Looking for assistance from members in practice in Wales

We have been asked by EY to contribute to research being carried out for the Welsh Government on the professional and business services (PBS) sector in Wales, including trading internationally in professional services.

We are looking for members in practice, including those at firms that operate internationally or are looking to operate internationally, to:

• inform the ACCA response to the consultation (selected questions below), either in writing or by attending a call at 4pm on Thursday 20 January held via MS Teams
• attend a roundtable convened by EY in early February.

If you are able to support this work, please contact Lloyd Powell, Strategic Engagement Lead, Wales at lloyd.powell@accaglobal.com.

While we have pointed out that the timing of this consultation isn’t ideal given the time of year, responses are requested by Friday 21 January.

Please provide your responses to as many of the following questions as you can.

Overview of the PBS sector in Wales

Q6: What do you consider to be the strengths of the PBS sector in Wales?

Q7: What do you consider to be the weaknesses of the PBS sector in Wales?

Q8: Are there any areas that you believe Wales, Welsh businesses generally and the Welsh PBS sector specifically have a unique advantage or disadvantage in comparison with other parts of the UK?

Q9: Are you aware of members that provide services with an environmental focus? If so, what are those services and can any further information be provided?

Q10: What do you consider the key opportunities for your sector over the short term, medium term and long term?

Q11: What do you consider the key challenges for your sector over the short term, medium term and long term?

International trade considerations

Q13: How important are international mobility provisions to your sector (ie how heavily does your sector rely the presence of a natural person to supply services to overseas clients)?

Q14: What are the main ways, if at all, has digital transformation changed the way your members deliver services in the UK/overseas?

Q15: Do you know whether your members make use of free trade agreements (FTAs) when they are exporting? 

Q16: What support do you provide your members in relation to understanding international trade and identifying export opportunities?

Q17: Are you aware of the export support the Welsh Government offers and have you ever made use of this support?

Additional comments

Q18: Any other comments on the accountancy sector, the PBS sector in Wales, or international trade in accountancy services.