Agenda and minutes

Contact: Clerk of the Remuneration Board 

Items
Expected timing No. Item

(9:00 - 9:15)

1.

Chair's Introduction

·        Declarations of interest

 

Minutes:

1.1 The Chair welcomed Board members to the meeting.

1.2 Apologies had been received from Monojit Chatterji.

1.3 Subject to minor amendments, the Board agreed the minutes of the meeting on 20 February 2015.

1.4 The Board noted that an advert to recruit a new Chair and Board members of the successor Remuneration Board had been published and that the deadline for applications was 1 May 2015.

1.5 The Board considered the costs relating to the drafting of the Pension Scheme and agreed revised costs for the remainder of the work to be done by Wragge & Co. The Board noted that any further work which may arise from discussions with HM Treasury or relating to the implementation of the Scheme would need to be costed separately.

1.6 The Board considered how it should respond to the recommendation addressed to it from the Caucus for Women. It requested clarification on what was meant by the term ‘pastoral’ in its recommendation to the Board. The Board agreed that it would write to the Caucus once it had received the clarification.

 

(9:15- 10:30)

2.

Group Support: Responses to consultation

Minutes:

2.1 The Board considered all responses to the consultation on the Group Funding.

2.2 The Board agreed a revised model for Group Funding in the Fifth Assembly, details of which would be published with the final Determination for the Fifth Assembly on 22 May 2015.

2.3 The Board agreed that the rationale of the Board’s decision on Group Funding should be included in the report on the Determination for the Fifth Assembly.

 

(10:30 - 11:00)

3.

Assembly Members pensions: Review

Minutes:

3.1 The Board noted the progress in preparing a new pension scheme for Assembly Members in the Fifth Assembly.

 

 

3.2  The Chair thanked Mary Carter and Stuart Castledine whose input has been greatly valued in designing the new pension scheme for Assembly Members.

 

3.3  The Board considered the GAD Actuarial Valuation Report which the Pension Trustees had provided for information.

 

3.4 The Board agreed that it would like assurance that the scheme administrators were preparing for the implementation of the new pension scheme.

 

3.5 The Board noted comments raised by the Board of Trustees of the AM pension scheme.

 

3.6 The Board agreed that the section on transitional arrangements for office holders during dissolution of the Assembly should be removed from the Determination for Assembly Members 2015-16.

 

Action points:

  • Write to Chair of the Board of Trustees requesting clarity on the process around the valuation of the pension scheme.
  • Write to the Chair of the Board of Trustees responding to their comments on the latest draft of the pension scheme rules.
  • Invite the administrators of the AM pension scheme to attend the next Board meeting to discuss the process to implement the pension scheme.

 

(11:15 - 16:30)

4.

Draft Determination for the Fifth Assembly: Responses to consultation

Minutes:

4.1        The Board considered the responses on the Draft Determination for the Fifth Assembly Including a letter from the Chair of the Petitions Committee. The Chair stated that he had replied to each of the respondents.

4.2        The Board considered the Draft Determination for the Fifth Assembly and the accompanying report and agreed its final position, taking account of decisions reached earlier in the meeting.

4.3        The Board considered the Equality Impact Assessment as part of the Report. It noted that Diverse Cymru had appointed a new Chief Executive and agreed that the Chair should write to congratulate him and give him the opportunity to make any final comments Equality Impact Assessment.

4.4        The Board agreed to consider new passages containing the new decisions, and any other amendments to the Draft Determination and the accompanying report via email.

4.5        The Board agreed its approach to publishing and communicating the Determination and Report on 22 May.

 

 

Action points:

·         Write to the new Chief Executive of Diverse Cymru

·         Write to Chair of the Petitions Committee regarding the petition on the Board’s proposals for Assembly Members’ salaries in the Fifth Assembly (Ref: P-04-613).

 

5.

Papers to note