Committee Speed Networking Events

Published 18/10/2012   |   Last Updated 18/10/2012

In September a number of Committees in the National Assembly for Wales held events, designed to inform their scrutiny of the Welsh Government’s draft budget for 2013-2014.

From left to right: Sioned Hughes (Community Housing Cymru), Ken Skates AM and Lee Cecil (National Landlords Association)

Stakeholders attended speed networking sessions at the Pierhead and the Senedd, which were conducted by the Enterprise and Business, Environment and Sustainability and Community, Equality and Local Government Committees, giving participants the opportunity to tell committee members what their views, expectations and priorities were in relation to the Welsh Government’s upcoming draft budget plans.

The National Assembly has held speed networking sessions in the past to encourage stakeholder engagement with committees (see link below)

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=auL4FGCF2e0&feature=youtu.be]

This is the first time that Assembly committees have held speed networking events to inform their scrutiny of the Welsh Government’s draft budget.

 

Russell George AM with Kate Cubbage and Andrew Sutton of the Royal Society of Architects in Wales

More images from these events can be seen here:

Environment and Sustainability Committee event

Community, Equality and Local Government Committee event

Enterprise and Business Committee event

 

Each Committee asked participants to fill out an evaluation after the event, some comments can be seen below:

"Very good engagement around the table and useful questions from members too."

"A little more time for the speed dating say 10 minutes instead of 7. Possibly do more to encourage stakeholders to network post event. We did this ourselves with a couple of others which provided some scope for collaboration."

"this was a really useful, nicely informal event. Diolch!"

Phil Fiander from WCVA speaking with chair of the Enterprise and Business Committee, Nick Ramsay AM

Nick Ramsay, Chair of the Enterprise and Business Committee said, "Talking to stakeholders about their priorities was useful in arming Members of my Committee with questions for Ministers about their spending proposals. It will also inform our budget report and recommendations."

 

The information gathered will be taken forward to inform the scrutiny of Welsh Government Ministers on the Draft Budget 2013-14 by the Assembly’s Committees over the next few weeks. The Committees will then report to the Finance Committee, who will produce an overall report on the Draft Budget 2013-14 in early November. This report will be considered as part of the Assembly’s debate on the Draft Budget in Plenary, at which point the Assembly will vote on whether to accept the Welsh Government Draft Budget Proposals for 2013-14.

The National Assembly’s Research Service has produced a series of quick guides on the budget, which available by clicking on this link: Budgets and Finance