Issue - meetings

Iwan Evans, Monitoring Officer, to present the report.

1.          To adopt amendments to the Standards Sub-committee's Terms of Reference as noted in Appendix 1 of the report.

2.          To adopt the criteria for appointing independent members to the Standards Committee and establish an Interview Panel in line with Appendix 2.

3.          To delegate the appointment process to the Monitoring Officer.

The report was presented by Iwan Evans, Monitoring Officer.

RESOLVED:

1.         To adopt amendments to the Standards Sub-committee's Terms of Reference as noted in Appendix 1 of the report.

2.         To adopt the criteria for appointing independent members to the Standards Committee and establish an Interview Panel in line with Appendix 2.

3.         To delegate the appointment process to the Monitoring Officer.

DISCUSSION

The Monitoring Officer noted that he was disappointed about the change in appointing independent members via the statutory process since that meant going through an advertising process, interviewing, and appointing, and that it was not an easy process to get applicants. 

The observation was reiterated, and it was noted that the legislative changes would mean extra costs and an extra workload.

In response to a question, the Monitoring Officer noted that it would be possible to adapt the criteria so that it would be possible for the Chair or Vice Chair to nominate another member of the Joint Committee to deputise for them on the Interviewing Panel.

It was suggested to omit the sentence 'Only an independent member (Lay) of the Standards Committee would be able to be Chair or Vice Chair' from the Terms of Reference since all the members of the standard committee members would be lay members already.