Monday, November 13, 2023
Deja Vu on Museum Wales row
Do public bodies in Wales learn from their past mistakes? That could well be the subject of a Phd thesis at some stage. In the meantime, we have to rely on those with long memories to dredge up incidents that may or may not have a bearing on current events.
These thoughts came to mind when I read about the latest reports concerning the National Museum and Galleries of Wales. The BBC report that a bullying row which led to a former rugby boss leaving his job at Museum Wales left taxpayers with a bill of more than £620,000.
They add that Roger Lewis was the subject of complaints from two senior employees when he was the museum's president and that the museum has been subsequently criticised for how it settled the dispute.
The Wales Audit Office has issued a report on the matter which has revealed that the museum spent £757,613 including a £325,698 settlement to the then director general David Anderson, who was in charge of the organisation:
Mr Crompton [The Wales Auditor General] found the "decision-making process concerning the resolution of the employment dispute with the former director general was fundamentally flawed".
He said the museum had not been able to demonstrate it acted in the best interests of the charity or that the settlement represented value for money.
He said his audit team was also not provided "with any specific written advice from the Welsh government to Amgueddfa Cymru concerning the settlement agreement itself, notwithstanding the involvement of the Welsh government's director of human resources in that process".
Although, the cases are fundamentally different, this report did remind me of one of my earliest meetings as a Welsh Assembly Member in early 2000, when I was on the nascent Assembly's Audit Committee, an early version of what is now their Public Accounts Committee.
These thoughts came to mind when I read about the latest reports concerning the National Museum and Galleries of Wales. The BBC report that a bullying row which led to a former rugby boss leaving his job at Museum Wales left taxpayers with a bill of more than £620,000.
They add that Roger Lewis was the subject of complaints from two senior employees when he was the museum's president and that the museum has been subsequently criticised for how it settled the dispute.
The Wales Audit Office has issued a report on the matter which has revealed that the museum spent £757,613 including a £325,698 settlement to the then director general David Anderson, who was in charge of the organisation:
Mr Crompton [The Wales Auditor General] found the "decision-making process concerning the resolution of the employment dispute with the former director general was fundamentally flawed".
He said the museum had not been able to demonstrate it acted in the best interests of the charity or that the settlement represented value for money.
He said his audit team was also not provided "with any specific written advice from the Welsh government to Amgueddfa Cymru concerning the settlement agreement itself, notwithstanding the involvement of the Welsh government's director of human resources in that process".
Although, the cases are fundamentally different, this report did remind me of one of my earliest meetings as a Welsh Assembly Member in early 2000, when I was on the nascent Assembly's Audit Committee, an early version of what is now their Public Accounts Committee.
That meeting considered a report by the Comptroller and Auditor General for England and Wales on a decision by the then Accounting Officer and Director of the National Museum of Wales relating to allegations of mismanagement against a senior employee.
A formal ‘Compromise Agreement’ was drawn up, which involved a payment of £30,000 from the National Museum of Wales as compensation for loss of office and a contribution of £1,450 plus VAT towards the employee's legal expenses. There was also a confidentiality clause and an agreement that the museum would provide a favourable reference for its former employee.
However, this agreement was never formally signed off in writing by the Welsh Government's accounting officer, even though the money was paid and the terms honoured by the museum. The National Audit Office was very critical of this failure to follow proper procedure as was the Assembly's Audit Committee.
An interesting parallel with current events that should be noted by all concerned.
A formal ‘Compromise Agreement’ was drawn up, which involved a payment of £30,000 from the National Museum of Wales as compensation for loss of office and a contribution of £1,450 plus VAT towards the employee's legal expenses. There was also a confidentiality clause and an agreement that the museum would provide a favourable reference for its former employee.
However, this agreement was never formally signed off in writing by the Welsh Government's accounting officer, even though the money was paid and the terms honoured by the museum. The National Audit Office was very critical of this failure to follow proper procedure as was the Assembly's Audit Committee.
An interesting parallel with current events that should be noted by all concerned.
