Senedd Watch - November 2015

• Welsh Language Commissioner, Meri Huws, backed calls by the Assembly's Communities & Local Government Committee to protect historical place names in the Historic Environment Bill, following several high-profile name changes to listed buildings from Welsh to English. Deputy Minister for Culture, Ken Skates (Lab, Clwyd South), said he “wouldn't shut the door” on statutory regulation, but it would “probably not be workable, or enforceable either”.
  
• The outgoing chair of Cardiff Airport, Lord Rowe-Beddoe, said the airport should be privatised within five years. He said the Welsh Government were right to nationalise the airport in 2013, and that recent passenger number increases could continue into the future.
• The Welsh Conservatives launched a series of policies, Stronger Futures Cymru, pledging to replace Jobs Growth Wales with a universal job creation scheme that's eligible to all age groups, also working with businesses to increase ties with schools and colleges.
• Deputy PCC for South Wales, Sophie Howe, was appointed the first £95,000-a-year Future Generations Commissioner on November 3^rd. There was criticism at her background as a Labour councillor and Welsh Government special adviser, with guarded accusations of nepotism. The Welsh Conservatives and former Children's Commissioner, Keith Towler, called for major public appointments to be made by the Assembly.
• The Welsh Lib Dems unveiled policies to boost the high street if they form the next Welsh Government, saying they would reduce business rates for new businesses occupying empty shops, encourage free parking schemes and give the public a greater role in taking over local services.
• Figures released by the Welsh Government following a Plaid Cymru freedom of information request, and ruling by the Information Commissioner, revealed only 7 jobs had been created at the Ebbw Vale and St Athan enterprise zones compared to a combined 1,009 in Cardiff and Deeside.
• The Welsh Government criticised Network Rail's decision to delay work to re-double part of the rail line between Chester and Wrexham, saying it was “disappointing”. Works of the £40million project were due to be completed this month, but have been pushed back to an indeterminate date.
• Jonathan Edwards MP (Plaid, Carms. W & Dinefwr) accused Labour and the Conservatives of a "gross betrayal" after failing to secure a proportional amount of spending on High Speed 2 for Wales – estimated to be worth up to £4billion. He said, "As things stand, taxpayers in Wales are paying into the public purse only to see that money ploughed into projects elsewhere.”
• Network Rail also announced that electrification between Cardiff and Swansea – previously set to be delivered by 2018 - could be delayed until as late as 2024. Electrification to Cardiff is still set to be delivered by March 2019. The Welsh Government was also yet to make a decision on electrification of the Valley Lines. Chair of the Swansea City Region, Sir Terry Matthews, said it created “a damaging air of uncertainty”.
• UK Prime Minister, David Cameron, outlined his “demands” ahead of a renegotiation of, and referendum on, the UK's EU membership. The demands includes restricting EU migrants' access to in-work benefits, exempting the UK from “ever closer union”, reducing bureaucracy and providing single market protections for non-eurozone states.
• The First Minister announced that Ministerial Decision Reports would be re-published after a decision to halt their publication prompted criticism from opposition parties and civil society figures about lack of transparency. The Welsh Lib Dems – who published the reports via Freedom of Information requests – called it a “victory for openness”.
• A Freedom of Information request revealed 195 public appointees declared support or membership of the Labour party since 1999, compared to a combined total of 98 for the opposition parties. Alun Ffred Jones AM (Plaid, Arfon) said, “The Labour government has developed a name for appointing loyal servants to key jobs and these figures support that.”
• Welsh Labour were criticised by opposition parties for blocking BBC Wales and ITV Wales from filming a documentary on life at the Assembly prior to the 2016 Election – citing concerns over interference with AMs' work. In a letter to party leaders, Llywydd Rosemary Butler (Lab, Newport West) described the broadcasters' proposal as a “fantastic opportunity”.
• The Green Party in Wales launched a leadership election after current leader, Pippa Bartolotti, announced she was standing down. Three candidates – all of whom are standing in the 2016 Assembly election – put their names forward : Alice Hooker-Stroud, Anthony Slaughter and Ashley Wakeling.
• An Institute of Welsh Affairs (IWA) audit of the Welsh media called for an independent advisory panel to be established, S4C's budget and independence to be protected and a £30million increase in BBC spending on English language programming. It comes after significant declines in both spending on original programming for Wales and newspaper circulations.
• Ken Skates told the Assembly's Communities & Local Government Committee that the BBC could spend an extra £30million on programming for Wales saying, “I reject the idea they aren't able to allocate more resources to English language - particularly non-news - programming in Wales.”
• Deputy Minister for Farming and Food, Rebecca Evans (Lab, Mid & West Wales), announced agricultural workers will receive a 6% pay rise and would be entitled to training under the Agricultural Wages Act 2013. Farmers unions warned the changes might be unaffordable as farm incomes fall.
• The Welsh Government announced they would put £580million towards a “city deal” for Cardiff, and challenged the UK Government to match-fund it, which would raise a total of £1.3billion once contributions from local government are included. It's said transport infrastructure – particularly the proposed South Wales Metro – will form a key part of the plans.
