National Assembly for Committee and Legislation Newsletter

October 2016

This newsletter provides an update on the work of the Assembly’s Committees and the progress of Bills currently being considered by the Assembly. It has been prepared in response to feedback from a number of stakeholders who suggested it would be useful to have a regular snapshot of Committees and legislation.

We would be grateful for your feedback. Contents

In Depth...... 1 01. The beginning of the Fifth Assembly ...... 1 02. The end of the Fourth Assembly ...... 1

Updates from Assembly Committees ...... 2 03. Children, Young People and Education Committee ...... 2 04. Climate Change, Environment and Rural Affairs Committee ...... 2 05. Committee for the Scrutiny of the First Minister ...... 3 06. Constitutional and Legislative Affairs Committee ...... 3 07. Culture, Welsh Language and Communications Committee ...... 3 08. Economy, Infrastructure and Skills Committee ...... 4 09. Equality, Local Government and Communities Committee ...... 5 10. External Affairs and Additional Legislation Committee ...... 5 11. Finance Committee ...... 6

12. Health, Social Care and Sport Committee_ ...... 6 13. Petitions Committee ...... 7 14. Public Accounts Committee ...... 7 15. Standards of Conduct Committee ...... 7

Management (Wales) Act was passed by the In Depth Assembly on 8 March 2016, and received Royal Assent on 25 April 2016. 01. The beginning of the At the time of the last committee newsletter Fifth Assembly being published, one Member Bill, the Nurse The Assembly is currently considering one Bill: Staffing Levels (Wales) Act 2016 was also the Land Transaction Tax and Anti- being considered by the Assembly. It was avoidance of Devolved Taxes (Wales) Bill, passed by the Assembly on 10 February 2016, which was introduced on 12 September 2016. and received Royal Assent on 21 March 2016.

On 28 June 2016, the First Minister set out the Three Member Bills fell at the end of the Fourth ’s Legislative Programme Assembly. These were: for the next 12 months. This included proposals to introduce:  the Recovery of Medical Costs for Asbestos Diseases (Wales) Bill;  a Bill to introduce a in Wales;  the Holiday Caravan Sites (Wales) Bill; and

 legislation to repeal sections of the UK  the Financial Education and Inclusion Government’s Trade Union Act; (Wales) Bill.

 a Public Health Bill, without restrictions on This meant that during the Fourth Assembly as the use of e-cigarettes in enclosed public a whole: spaces;  25 Welsh Government Bills received Royal  legislation to provide a new legal framework Assent, with one Welsh Government Bill being for supporting children and young people, rejected; from birth to the age of 25, with additional  two Member Bills received Royal Assent, with learning needs; three Member Bills falling; and  a Bill to abolish the right to buy and the right  one Assembly Commission Bill received Royal to acquire. Assent. No Member Bills, Committee Bills or Assembly Commission Bills have yet been introduced in the Fifth Assembly. A review of the Member Bill process is currently being undertaken by Business Committee. 02. The end of the Fourth Assembly The last committee newsletter was published in February 2016. At the time, two Welsh Government Bills (the Public Health (Wales) Bill and Tax Collection and Management (Wales) Bill) were being considered by the Assembly. The Public Health (Wales) Bill was subsequently rejected by the Assembly on 16 March 2016. The Tax Collection and

Education Funding and Student Finance Updates from Arrangements.

