Trip to the Welsh Assembly

Date: 6th November

Time: 2:15pm

Venue: The Senedd

Plenary meetings take place  in the Siambr every Tuesday and Wednesday. We had an opportunity to witness a plenary meeting with Edwina Hart (Minister for Business, Enterprise, Technology and Science). Various questions were put towards her regarding issues in the community. Of particular interest was the discussion on finance and capital for Welsh small businesses, which the honourable minister assured will be available in the coming year. Other issues discussed related to the bus service and the cost of running it.

The Senedd is the National Assembly building,here issues relating to Wales are debated. The Presiding Officer is Rosemary Butler AM, her role is to chair meetings in the National Assembly. The Senedd was built at a cost of £69.6million to build and is part of the National Assembly estate in Cardiff Bay.


References:

Assembly of Wales (2013) Plenary Meetings. Available at: http://http://www.assemblywales.org/bus-home/bus-chamber.htm/bus-home/bus-chamber.htm. (Accessed at: 7 November 2013)

History and Law-Making Powers of the Welsh Assembly

Referendums leading to the formation of the National Assembly

In the referendum of 1979 the people of Wales refused the proposal to establish a Welsh Assembly by a majority of 4:1. However in 1997 the referendum was successful although the result was very close with only 6712 turning out to vote insuring a victory of 50.3%. The Government of Wales Act 1998 was passed by the then Labour Government. It insured the creation of the National Assembly for Wales and transferred power that had been held by the Secretary of State for Wales to the newly formed Assembly.

Powers of the National Assembly

As a result of the Government of Wales Act 2006, the National Assembly for Wales could now make laws (Assembly Measures). At this point Wales had its own government but decisions on policy were still being debated in Parliament in London at Westminster.

20 Developed Areas

The Welsh Assembly Members saw it fit that Welsh people should be given more powers to determine their own day-to-day affairs. On the 9th February 2010, Assembly Members voted in favour of a referendum that would give them more legislative powers in the following 20 areas:

      Welsh language

      Culture

      Town and County Planning

      Education and Training

      Tourism

      Social Welfare

      Economic Development

      Water and Flood Defence

      Food

      Agriculture, Fisheries, Forestry and Rural Development

      Health and Health Services

      National Assembly of Wales

      Housing

      Sport and Recreation

      Public Administration

      Environment

      Local Government

      Highways and Transport

      Ancient Monuments and Historic Buildings

      Fire and Rescue Services and Promotion of Fire Safety

However it should be noted that the UK government retains control of certain public services and areas of legislation, mainly areas pertaining to national security for example the police service and the army. In addition social services, foreign policy, home affairs, broadcasting, economic policy, employment legislation and levying of taxes remain non-devolved.

Extended Legislative Powers

In 2011 the welsh assembly sought to gain direct law making powers without always having to consult Parliament in Westminster on all issues in the 20 areas listed above. The following question was asked – ‘Do you want the Assembly now to be able to make laws on all matters in the 20 subject areas it has powers for?’ The result reflected the growing desire the Welsh people had to govern and decide on matters that affected them; 63.49% voted 'yes', and 36.51% voted 'no'.

Welsh devolution referendum, 2011
Question: Do you want the Assembly now to be able to make laws on all matters in the 20 subject areas it has powers for? Election results Yes or no Votes Percentage  Yes 517,132 63.49%  No 297,380 36.51% Valid votes 814,512 99.86% Invalid or blank votes 1,116 0.14% Total votes 815,628 100.00% Voter turnout 35.63% Electorate 2,289,044

Welsh Assembly Building

The National Assembly building commonly referred to as the Senedd is where the debating chamber for the National Assembly is held. The building was built at a cost of £69.6million. A class tour of the Senedd scheduled in the coming weeks will cover this topic in more detail.

The Assembly of Wales has been instrumental in implementing various Acts and Measures throughout Wales since its formation and acquiring increased power. These include:

• Local Government Bylaws (Wales) Act 2012 

• National Assembly for Wales (Official Language) Act 2012 - facilitating the use of two languages in the National Assembly - English and Welsh, and they should both be considered equal.

• Food Hygiene Rating (Wales) Act 2013

• Human Transplantation (Wales) Act 2013 - the Act assumes that people resident in Wales for more than 12 months want to donate their organs, therefore the the Act permits an opt-out system for organ donation.

• Food Hygiene Rating (Wales) Act 2013.

REFERENCES:

• Assembly of Wales (2013) Assembly Acts. Available at: http://http://assemblywales.org/bus-home/bus-legislation/assembly_acts.htm#assembly-committees/bus-home/bus-legislation/assembly_acts.htm#assembly-committees. (Accessed: 30 October 2013)

• BBC (2007) The National Assembly for Wales. Available at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/culture/sites/aboutwales/pages/national_http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/culture/sites/aboutwales/pages/national_assembly.shtml. (Accessed: 29 October 2013)

• Wikipedia (2013) List of Acts and Measures of the National Assembly for Wales. Available at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Acts_and_Measures_of_http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Acts_and_Measures_of_the_National_Assembly_for_Walesthe_National_Assembly_for_Wales