Found: Gareth Davies, Comptroller and Auditor General, National Audit Office, Jenny George, Director, National

Found: Gareth Davies, Comptroller and Auditor General, Head of the National Audit Office, Yvonne Gallagher

Found: Adrian Jenner: Chair, if I may, I have a message from Gareth Davies, Comptroller General.

Found: Gareth Davies Permanent Secretary Old Admiralty Building London SW1A 2DL perm.sec@

Found: I am copying this letter to Gareth Davies, Comptroller and Auditor General and to Bill Esterson MP, Chair

Found: I would particularly like to thank the Comptroller and Auditor General (C&AG), Gareth Davies, who despite

Found: The Comptroller and Auditor General (C&AG), Gareth Davies, is an Officer of the House of Commons and

Found: The Comptroller and Auditor General (C&AG), Gareth Davies, is an Officer of the House of Commons and

Found: The Comptroller and Auditor General (C&AG), Gareth Davies, is an Officer of the House of Commons and

Found: The Comptroller and Auditor General (C&AG), Gareth Davies, is an Officer of the House of Commons and

Found: The Comptroller and Auditor General (C&AG), Gareth Davies, is an Officer of the House of Commons and

Found: Gareth Davies Comptroller and Auditor General National Audit Office 157-197 Buckingham Palace Road Victoria

Found: Gareth Davies 23 January 2025.

Found: Gareth Davies Date Comptroller and Auditor General National Audit Office 157-197 Buckingham Palace

Found: Gareth Davies Comptroller and Auditor General 8 July 2025 National Audit Office 157 - 197 Buckingham

Found: Gareth Davies Comptroller and Auditor General National Audit Office, 157-197 Buckingham Palace Road

Found: Gareth Davies 13 October 2025 Comptroller and Auditor General National Audit Office 157

Found: Gareth Davies Comptroller and Auditor General National Audit Office 157-197 Buckingham Palace Road

Found: Gareth Davies Comptroller and Auditor General National Audit Office 157-197 Buckingham Palace Road

Found: Gareth Davies Comptroller and Auditor General National Audit Office 157-197 Buckingham Palace Road

Found: Gareth Davies 13 October 2025 Comptroller and Auditor General National Audit Office 157-197 Buckingham

Found: Gareth Davies 13 October 2025 Comptroller and Auditor General National Audit Office 157-197 Buckingham

Found: Gareth Davies Comptroller and Auditor General National Audit Office 157-197 Buckingham Palace Road Victoria

Found: Gareth Davies Comptroller and Auditor General National Audit Office 157-197 Buckingham Palace Road Victoria

<p>Questions now from the party spokespeople. The Conservative spokesperson, Gareth Davies.&nbsp;</p>

<p>I have received apologies from Luke Fletcher, Vaughan Gething, Joel James and Rhys ab Owen. Gareth Davies is attending as a substitute for Joel James. However, as there are fewer than three Members present, this meeting is inquorate under Standing Order 17.31, which requires at least three Members to be present. So, all business from today's meeting will be rescheduled to a future meeting. We are next due to meet on 10 November. So, apologies, and I will have to close the meeting until next time. Diolch.</p>

<p>Thank you very much, Gareth Davies. I'm not absolutely sure what you're inferring in your question, but I hope what you're inferring is that it's important that—. Recognising our commitment to the expansion of social housing in Wales, it is clearly that expansion, that investment in social housing, that&nbsp;provides a real opportunity for local people to access social housing. Of course, every local authority has their route into accessing social housing. Sometimes, of course, in terms of the opportunities to access social housing, where there's a housing need in that area, it might include people who are in housing need, who are in temporary accommodation and then can apply for all the routes. Of course, there is the other route to accessing private housing, and the first step in the ladder for many is supported by our very generous Help to Buy arrangements in Wales.</p>

<p>There are no people seeking to intervene, Gareth Davies.</p>

<p>I agree with that point that the Member has made, Llywydd. Financial flexibilities are an agenda item in the plenary of the Finance: Interministerial Standing Committee on Friday, because all three devolved Governments have an interest in securing a more flexible approach to that, and that certainly would benefit a future Government in managing a £27 billion budget here in Wales.</p>
<p>Very briefly, through a small number of other points, can I assure Lesley Griffiths that we have made an assessment of the UK Government's proposals? It's not completely clear whether they will take any of them forward in the next financial year, but I am ready, should there be any measures taken, that we will act to secure Wales's position and to make sure we don't end up with large amounts of waste coming across our border because people think it's easier to use landfill in Wales compared to England.</p>
<p>Mike Hedges I think usefully set out what happens if a budget doesn't pass—you've heard a number of colleagues say that—but he also made some important points in relation to the use of local government reserves.</p>
<p>Thank you to Jane Dodds for her continuing constructive engagement in getting a budget to pass through the Senedd. There are many, many things that we would like to do, and money isn't always the answer. When it comes to childcare, for example, yes, you need money to invest, but you have to have a workforce, and it's difficult to recruit in this area, and you have to have spaces as well. I think Carolyn Thomas said that childcare places need childcare spaces, and we've abolished the payment of non-domestic rates for childcare spaces, but we still know that that is a challenge in the sector.</p>
<p>Mick Antoniw will have seen that we have made provision for the BSL Bill, the backbench legislation. I expect my colleagues, when they bring forward legislation, to meet the costs of that from their budgets. It's part of the normal work of Government to make sure that Government takes account of the measures it itself expects to take. But where that's not Government legislation then I think there's a responsibility to make sure that the will of the Senedd is supported by budgets.</p>
<p>I did hear Gareth Davies. He said the Government had run out of steam. I think we can safely say that he himself has not run out of clichés.&nbsp;[<em>Interruption</em>.] I fully accept that there will probably be more where they came from. [<em>Laughter</em>.] But I'll pass swiftly on.</p>
<p>Thank you to Julie Morgan for what she said. Look—</p>

<p>Gareth Davies rose—</p>

<p>Good morning and welcome to today's meeting of the Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport and International Relations Committee. We've received apologies for this morning's session from Alun Davies and Gareth Davies. Lee Waters has given his apologies from 11:45 onwards, and we welcome Janet Finch-Saunders who is here as a substitute for Gareth Davies. So, a warm welcome to you, Janet. Does any Member have any interests to declare? I see that they don't.</p>

<p>Good morning, and welcome back. We are welcoming Joel James, who is here on behalf of Gareth Davies. A warm welcome to you to the committee today, Joel. We move on to item 3, annual scrutiny of arm's-length bodies, once again, and we're now having an evidence session with the National Library for Wales. I will ask our witnesses to introduce themselves for the record, and I'll go to Ashok first.</p>