12 July 2011

• Item 1: Minutes of the previous meeting
• Item 2: First Minister’s items
• Item 3: Forthcoming Assembly Plenary Business  
• Item 4: Securing NHS Financial Stability and Sustainable Delivery
• Item 5: UK Government Public Service Pensions Reform Agenda
• Item 6: Public Service Reform: Promoting Regional Coherence

Present:  

• Rt. Hon. Carwyn Jones AM, First Minister (Chair)
• Leighton Andrews AM
• Edwina Hart MBE OStJ AM
• Jane Hutt AM
• John Griffiths AM
• Lesley Griffiths AM
• Huw Lewis AM
• Carl Sargeant AM
• Janice Gregory AM
• Theodore Huckle QC

Officials:

• Dame Gillian Morgan, Permanent Secretary
• Michael Hearty, Director General for Strategic Planning, Finance and Performance
• Hugh Rawlings, Director Department of First Minister and Cabinet
• Peter Greening, Cabinet Secretary
• Des Clifford, Principal Private Secretary to the First Minister
• Jo Kiernan, Special Adviser
• Andrew Bold, Special Adviser
• Chris Roberts, Special Adviser
• Steve Jones, Special Adviser
• Jonathan Davies, Special Adviser
• Matt Greenough, Special Adviser
• Marion Stapleton, Deputy Director Assembly Business and Legislation Management Division
• Christopher W Morgan, Deputy Secretary to the Cabinet (minutes)
• Jeff Andrews, Specialist Policy Adviser (items 1-5)
• Anna McMorrin, Specialist Policy Adviser
• David Sissling, Director General Health and Social Services (item 4)
• Chris Hurst, Director of Resources, Department of Health and Social Services (item 4)
• Jo Salway, Strategic Budgeting (item 4)
• Bernard Galton, Director General People, Places and Corporate Services (item 5)
• Robin Jones, Head of Pay and Reward (item 5)
• Reg Kilpatrick, Director, Local Government and Public Service (item 6)
• Carys Evans, Deputy Director Wales Spatial Plan and Local Service Board (item 6)

Item 1: Minutes of the previous meeting

1.1  Cabinet approved the minutes of the previous meeting.

Item 2: First Minister’s items

Meetings with the UK Government

2.1 The First Minister reported on his meetings with the Chancellor of the Exchequer and the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, which had taken place in London the previous Wednesday.  The First Minister indicated that the meeting with the Chancellor had been very constructive.  He had appeared to have been open to the request to confirm borrowing powers for the Welsh Government and work would continue on the establishment of the Commission for Wales which would consider fiscal devolution and accountability, including the issue of the devolution of taxation.  At the meeting with Jeremy Hunt MP, the First Minister had discussed S4C and the future of BBC Wales’ news and current affairs programmes.

2.2 The First Minister indicated that he would be meeting the Prime Minister and the Deputy Prime Minister later that morning where they would be discussing further the fairer funding for Wales agenda.  In particular, the First Minister would press the case for a short term Commission that would concentrate on fiscal matters only, but not the case for borrowing powers, which along with fair funding issues, should be considered under inter-governmental negotiations.  The First Minister indicated that he would push the case for a substantive statement on the Commission from the UK Government before the Parliamentary summer recess.

2.3 Cabinet noted that the Prime Minister would be making a statement to the Assembly at approximately 1:10pm that day.

Item 3: Forthcoming Assembly Plenary Business  

Plenary Business

3.1 Cabinet discussed the schedule containing forthcoming Assembly Plenary business and noted that the Education and Skills Minister would be making a statement to the Assembly on Wednesday on Estyn’s report on the inspection of the education services in Blaenau Gwent County Council.

3.2 Ministers noted that the Minister for Education and Skills had issued a written statement on Higher Education Fee Plans the previous day.  The Minister confirmed that the implications of a £9,000 fee had been modelled in the original plan.

Item 4: Securing NHS Financial Stability and Sustainable Delivery

4.1 Cabinet considered the paper, which set out the case for securing NHS financial stability and sustainable delivery.  

Item 5: UK Government Public Service Pensions Reform Agenda

5.1 The First Minister introduced the paper, which asked Cabinet to discuss the UK Government’s proposals for reform of public pension provision and consider how the Welsh Government would respond.  

5.2 Cabinet indicated that the Pensions Reform agenda was a matter for negotiation between the UK Government and the respective Unions.

5.3 Cabinet approved the paper.

Item 6: Public Service Reform: Promoting Regional Coherence

6.1 The Minister for Local Government and Communities introduced the paper that indicated that the Welsh Government should signal its intention to move towards a common structure for strategic collaboration in the public sector.  The paper presented proposals for setting a coherent regional framework, which would be aligned with Local Health Boards and Police Boundaries.

6.2 Cabinet approved the paper.

Cabinet Secretariat
July 2011