With the discovery that the Welsh Government spent £1,554,158.57 on Welsh Procurement Credit Cards in the 2017-18 financial year, Janet Finch-Saunders, Assembly Member for Aberconwy, challenged Carwyn Jones AM, First Minister, in Questions to the First Minister. Having received no assurances that there will be improved transparency and financial probity, Janet is calling for an explanation to be given as to what exactly each vague spend is, and why the Welsh Government is treating itself to luxuries on the public account.
The list of Welsh Government procurement card spend data for 2017/2018 analysed by the Member can be found here.
After scrutinising the First Minister, Janet said:
“This is not the first time that the First Minister and his Welsh Government has been caught out on credit card spend.
“Analysis by the Welsh Conservatives of the list of transactions in 2016-17 revealed that spending was then also out of control. One would have hopped then that the First Minister and his team might have been a bit more careful in 2017-18, however, I guess that that was too much ask.
“What I have found is that the spend has reached almost £1.6million, that there was a staggering 11,576 transactions, and that the records of them are vague at best.
“For example, £13,255 was spent through PayPal, but no information is given about what was bought and from what companies.
“There are countless instances of the cards paying for Amazon Prime or iTunes subscriptions with no details provided as to why this should be paid for by the tax payer.
“To top it all, it seems that the cards are funding a life of luxury for some in Carwyn’s team – with £8,300 spent in one transaction on a British Airways flight; £1,971.44 at the 5* The Leela Palace New Delhi Hotel; £408.02 on stationary from The Royal Mint Ltd; and £460 with the yachtshop, which I understand to be the premium chandlery in the North West of the UK.
“Unable to address my question in the Senedd, Carwyn is going to look into the examples I raised. However, this isn’t good enough. What I have highlighted is that there is misuse of public cash by Carwyn and his cronies, and that the records of their credit card transactions are unacceptable. Indeed, out of respect to the residents of Wales, a clear explanation ought to be given as to what exactly each spend is, and why the Welsh Government is treating itself to luxuries on the public account”.
ENDS
Transcript from Questions to the First Minister on 16/10/2018
Question by Janet to the First Minister:
Will the First Minister make a statement on Welsh Government procurement?
Reply from the First Minister:
We're committed to maximising the social, economic and environmental value of our procurement.
Response and second question from Janet:
Thank you. I have recently acquired a list of transactions on Welsh Government procurement cards for the 2017-18 financial year. I was, however, very shocked to see that nearly £1.6 million was spent on these credit cards over the 12 months, with many of the transactions remaining worryingly vague. One example is the £13,255 spent through PayPal—no information about what was bought and from what companies. Another is £460 spent at yachtshop.co.uk, or the £8,300 spent in one transaction on a British Airways flight. There are also countless instances of these cards paying for Amazon Prime or iTunes subscriptions with no details. What steps are you taking, as First Minister, to improve transparency and financial probity whilst monitoring the spend of hard-earned taxpayers' money on these Welsh Government procurement credit cards?
Final response from the First Minister:
We regularly publish our spend over £25,000 to improve the transparency of how public funds are used. I will call on the examples that the Member has used and look to provide her with a detailed answer to her questions.
Notes:
Welsh Government procurement card spend data: 2017 to 2018
Welsh Government credit cards used for Michelin-star dining, luxury hotels, chocolates and scarves