• All but one HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) office in Wales will close by 2027, with staff transferred to Cardiff or north west England. Plaid Cymru leader, Leanne Wood AM, said closing smaller offices “has a much bigger impact than it would in areas of a bigger size”.
• Welsh politicians condemned a series of co-ordinated Islamic State-sponsored terrorist attacks in Paris on November 13^th, which resulted in 130 deaths and almost 400 injuries. A Welsh Government reception for the Welsh national men's football team was postponed, while the First Minister participated in a COBRA emergency meeting. In a statement he said, “This was a cowardly attack on people going about their daily lives.”
• Plaid Cymru said they would not support air strikes against Islamic State in Syria unless the Prime Minister can both make a strong case to justify military action and secure UN backing. It's expected the UK Parliament will vote on air strikes in December, and Labour's Shadow Cabinet found itself at odds with leader Jeremy Corbyn, who also opposes military action.
• Welsh Lib Dem leader, Kirsty Williams AM, told Welsh voters at her party's autumn conference to reject Labour, saying “We've had years of the same Labour government listening to vested interests, but ignoring the people they're meant to stand up for. It's time for change.” She also said negative-looking polls have been wrong before, saying voters “are open to giving us another look”.
• Llywydd Rosemary Butler proposed a series of amendments to the draft Wales Bill, including retaining the ability to pass civil and criminal laws in devolved areas and keeping some tests of competence but removing others. She said, “The changes would not achieve my ideal outcome but would improve the (devolution) settlement.”
• The National Assembly approved the Renting Homes Bill on November 17^th by 40 votes to 12. The Renting Homes Act will simplify contract arrangements for tenants and introduce new requirements for landlords, such as fully notifying tenants of their rights and responsibilities.
• The First Minister hinted that the troubled Betsi Cadwaladr Local Health Board, which covers all of north Wales, could be broken up after the 2016 election. He said, “there is an issue with regard to whether one single board is the way forward for the whole of the north, or whether alternative options should be looked at."
• The First Minister confirmed he would not "welcome" the UK's nuclear submarine fleet to Wales should it move from Scotland. He made the comment during a Plaid Cymru debate on replacement of the Trident nuclear missile system, and follows previous statements supporting a relocation to Wales had Scotland voted for independence.
• Public Services Minister, Leighton Andrews (Lab, Rhondda), unveiled the draft Local Government Bill which will mandate compulsory mergers of local authorities from the current 22 to either 8 or 9. It's said mergers would save £650million over ten years, but could cost local government up to 2,000 jobs.
• A Public Accounts Committee report into broadband infrastructure recommended better communication from the Welsh Government's Superfast Cymru programme. Chair Darren Millar AM (Con, Clwyd West) said, “What we heard during our inquiry is that people are frustrated about what information is available to them in terms of if, or when, they will be connected.”
• The Regulation and Inspection of Social Care Bill was approved unanimously on November 24^th. The Act will place new requirements on social care providers to plan for the future, imposes a fit and proper person test for care managers and creates a new regulatory body, Social Care Wales.
• In his Autumn Statement, UK Chancellor, George Osborne, announced that income tax varying powers would be devolved to Wales without a referendum by 2020, and that a “funding floor” for Wales would be set at 115% of spending in England, meaning spending in Wales would not fall below this. Plans to reduce tax credits were scrapped, while the UK Government's contribution to S4C would be cut by £1.7million a year by 2019.
• Geraint Davies MP (Lab, Swansea West) accused the UK Government of reneging on their promise to back a £1billion tidal lagoon in Swansea Bay, with work already being delayed a year until 2017.
• Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly, Andrew Davies (Con, South Wales Central), said if his party formed the next Welsh Government they would use tax-varying powers to reduce the top rate of income tax to 35% and the lower rate to 19% at an estimated total cost of £255million.
• The Welsh Lib Dems also said they would cut the basis rate of income tax to 19% "to help ordinary workers", criticising Conservative plans to help higher-earners, whilst expecting Labour and Plaid Cymru to defend the status quo.
• Deputy Health Minister, Vaughan Gething (Lab, Cardiff S. & Penarth) hailed the success of the Food Hygiene Ratings Act 2013, which has resulted in only 0.2% of food-related businesses receiving the lowest zero rating, and an increase in the percentage of businesses receiving the highest rating of five from 45% to 60.8%.
• Health Minister, Mark Drakeford (Lab, Cardiff West), joined calls from the Scottish Government for the UK Government and Ofcom to ban the advertising of sugary, salty and fatty foods before 9pm. He said, “Adverts marketing soft drinks, chocolate, other confectionery, and sugary cereals are all making significant contributions to children consuming free sugar.”
• Opposition parties called for a rethink of the tuition fee subsides after Universities Wales released their manifesto for the 2016 election, calling for the introduction of means-testing. The Conservatives said they only wanted to support students who "really need it", while Plaid Cymru said the £90million subsidy to English universities was an "inappropriate" use of money.

Projects announced in November include : The announcement of 68 “pioneer schools” to lead curriculum changes to be introduced across Wales by 2021; a £39million investment in science at Swansea University under the Sêr Cymru II scheme and the launch of Rent Smart Cymru – a new licensing system for landlords.