Welsh Revenue Authority Board minutes: 18 June 2020

Members

• Kathryn Bishop, Chair
• Dyfed Edwards, Deputy Chair
• David Jones, Non-Executive
• Jocelyn Davies, Non-Executive
• Lakshmi Narain, Non-Executive
• Dyfed Alsop, Executive Member
• Sam Cairns, Executive Member
• Rebecca Godfrey, Executive Member
• Lucy Robinson, Staff Elected Member

Ymgynghorwyr

• Joanna Ryder, Chief of Staff
• Melissa Quignon-Finch, Chief People Officer
• Kate Innes, Interim Chief Finance Officer
• Jim Scopes, Interim Chief Strategy Officer
• Catrin Durie, Head of Communications
• Amy Bowden, Interim Head of Legal
• Anna Adams, Deputy Director of Tax Strategy, Policy and Engagement - Welsh Treasury

Attendees

Rebecca Evans, Minister for Finance and Trefnydd

1. The Chair welcomed everybody to the meeting. Apologies were received from Andrew Jeffreys Director, Welsh Treasury; Anna Adams would deputise.

Information redacted (Footnote 1).

1. Members were reminded of the different approach that was being taken to the 2019-20 annual report and accounts as a result of the pandemic. It would be laid in assembly in two parts; the first being the financial statements at the end of June; and secondly the narrative that supports the annual accounts in the autumn. It was noted that this approach had been agreed by the Minister and shared with the Finance Committee and Public Accounts Committee.
    
2. The Board were presented with the financial statements and supporting documentation and informed that the Audit and Risk Assurance Committee (ARAC) had previously been through these documents in detail and were content. The Board took assurance from ARAC and were happy for the Chief Executive to sign off the report in his capacity as Accounting Officer.
    
3. Audit Wales presented the ISO 260 report. The audit work was now complete, but checks would continue up until the Auditor General had signed off the financial statements, as usual, to ensure there were no changes during that interim period. Audit Wales thanked WRA for their cooperation.
    
4. The ARAC chair assured the Board that all observations that had come out of the audits had been considered by the Committee and would be followed up in due course.
    
5. It was suggested that the Chief Executives foreword should note the impact of the flooding to QED but that as a result of the investment in the organisation’s IT, the audit was able to be carried out remotely.
    
6. Audit Wales were thanked for their work and support.

Information redacted (Footnote 1).

1. No other business was raised.

[1] There are certain circumstances where it is not appropriate to share all of the information contained within the Board minutes, for example, where it contains personal or commercial data or relates to the formulation of government policy etc. or the effective conduct of public affairs. In such circumstances, the information has been redacted and the text is marked clearly that this has been the case.