Assembly At the end of October the Committee will be scrutinising the Welsh Government draft Committees budget 2017/18. The Cabinet Secretary for Education / Minister for Lifelong Learning & 03. Children, Young People and Welsh Language and the Cabinet Secretary for Education Committee Communities and Children will be attending to discuss their budget proposals relating to the Committee web page Committee’s remit. The Committee will write to Email the Committee the Finance Committee outlining its concerns Follow the Committee on Twitter and conclusions. @SeneddCYPE The first annual report from Qualifications This term the Committee started an inquiry Wales is due to be published later this year, and into Youth Work in Wales. The consultation the Committee will hold a one off session with held received 34 written responses. The the Chief Executive of Qualifications Wales to Committee also held a stakeholder event for scrutinise the report. voluntary sector organisations where Members had the opportunity to discuss first-hand the Before the end of this term it is anticipated that issues faced in delivering youth services. Formal the Additional Learning Needs Bill will be oral evidence sessions were also held with the remitted to the Committee, Stage 1 Wales Principal Youth Officers’ Group (PYOG) & consideration will begin in the New Year. Welsh Local Government Association (WLGA), Council for Wales of Voluntary Youth Services 04. Climate Change, Environment (CWVYS), and the Minister for Lifelong Learning and Rural Affairs Committee and Welsh Language. The Committee will Committee web page publish their report before the end of term. Email the Committee Over the summer recess the Committee sought Follow the Committee on Twitter views from stakeholders on what they thought @SeneddCCERA the Committee’s priorities should be during the The Committee met stakeholders at the Royal Fifth Assembly. A total of 85 written responses Welsh Show in July. Members heard first hand were received, from a wide range of what the priority issues were for the rural stakeholders / organisations, as well as from economy and how we should plan for the the public. The Committee has considered this future. evidence and it will be fed into the forward work programme. A report analysing the findings will The very first meeting of the Autumn Term was be published shortly. a chance to welcome the new Cabinet Secretary for Environment and Rural Affairs, On 6 October the Children’s Commissioner for Lesley Griffiths, and hear her set out her Wales attended a meeting to discuss her annual priorities for the Fifth Assembly. report 2015/16. On the 12 October the Committee will be hearing from Professor Sir Members met farmers in Ceredigion to learn Ian Diamond who will be attending to discuss more about their businesses and concerns. the report he recently published into Higher Members also met food producers and visit a

farm shop to understand the ways in which concerned with the First Minister’s portfolio or locally produced food can reach local markets. oversight of Welsh Government activity. Members also heard about the challenges and opportunities facing the marine environment in The first meeting of the Committee will take Cardigan Bay. place on 18 November and focus on the Programme for Government. The Committee held its first evidence session for the Inquiry into the Future of Agricultural 06. Constitutional and Legislative and Rural Policies in Wales with some Affairs Committee interesting and informative presenters who Committee web page sketched out the opportunities and risks facing rural policy makers in light of the decision to Email the Committee leave the EU. Follow the Committee on Twitter @SeneddCLA The Committee focussed its attention in The Committee is holding a stakeholder session September on its scrutiny of the Wales Bill. The to agree its approach to monitoring the delivery Committee’s report was published on 6 of commitments on climate change arising October. The Committee will this week be from the Environment (Wales) Act 2016. meeting with the Select Committee on the Constitution in relation to the Bill and will be having a discussion with the Institute of Government about the Committee’s strategic programme.

On 3 October the Committee scrutinised its first Bill in the Fifth Assembly, taking evidence from AM on the Land Transaction Tax and Anti-Avoidance of Devolved Taxes (Wales) Bill. 07. Culture, Welsh Language and Communications Committee Committee web page Email the Committee

Follow the Committee on Twitter @SeneddCWLC 05. Committee for the Scrutiny of the The Committee began the new term by looking First Minister at the implications of the Wales Bill for matters Committee web page within the remit of the Committee, particularly the Welsh language, broadcasting and the Email the Committee media. The Committee has written to the The Committee met in early September and Constitutional and Legislative Affairs agreed its approach to meeting during the Fifth Committee conveying its concerns at the Assembly. It agreed to meet once during each possible adverse effects of the Bill on the term and to rotate meetings around Wales. Assembly’s current competence. Each meeting will focus on a specific subject

