Senedd Watch - May 2015

• The Electoral Reform Society warned that Wales faced a “turnout time bomb” amongst under-25s due to falling interest in elections. They recommended reforms to how politics is taught in schools, and urgent legislation to extend the voting franchise to 16 year olds in time for the 2016 National Assembly election. It was confirmed on May 14^th that votes for 16 year olds couldn't be introduced in time for the election.
• The Welsh Government introduced the Historic Environment Bill on May 5^th, which sets out measures to improve the protection of monuments and listed buildings, create an advisory panel, as well as enable stronger prosecutions to be taken where monuments are damaged.
• The Welsh Conservatives called for an independent inquiry into the collapse of Pencoed-based IT company Ideoba, after claims a Welsh Government adviser said funding was pulled because the other director, former Plaid Cymru MP Adam Price, was standing in the 2016 National Assembly election. The Welsh Government said the claim was, “frankly ridiculous”.
• The Communities & Local Government Committee said proposed mergers between local authorities need to be “sustainable and enduring” in their Stage 1 report on the Local Government Bill. Committee Chair, Christine Chapman AM (Lab, Cynon Valley), warned that anything less could lead to another reorganisation. The Finance Committee also called for more clarity on the costings of local government mergers.
• Two Conservative Assembly Members – Antoinette Sandbach and Byron Davies – were elected as MPs in the 2015 UK election. Both resigned their Assembly seats. Byron Davies MP was replaced by Altaf Hussain AM (Con, South Wales West), while Antoinette Sandbach MP was replaced by Janet Howarth AM (Con, North Wales).
• The Finance Committee recommended increased powers for the Public Service Ombudsman for Wales, legislation giving the Ombudsman more power to investigate complaints independently and an expansion of their jurisdiction to include private healthcare. Committee Chair, Jocelyn Davies AM (Plaid, South Wales East), said, “should (public services) fall short of an individual’s expectations, they need to have the confidence in the Ombudsman to investigate.”
• A leaked report revealed staff in Betsi Cadwaladr Local Health Board believe out-of-hours GP services were “unsafe”, blaming recruitment problems. The First Ministers told AMs he was “determined to make sure it does improve”. Ann Jones AM (Lab, Vale of Clwyd) wrote to the First Minister demanding that the Chief Executive of the health board, Prof. Trevor Purt, be sacked.
• In a separate development, an independent investigation into the treatment of patients on a mental health ward at Glan Clwyd Hospital suggests their human rights may have been breached. Betsi Cadwaladr LHB apologised for “inexcusable and unacceptable” standards of care. Accusations include patients being left unattended, treatment being provided on the floor and improper use of restraints. Leader of the Opposition, Andrew Davies AM (Con, South Wales Central), demanded a full inquiry into the Welsh NHS.
• The Jobs Growth Wales scheme secured a three-year, £25million extension - backed by EU funding. Deputy Minister for Skills, Julie James AM (Lab, Swansea West), said it, “illustrates our ongoing commitment to supporting young people into employment”.
• Opposition AMs criticised the extension. Eluned Parrott AM (Lib Dem, South Wales Central) said Labour need to “stop wasting money on this ineffective scheme and invest in apprenticeships and training” after a review found 37% of the scheme's participants didn't need it to find work.
• Natural Resources Minister, Carl Sargeant (Lab, Alyn & Deeside), introduced the Environment Bill to the National Assembly on May 12^th. The Bill proposes to set a statutory target for an 80% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, protects biodiversity, increases the powers of Natural Resources Wales and give Ministers the power to expand charges for carrier bags to include “bags for life”.
• Anglesey overtook Merthyr Tydfil as the local authority with the highest proportion of obese or overweight children according to the latest Public Health Wales figures. The overall rate remains higher in Wales (26%) than England (23%). Chief Medical Officer, Dr Ruth Hussey, said that while childhood obesity had “levelled off”, there was “still much work to do”.
• The National Assembly approved the Planning Bill on May 19^th by 39 votes to 10. The Planning Act will institute a national development plan and allow strategic plans to be developed across multiple councils. Amendments to the Bill will place a greater consideration on the impact housing developments have on the Welsh language.
• On a visit to Cardiff, US ambassador to the UK, Matthew Barzun, said the proposed TTIP US-EU free trade agreement was a “big deal....with high standards”. The Welsh Government estimates the deal would be worth £1.5billion to the Welsh economy, but Plaid Cymru in particular have expressed concerns over "back door privatisation" of the NHS.
• Communities and Tackling Poverty Minister, Lesley Griffiths (Lab, Wrexham), launched a public consultation on giving communities a right to bid for, own and run assets transferred from the public and private sectors. She said, “I believe in the power of our communities and I look forward to hearing people’s views on this important topic.”
• The Independent Remuneration Panel for the National Assembly finalised a decision to award AMs an 18% increase in their annual salary to £64,000. The decision has been highly-controversial, with all the main parties expressing reservations. The agreed proposals also include changes to AM pension arrangements and party group funding.
• The RAC Foundation claimed that limited powers over road safety has stalled progress on reducing the number of road deaths, with a 15% fall in Wales compared to 33% and 35% falls in Scotland and Northern Ireland respectively – where some powers are devolved. Scotland lowered the legal drink-driving limit in December 2014 and the Liberal Democrats called for Wales to have the power to do the same.
• Plaid Cymru called for a “full feasibility study” into basing Welsh regiments in Wales when not on active service. At the moment, they're based in English bases. They said troops were often away from wider support networks while defence spending in Wales had fallen consistently for 20 years.
• The Chair of the National Assembly's Environment Committee, Alun Ffred Jones AM (Plaid, Arfon), called for the Committee to have a role in the appointment of the Natural Resources Wales (NRW) Chair, after widespread concerns over NRW's independence. He said, “Allowing independent scrutiny of the preferred candidate....will offer public reassurance over the eventual appointment.....and, crucially, provide evidence of the candidate's independence of mind."
• At the State Opening of the new UK Parliament session on May 27^th, the Queen announced that the UK Government would introduce a Wales Bill granting Wales extra powers and a reserved powers model - as set out in the St David's Day Agreement - as well as legislation for a referendum on the UK's membership of the European Union, which was introduced on May 28th.
• Welsh Secretary, Stephen Crabb MP, said Wales is a “huge winner” from the EU and he would campaign for the UK to remain in the EU in a future referendum, which could be brought forward to 2016. It comes as Airbus and Deutsche Bank warned it would reconsider UK investments if the UK left the EU – though JCB said there was “nothing to fear” from an EU exit.
• The Welsh Liberal Democrats and SNP called for any EU referendum to be held separately from the 2016 National Assembly/Scottish Parliament elections. Meanwhile, UKIP's leader in Wales, Nathan Gill MEP, called for a same day vote in order to boost turnout and save money.
• A Finance Committee report into the future management of devolved taxes recommended a transitional period to provide stability and build up expertise in the proposed Welsh Revenue Authority. They also recommended that direct accountability and scrutiny be provided through an Assembly committee.

