Convention Struggles with Richard
Agenda
Embargo: 1.00am, Monday 14 January 2008
A key challenge facing the politicians currently drawing up the terms
of reference for the Constitutional Convention – to be established
later this year by the One Wales Assembly Government – is how
far they will open up the debate about the number of Assembly Members
and how they will be elected.
A new report from the Institute of Welsh Affairs discloses that the
Convention’s chair, Sir Emyr Jones Parry, believes these issues,
part of the recommendations made by the cross-party Richard Commission
three years ago, should be brought into play. The Richard Commission
recommended the number of AMs should be increased from 60 to 80 and
that they should be elected by the STV (single transferable vote)
proportional system, a significant acceleration to the devolution
process.
The report Assembly to Senedd: The Convention and the Move Towards
Legislative Powers, by IWA Director John Osmond, reveals that,
shortly before the first meeting of the Convention’s Establishing
Committee in Westminster at the end of December 2007, Sir Emyr sent
a note to committee members drawing attention to the need to explore
the Assembly’s current operational capacity and the implications
of moving towards full legislative powers. He also said the Convention
should take account of the inter-relationship between the numbers
of AMs and MPs and the implications for voting methods.
John Osmond comments, “This defines the difficult terrain in
drawing up the terms of reference. The Establishing Committee is likely
to take up much of the first half of 2008 on this task with the Convention
taking shape by June.” He adds that it is envisaged that the
Establishing Committee, made up of an equal number of AMs and MPs
from Labour and Plaid Cymru, will propose, and perhaps nominate, a
Convention Steering Group of 12 to 15 people. Working under Sir Emyr’s
chairmanship, these will provide an executive arm.
In turn, the Steering Group will be advised by a wider network made
up of panels representing sectoral interest groups, such as the health
service, farmers, teachers, small businesses and so on. In addition,
there may be a randomly selected ‘citizen’s jury’
along the lines of the BBC Wales 60 group that paralleled the membership
of the National Assembly in the run-up to the 2007 election.
Note to Editors
The role of the Convention is to:
1. Inform and educate Wales on the current Assembly settlement.
2. Examine the implications of moving to full legislative powers under
Part IV of the 2006 Government of Wales Act.
3. Advise on the timing of a referendum on full legislative powers
and explore issues that will need to be dealt with on holding such
a referendum.
For further information contact:
John Osmond, Director IWA 029 2066 6606, johnosmond@iwa.org.uk
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