The Senedd Commission: What is it and what does it do?

The Senedd Commission is often mentioned when discussing Welsh politics – but what actually is it and what does it do?

The Government of Wales Act 2006 gave the then National Assembly for Wales considerable new legislative powers.

It also created a legally separate Welsh Government and corporate body, which became known as the Senedd Commission, or originally the National Assembly for Wales Commission.

As the corporate entity for the Welsh Parliament, the Senedd Commission has responsibility over the Senedd’s property, staff, and services to support Senedd Members.

The commission is made up of the Llywydd and four other Senedd Members nominated by the main political groups.

Members appointed to the commission act as the “governing board” for the Welsh Parliament with responsibilities such as setting the organisation’s strategic aims and helping implement them.

The chief executive and clerk of the Senedd, a role currently held by Manon Bonner, is responsible for the effectiveness of the Senedd Commission.

In her role as clerk, she is also the principle accounting officer for the commission, meaning she has responsibility for ensuring that taxpayers’ money is spent in accordance with the law.

How are Senedd commissioners appointed?

According to Senedd standing orders – written rules which govern Senedd proceedings – commissioners must be appointed as soon as is reasonably practicable after the election.

Chaired by the Llywydd, the commission consists of four other MSs, who, excluding the Llywydd, should each belong to a different political group.

If there are four or more political groups in the Senedd, the four largest groups must inform the business committee of who they wish from their group to be appointed to the commission.

If there are less than four groups, the business committee will decide the name of any additional members.

When will we know who the new commissioners are?

Unfortunately there’s no set date. The business committee met for the first time on Thursday May 21, and while the meeting was held in private, the agenda for the first committee included the appointment of Senedd commissioners.

Those appointments will be among the final steps in allowing the Senedd to resume work as usual following the election.

As such, it is likely that the new commissioners will be announced soon.