The Committee has held scrutiny sessions with 08. Economy, Infrastructure and the Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Skills Committee Infrastructure and the Minister for Lifelong Learning and Welsh Language on their Committee web page priorities for the Fifth Assembly. Email the Committee Follow the Committee on Twitter @SeneddEIS Following a strategy session moderated by Kate Faragher, the Committee has agreed to Following a summer consultation and a day conduct its first full Inquiry into the Welsh spent considering strategy, the EIS Committee Government’s strategy for achieving a has agreed to undertake three priority pieces of million Welsh speakers by the year 2050. work in the coming year. The Committee also took advantage of the new The Committee will look in detail at the Committee Statement procedure to outline National Infrastructure Commission proposed its approach to its remit and to announce that by the Welsh Government in the public will have a direct say in choosing the November/December 2016. We will Committee’s next inquiry through a poll. considering international comparisons with The Committee has also spent some time other infrastructure commissions, and seek to familiarising itself with its remit, particularly on identify best practice. broadcasting where the new BBC Charter and the review of S4C are likely to be major issues in coming months. The Committee has visited, S4C, ITV Cymru Wales and BBC Wales to develop their insight into their respective roles in broadcasting in Wales. Formal Scrutiny Sessions with all three, as well as with OFCOM, will be followed by a scrutiny session with the Director General of the BBC, Lord Tony Hall on 2 An inquiry looking at the interlocking issues of

November. progress on the South Wales Metro and the development of the next Wales rail franchise will begin early in 2017. The Committee has begun to develop its knowledge base with a day of rail-themed visits on 29 September.

City Regions and City Deals are likely to be a major driver of economic activity in the coming years and the Committee has indicated it would like to do a major piece of work in this area The Committee will also be scrutinising the following the Local Authority elections in May Welsh Language Commissioner in coming 2017. weeks on a number of statutory reports including the annual, assurance and five-year In the near future, the Committee will be reports. holding one-off scrutiny sessions looking at Business Rates, the steel industry, Finance

Wales and inviting Ministers as part of our scrutiny of the Draft Budget.

09. Equality, Local Government and Over the coming months, the Committee will Communities Committee be concentrating on scrutinising the Welsh Government’s role in the negotiation Committee web page processes, both in terms of the withdrawal Email the Committee negotiation and the intra-UK negotiations around arrangements after the UK has Follow the Committee on Twitter withdrawn from the European Union. @SeneddELGC The Equality, Local Government and The Committee took evidence from the First Communities Committee has set major Minister on 12 September to gain an ambitions for extensive understanding of the Welsh Government’s involvement in its work and to be a thought approach, the structures it is putting in place leader in the field of tackling poverty for the and what its objectives are for the negotiations. Fifth Assembly. The Committee is currently undertaking a programme of expert seminars covering a number of important issues such as international law and trade, funding, research and investment, agriculture and fisheries, marine and environment and inter- governmental relations.

The Committee also visited Brussels on a fact- finding trip as part of its inquiry and held meetings with the Welsh Government, Scottish The Committee is currently undertaking Post- Government, Irish Government, Canadian Legislative Scrutiny into the Violence against Mission, Swiss Mission, the European Women, Domestic Abuse and Sexual Commission and MEPs amongst others. The Violence (Wales) Act 2015. The inquiry will purpose of the visit was to gain knowledge and examine how effectively public bodies across understanding of: Wales are interacting with the legislation and making a difference to people’s lives.  developments in Brussels, within the EU Institutions, and how the various Members are now in the process of agreeing national/sub-national representations are the Committee’s long term work. Initially the engaged in this; Committee will be undertaking a major inquiry into how events such as and the Syrian  consideration of the role of the European refugee crisis are affecting Welsh communities Parliament in the formal process and its and how people live alongside each other. The scope for influencing the negotiations; and Committee will be due to report by early 2017.  to consider how Canada and Switzerland 10. External Affairs and Additional engage with the EU in Brussels and to Legislation Committee consider the practical differences of their relationship with the EU compared to full Committee web page membership of the EU. Email the Committee

Follow the Committee on Twitter @SeneddEAAL

11. Finance Committee consultation seeking stakeholders’ views on the Committee’s priorities for the Fifth Committee web page Assembly. The outcome formed the basis for Email the Committee the Committee’s strategic planning and inquiry Follow the Committee on Twitter scoping session on 21 September. @SeneddFinance

