Commentary on Sections and Schedules Committees, etc. Section 30: Audit Committee
141.While generally it will be for the Assembly to decide what committees it wishes to establish, this section requires the Assembly to have an Audit Committee (or Pwyllgor Archwilio) in order to discharge certain statutory functions under this Act (such as taking evidence from any of the persons mentioned in section 143(3) if requested to do so by the House of Commons Committee of Public Accounts) and other legislation (such as the Public Audit (Wales) Act 2004). The section allows the Assembly to rename the Audit Committee and provides that, in the event that the Assembly does so, references to the Audit Committee in enactments, instruments or documents are to be read as if they referred to the renamed committee.
142.This section requires standing orders to specify how many members the Audit Committee is to have. Provision made in standing orders in accordance with section 29, to aim to secure that the political composition of committees reflects the political composition of the Assembly, will apply to the Audit Committee. Seats on the Audit Committee may not be allocated to the First Minister (or anyone acting as such), any Welsh Minister or Deputy Welsh Minister or to the Counsel General (or anyone acting as such), and it may not be chaired by an Assembly member belonging to the largest government party.