Projects announced in May include : A £6million investment in a combined primary care and sheltered housing complex in Tregaron, Ceredigion; a £3million funding boost to 12 third sector mental health projects; an £18million, three-year research project into several areas of the health service; £27million towards 35 transport projects in 18 local authorities; a £2million one-year action plan to reduce autism diagnostic waiting times; a £108million investment in upgrades to social housing and an extra £7.6million for child and adolescent mental health (CAMHS) services.

Results :

(Click to enlarge)

• Following the surprise Conservative victory, Prime Minister David Cameron promised to lead “one nation” - with extra powers for the devolved administrations – pledging to “make Britain greater still”. Stephen Crabb MP (Con, Preseli Pembs.) remained Welsh Secretary.
• Ed Miliband resigned immediately as Labour leader as a result of the election defeat, saying the party needs a chance to “rebuild”. Harriet Harman was appointed temporary leader until a successor is elected.
• First Minister Carwyn Jones said Labour needed to be “pro-business” in the fallout from the election, pointing to what his government have done in Wales. Meanwhile, former Welsh Government minister, Alun Davies AM (Lab, Blaenau Gwent), said Labour had “lost the argument” on the NHS, which contributed to their defeat after being used effectively by the Conservatives during their campaign, saying Labour need to “ensure that people do trust Welsh Labour with the Welsh NHS”.
• Former Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg MP, resigned as leader of the Liberal Democrats, triggering a leadership election. He paid tribute to his party, saying “we had the courage to step up at a time of crisis” whilst admitting the “crushing and unkind” loss of seats and colleagues.
• Nigel Farage MEP “resigned” as UKIP leader after failing to win South Thanet, saying he would take a break to consider whether to stand for the leadership again. On May 11^th he reported his resignation was “rejected” by UKIP's executive board and subsequently “un-resigned”, prompting derision from other parties and various internal squabbles.
• Plaid Cymru leader, Leanne Wood AM (Plaid, South Wales Central), said results in the western valleys laid strong foundations for the 2016 National Assembly election despite failing to gain target seats like Ceredigion and Ynys Môn. However, she later admitted the results had been generally “disappointing”.