The Committee has agreed to undertake two The Finance Committee has a busy Autumn short inquiries before Christmas. The first will term. The Committee is currently scrutinising look at winter preparedness and builds on the the Land Transaction Tax and Anti work of the previous Health and Social Care Avoidance of Devolved Taxes Bill, which has Committee. The terms of reference include a a reporting date of 22 December. focus on patient flow, including primary care out-of-hours, emergency ambulance services, The Autumn term is also busy with budget emergency departments, and delayed transfers scrutiny. The Government will lay their draft of care. The Committee will be taking evidence budget on 18 October and the Committee will from a wide range of healthcare professionals, report on that by 29 November, additionally the before presenting its findings to the Cabinet Committee will be considering the draft budget Secretary. of the Assembly Commission and the estimates of the Auditor General and Wales Audit Office, The second inquiry will look at the sustainability and the PSOW. of the NHS workforce. The Committee carried out an initial, broad piece of evidence- The Committee is also expecting to be referred gathering to help understand what the key the Landfill Disposals Tax Bill before Christmas workforce issues are across the health and care recess. sector. As a result of this, the Committee has decided to begin its scrutiny with medical recruitment. This is an opening piece of work; and it is envisaged that further work will be undertaken throughout the Fifth Assembly to consider issues relating to the broader health and social care workforce.

As part of this inquiry, the Committee will visit Cardiff University, where it will tour the facilities, 12. Health, Social Care and Sport before talking to medical students about their experiences and what has influenced their Committee_ decisions regarding location of training, Committee web page location of work following training, choice of Email the Committee specialty, etc.

Follow the Committee on Twitter In the latter part of the term, the Committee @SeneddHealth will also scrutinise the Cabinet Secretary and The Committee began the autumn term by Minister on the Welsh Government’s draft scrutinising the Cabinet Secretary for Health, budget 2017/18, and will consider the Public Wellbeing and Sport and the Minister for Health Bill, once introduced. Social Services and Public Health on their early priorities. This coincided with a

13. Petitions Committee Committee led inquiries will be undertaking  Committee web page | Email the Committee | into Welsh Housing Associations and Looked Follow the Committee on Twitter after Children. The Committee will also @SeneddPetitions undertake a valedictory session with the outgoing Permanent Secretary Sir Derek Jones The Committee will continue to consider in November. admissible petitions. At its meeting on the 11 October the Committee considered its On 3 October the Committee welcomed a predecessor Committee’s report on its review senior delegation from the National Assembly of petitions and produce recommendations for of Botswana led by the Speaker. The delegation the Business Committee. were interested in the work of committee and discussed the work of the public accounts The Committee has further meetings scheduled on 1 November, 15 November, 29 committee with Members. November and 13 December. 15. Standards of Conduct Committee

14. Public Accounts Committee Committee web page Committee web page Email the Committee Email the Committee At the end of the Fourth Assembly, the previous Follow the Committee on Twitter @SeneddPAC Committee agreed and published a ‘Compendium of Standards Documents’. The Committee has been undertaking its Annual Scrutiny of the Accounts of publicly The Committee will be considering rules in funded organisations. This year the Committee relation to lobbying in other parliaments is considering the accounts of HEFCW, Estyn, guidance on the use of social media and also on Careers Wales, the Assembly Commission and ‘double registration’ in conjunction with the the Welsh Government. The Committee will be Electoral Commission. reporting on its findings in early November. The term of the current Commissioner for Standards ends on 30 November 2016. His During the autumn term the Committee will be successor’s appointment has bene ratified by revisiting the issue of Hospital Catering and the National Assembly and he take up his Patient Nutrition and taking evidence from a position from 1 December 2016 for a period of number of Health Boards as well as the Welsh six years. Government.

Performance monitoring work will focus on the Welsh Government responses and updates on previous Committee work on Cardiff Airport, the Intra Wales Air link, Broadband, Betsi Cadwaladr UHB, Unscheduled Care and Continuing Health Care. The Committee will have an opportunity to question Welsh Government Accounting Officers on these areas.

The Committee will also be considering matters arising from Auditor General for Wales report on Kancoat.