Cabinet meeting: 19 February 2024
Minutes of a meeting of the Cabinet on 19 February 2024.
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Present
- Rt. Hon. Mark Drakeford MS (Chair)
- Rebecca Evans MS
- Vaughan Gething MS
- Lesley Griffiths MS
- Jane Hutt MS
- Julie James MS
- Jeremy Miles MS
- Eluned Morgan MS
- Mick Antoniw MS
- Hannah Blythyn MS
- Dawn Bowden MS
- Julie Morgan MS
- Lynne Neagle MS
- Lee Waters MS
Officials
- Andrew Goodall, Permanent Secretary
- Des Clifford, Director, Office of the First Minister
- Matthew Hall, Head of Cabinet Division
- Toby Mason, Head of Strategic Communications
- Rory Powell, Head of First Minister’s Office
- Jane Runeckles, Special Adviser
- Madeleine Brindley, Special Adviser
- Alex Bevan, Special Adviser
- Daniel Butler, Special Adviser
- Ian Butler, Special Adviser
- Kate Edmunds, Special Adviser
- Sara Faye, Special Adviser
- Sam Hadley, Special Adviser
- David Hooson, Special Adviser
- Clare Jenkins, Special Adviser
- Owen John, Special Adviser
- Phillipa Marsden, Special Adviser
- Tom Woodward, Special Adviser
- Christopher W Morgan, Head of Cabinet Secretariat (minutes)
- Damian Roche, Cabinet Secretariat
- Catrin Sully, Cabinet Office
- Kathryn Hallett, First Minister’s Office
- Helena Bird, Permanent Secretary’s Office
- Nia James, Interim Director of Legal Services
- Tracey Burke, Director General Climate Change & Rural Affairs
- Sioned Evans, Director General, Public Services and Welsh Language Group
- Tim Moss, Chief Operating Officer
- Judith Paget, Director General Health and Social Services
- Andrew Slade, Director General, Economy, Treasury and Constitution
- Gawain Evans, Director Finance (items 4 and 5)
- Sharon Bounds, Deputy Director Financial Controls (items 4 and 5)
- Andrew Jeffreys, Director Treasury (items 4 and 5)
- Emma Watkins, Deputy Director Budget and Government Business (items 4 and 5)
Item 1: Minutes of the previous meeting
1.1 Cymeradwyodd y Cabinet gofnodion y 5 Chwefror/ Cabinet approved the minutes of 5 February.
Item 2: First Minister’s items
South Wales Fire and Rescue Service
2.1 The Deputy Minister for Social Partnerships provided Cabinet with an update on the latest position with the South Wales Fire and Rescue Service, following the media coverage of the appointment of an interim Chief Fire Officer.
2.2 Following the intervention by the Government and the stepping down of the former Chief Fire officer, the Commissioners needed to act quickly and appoint an interim officer to fulfil the necessary operational duties. The Commissioners had met with the Fire Brigades Union and there will be ongoing consultation and engagement as they move forward to recruit the more substantive post. The importance of receiving independent advice on appointments, including whether operational experience was a requirement, was also raised.
Protests by Farmers
2.3 The Minister for Rural Affairs and North Wales and Trefnydd provided Cabinet with an update on the recent protests by farmers.
2.4 The Government was currently consulting on a Sustainable Farming Scheme, a long-term programme to support the agricultural industry, which was due to close in March. There had been a series of Government engagement events, and the Farming Unions had also undertaken their own road shows.
Industrial Action by Junior Doctors
2.5 It was noted that there would be further industrial action by junior doctors later that week.
Item 3: Senedd business
3.1 Cabinet considered the Plenary grid and noted that voting time was scheduled for 6:50m on Tuesday and around 6.10pm on Wednesday.
Item 4: Second Supplementary Budget
4.1 The Minister for Finance and Local Government introduced the paper, which asked Cabinet to agree the content and note the arrangements for the Second Supplementary Budget of 2023-24.
4.2 The Second Supplementary Budget allowed the Government to regularise the final adjustments to budget allocations before the end of the financial year. It set the limits against which the final outturn would be measured.
Item 5: Final Budget 2024-25
5.1 The Minister for Finance and Local Government introduced the paper, which asked Cabinet to agree the allocations in the paper to be reflected at MEG level in the Final Budget 2024-25. Ministers were also asked to agree an option for the additional £43.9m revenue funding, emerging as a result of late emerging consequentials from the UK Government for 2023-24, and note that the Final Budget documents would be circulated in correspondence and published on 27th February.
5.2 Cabinet approved the paper.