jackson-Johns, Former Clerk and Engineer, Caldicot and Wentlooge Internal Drainage Board
2.12 The Committee questioned the witness.
Action point:
2.13 Dean Jackson-Johns agreed to provide:
· an electronic version of the paper he provided to the Committee at the meeting.
3 Papers to note
3.1 The Committee noted correspondence from Hywel Dda Health Board in response to an action point from the Public Accounts Committee meeting on 23 April 2013
4 Motion under Standing Order 17.42 to resolve to exclude the public from the meeting for the following business:
Item 5
Transcript
View the meeting transcript.
5 Consideration of evidence on Caldicot and Wentlooge Levels Internal Drainage Board
5.1 Members discussed the evidence gathered during the meeting.