Government of Wales Act 1998

11 (1) The accounting officer for the Office of the Welsh Administration Ombudsman shall be the Welsh Administration Ombudsman.

(2) But where—

(a) the Welsh Administration Ombudsman is incapable of discharging his responsibilities as accounting officer, or

(b) the office of Welsh Administration Ombudsman is vacant (and there is no acting Welsh Administration Ombudsman),

the Treasury may designate a member of the Welsh Administration Ombudsman’s staff to be the accounting officer for so long as paragraph (a) or (b) applies.

(3) The accounting officer for the Office of the Welsh Administration Ombudsman shall have, in relation to the accounts of the Welsh Administration Ombudsman and the finances of the Office of the Welsh Administration Ombudsman, the responsibilities which are from time to time specified by the Treasury.

(4) In this paragraph references to responsibilities include in particular—

(a) responsibilities in relation to the signing of accounts,

(b) responsibilities for the propriety and regularity of the finances of the Office of the Welsh Administration Ombudsman, and

(c) responsibilities for the economy, efficiency and effectiveness with which the resources of the Office of the Welsh Administration Ombudsman are used.

(5) The responsibilities which may be specified under this paragraph include responsibilities owed to—

(a) the Assembly, the executive committee or the Audit Committee, or

(b) the House of Commons or its Committee of Public Accounts.

(6) If requested to do so by the House of Commons Committee of Public Accounts, the Audit Committee may—

(a) on behalf of the Committee of Public Accounts take evidence from the accounting officer for the Office of the Welsh Administration Ombudsman, and

(b) report to the Committee of Public Accounts and transmit to that Committee any evidence so taken.

(7) In this paragraph and paragraphs 12 and 13 “the Office of the Welsh Administration Ombudsman” means the Welsh Administration Ombudsman and the members of his staff.