Senedd Watch - July 2014

• The Welsh Government introduced the Gender-based Violence, Domestic Abuse & Sexual Violence Bill, which will establish a specialist government adviser and place duties on Welsh and local governments to develop strategies to tackle such violence. Local Government & Communities Minister, Lesley Griffiths (Lab, Wrexham), said the law and accompanying public information campaign will “help empower people with information to act in the right way.”
• The Permanent Secretary determined that Natural Resources and Food Minister, Alun Davies (Lab, Blaenau Gwent), breached the Ministerial Code by lobbying Natural Resources Wales – a body under his ministerial remit - in relation to a motorsports park development in his constituency. The First Minister decided against dismissal, with the minister apologising to the National Assembly on July 1^st.
• Alun Davies was subsequently fired from the cabinet on July 8^th for attempting to obtain private financial information about five opposition AMs relating to Common Agricultural Policy subsidies. He later sent a written apology to the five AMs and apologised to civil servants for “putting them in an awkward position”.
• Opposition parties reacted angrily, with two of the targets – Andrew Davies AM (Con, South Wales Central) and Kirsty Williams AM (Lib Dem, Brecon & Radnor) demanding a Standards Commissioner investigation and calling into question the First Minister's judgement respectively. Plaid Cymru said the minister had, “played fast and loose with the public trust”.
• As a result of the sacking, the Natural Resources and Food ministerial portfolio was divided between Business & Economy Minister, Edwina Hart (Lab, Gower) and Culture Minister, John Griffiths (Lab, Newport East). Rebecca Evans AM (Lab, Mid & West Wales) was promoted to Deputy Minister for Agriculture & Fisheries. Farming leaders described the arrangement as “confusing”.
• Welsh Lib Dems called for a “Youth Assembly” to replace youth parliamentary organisation Funky Dragon, which is to lose its Welsh Government funding. Aled Roberts AM (Lib Dem, North Wales) said he was “worried young people might be ignored and side-lined in future decisions affecting them.”
• There were renewed calls for a specialist eating disorder unit for children and young adults, after a BBC Wales investigation showed a 75% increase in cases over the last decade. The Welsh Government have committed an extra £250,000 per year towards eating disorders, but Welsh patients were still seeking treatment in England.
• Independent research carried out on behalf of Plaid Cymru suggested their proposed 20p per litre “pop tax” on sugary drinks would reduce the number of obese and overweight people in Wales by up to 21,000. However, it would likely hit those on lower incomes hardest. Welsh Labour reject the idea, believing the tax would only fund extra doctors if sugary drink consumption increased.  It comes as figures showed 10% of children starting school in Wales are obese and 26% of all children had a Body Mass Index (BMI) above 25.
• The Welsh Government announced the target measure of pupils achieving five A*-C grades at GCSE will be replaced by a wider capped score covering nine subjects by 2017. The Welsh Conservatives said this would make it harder to compare performances with the rest of the UK, and believed it was done because current targets are set to be missed.
• A joint report from the Wales Audit Office (WAO) and Healthcare Inspectorate Wales found that Betsi Cadwaladr Local Health Board wasn't “fully fit for purpose”, despite actions undertaken following a highly critical 2013 WAO report which revealed serious management failures.
• The Well-being of Future Generations Bill was introduced to the National Assembly on July 7^th, which will establish a Sustainability Commissioner and make it a legal requirement to consider the needs of future generations in public policy. Opposition parties supported the principle of a sustainable development law, but criticised the Bill's “catch all aims”.
• The First Minister outlined the Welsh Government's official response to the Williams Commission, which could see mergers of Wales' 22 local authorities to 10-12. He said the devolution settlement had made improving services like health and education “more complex”, saying mergers would “protect and improve local services”.
• The Housing Bill was approved by the National Assembly on July 8^th by 41 votes to 12. The Housing Act 2014 will place duties on local authorities to address homelessness and gypsy & traveller sites, as well as introducing a new licensing system for the rental sector.
• Carmarthenshire Council voted to “note” a critical WAO report into unlawful libel indemnities, which will remain suspended indefinitely. It comes as Local Government Minister, Lesley Griffiths – as well as the First Minister – clarified Welsh Government guidance as prohibiting the use of indemnities to allow council officers to undertake libel suits.
• The UK Supreme Court ruled that the Agricultural Sector Bill – introduced to replace the defunct Agricultural Wages Board - fell within the competence of the National Assembly. The First Minister said the ruling was “significant”, while Russell George AM (Con, Montgomery) and Antoinette Sandbach AM (Con, North Wales) criticised “sloppy law-making” despite the verdict.
• Around 70,000 Welsh public sector workers held a one day strike on 10^th July - which affected local councils, job centres, fire services and schools - in protest at pay and pensions restraint. An estimated 1million took part across the UK.
• Children's Commissioner, Keith Towler, said children in care were being still denied access to advocacy services, despite the Waterhouse child abuse inquiry recommending an independent voice for such children in 2000. The Welsh Government rejected the comments, saying they remained committed to children's rights.
