Craffu ar Gyfrifon: Comisiynydd Cenedlaethau'r Dyfodol Cymru 2022-23

The office of the Future Generations Commissioner for Wales was established under Part 3 of the Well-being of Future Generations Act 2015  with responsibility for promoting the sustainable development principle among the public bodies, subject to the requirements of the Act.

In the Fifth Senedd, the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) had a keen interest in the work of the Commissioner and in October 2017 scrutinised the first accounts prepared by the first Commissioner, which covered the 14 month period from the date that the office was established (1 February 2016 to 31 March 2017). The PAC made five recommendations in its report, ‘Scrutiny of Accounts 2016-17’ relating specifically to the Commissioner (Recommendations 5 to 9). In March 2018, the first Commissioner responded to the PAC report.

In the Sixth Senedd, the Equality and Social Justice Committee (ESJ) undertook annual scrutiny of the first Commissioner and published its report in April 2022. On 7 April 2022, the Chair wrote to the Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee (PAPAC) to make them aware of recommendation 1 that  PAPAC should carry out a review of the resourcing arrangements of Wales’ Commissioners.

The PAPAC responded to the ESJ Committee to advise that recommendation 1 had been noted, and in addition, the Committee’s agreement to return to further scrutiny of the work of Welsh Commissioners as part of their annual accounts scrutiny work.

Furter to the report’s recommendation, the PAPAC conducted an inquiry into the funding of Commissioners in Wales and published its report, ‘Review of the Welsh Commissioners’, in July 2023. This made 16 recommendations to the Welsh Government. In August, the Welsh Government responded to the Report. The Commissioner also wrote to the Committee after its publication.

The Committee had previously identified issues relating to procurement practices within the Commissioner’s Office and on 26 January 2023, noted in private, that the Chair had received concerns from a member of the public regarding the procurement of work commissioned by the first Commissioner.

The Committee agreed to consider these issues with the new Commissioner, and as part of its scrutiny of the Commissioner’s Annual Report. The Committee took into account the work of the predecessor committee’s work and ESJ Committee’s recommendations, alongside matters raised relating to the Annual Report.

The Committee took evidence from the Future Generations Commissioner (Commissioner) and the Chief Operating Officer and Deputy Future Generations Commissioner on 25 October 2023.

Further to the evidence session, the Committee wrote to the Commissioner to follow-up on a number of matters not reached during the meeting. The Committee received a response from the Commissioner on 5 December 2023.

Cyhoeddodd y Pwyllgor ei adroddiad ar Graffu ar Gyfrifon: Comisiynydd Cenedlaethau'r Dyfodol Cymru 2022-23 ar 5 Mawrth 2024.