• Llywydd Rosemary Butler (Lab, Newport West) became the latest senior Assembly Member to announce they were standing down at the 2016 election. After 40 years in public life as a councillor and then an AM, she said it was, “absolutely right - right for me, right for the party”.
• Former Deputy Minister for Housing & Regeneration, Jocelyn Davies AM (Plaid, South Wales East), also announced she would stand down in 2016. She said that with increasing devolved powers “it was time for a new generation of Plaid Cymru politicians with a fresh outlook”.
• Clwyd West MP David Jones was replaced as Welsh Secretary by Conservative MP for Preseli Pembrokeshire, Stephen Crabb, in a UK cabinet reshuffle on 14/15 July. The new appointee said he would “build upon the excellent work” of his predecessor.
• Several business organisations wrote to the Welsh Government demanding “no delay” to a decision on a possible £1billion M4 bypass of Newport, believing the current M4 is outdated, unreliable and negatively impacts trade and investment into south Wales. On July 16^th, Business Minister Edwina Hart (Lab, Gower) announced the “Black Route” would be given the go ahead.
• Plaid Cymru subsequently withdrew from future budget negotiations based on the “environmentally and financially reckless decision” to give the go-ahead.
• The National Assembly's Environment and Sustainability report into the decision-making process expressed “grave concerns” about the choice of routes, as well as the financial and environmental implications. They believed that unless they received satisfactory answers from the minister, the public consultation should be restarted.
• The First Minister launched the Welsh Government's legislative programme for 2014-15. 10 Bills are proposed covering : planning, tax collection (as a result of the Wales Bill), heritage, environment, local government reform, public health and social service regulation. The Welsh Government also announced legislative measures would be brought in to ban smoking in cars when children are present.
• Bethan Jenkins AM (Plaid, South Wales West) introduced the backbench Financial Education & Inclusion Bill on July 16^th , which will put financial education on the basic school curriculum for 7-16 year olds and place duties on local authorities to direct vulnerable people towards financial assistance.
• Unemployment in Wales fell by 6,000 in the three months to May 2014 to stand at 6.6% - lower than many other parts of the UK. The announcement coincided with the 10,000^th job secured through Jobs Growth Wales.
• Deputy Minister for Tackling Poverty, Vaughan Gething (Lab, Cardiff S. & Penarth), announced the target of 36,000 disadvantaged youngsters receiving its Flying Start childcare services by 2016 was close to being met, with 31,000 enrolled this year – jumping a third compared to 2013.
• Wales experienced the best foreign direct investment (FDI) performance since 1990, creating and safeguarding up to 10,500 jobs from 79 projects, representing 8% of the UK total in 2013-14. Despite this, the Welsh Conservatives said it fell short of the levels experienced when the Welsh Development Agency existed.
• A Public Accounts Committee report into the Cardiff-Anglesey air link found “significant value for money concerns” after passenger numbers fell by 43% since launch in 2008. They recommended better marketing of the service, and improved recording of passenger usage by overall number and employment sector. Committee member Mike Hedges AM (Lab, Swansea East) criticised the inquiry as “simplistic and superficial”.
• Culture & Environment Minister John Griffiths said it would be “entirely fitting” for Wales to bid to host the Commonwealth Games, but said there was a lot to consider before any bid can be made. Plaid Cymru leader Leanne Wood (Plaid, South Wales Central) supported a bid, saying it would “lead to many positive spin-offs for Wales”. The First Minister later made no guarantee Wales would make a bid, or that the event would be held in Cardiff.
• The Assembly's Finance Committee recommended – in their inquiry on the future devolution of tax and borrowing powers - that the Welsh Government adhere to OECD guidelines, provided detailed budgeting and that the Assembly grants approval of borrowing. Chair Jocelyn Davies AM said it was “critical that there is a robust and in-depth process of scrutinising....spending plans”.
• The Welsh Government's Advisory Panel of Substance Misuse recommended a minimum price for alcohol which would “protect vulnerable people, boost public health and improve community life”. The measure is expected to be included in the proposed Public Health Bill, due to be introduced in 2015.
• A Business & Enterprise Committee inquiry into EU programmes recommended a full EU strategy be developed, and that specialist support be provided to key economic sectors. It was also revealed that Wales submitted no bids for transport funding under the EU's TEN-T programme.
• The Assembly's Communities and Local Government Committee inquiry into local libraries recommended improvements in data collection, and more Welsh Government support to enable libraries to access all forms of finance. There were more than 14.7million visits to Welsh libraries in 2011-12.
• Health Minister, Mark Drakeford (Lab, Cardiff West), said cross-border transfers for heart surgery patients would continue until at least 2015 in order to cut waiting times. It comes as an NHS Wales report showed heart disease cases were falling, but death rates in deprived areas of Wales remained up to a third higher than less deprived areas.

Projects announced in July include : A £10million grant scheme to provide childcare and play opportunities to families in poverty; an announcement that all NHS Wales staff will be paid a minimum £7.65 per hour “living wage”; a six-year £953million joint Wales-EU Rural Development Programme; a 10-year Business Skills Gateway to address skills shortages; plans for a comprehensive £100million redevelopment of Cardiff Central station starting in 2020 and a joint Wales-UK pilot of a “National Citizen Service” for young people.