Contents
— Overview
— Attending a committee meeting as a witness
Overview
What is a witness?
A ‘witness’ is someone who attends a committee meeting to share their opinions, knowledge, or experiences on an issue the committee’s looking at.
The information a witness shares in a committee meeting is called ‘oral evidence’.
It’s not the same as being a ‘witness’ in a court or during a trial - it’s just about sharing your knowledge or telling your own story.
Witnesses come from lots of different backgrounds. They can be:
- experts in their field, for example academics or researchers
- representatives of groups of people, for example professional bodies or organisations
- members of the public with relevant experiences to share, for example health service users or people who travel on public transport
- government ministers and officials
Who can be invited as a witness?
Senedd committees decide who they invite as witnesses. They decide based on:
- who they think will be able to give them more information about the topic they’re looking at
- where they think there are gaps in the information they’ve already gathered, including from a public consultation or research
Responding in writing to an inquiry, referred to as 'written evidence', can be a first step to being a witness, but it’s not a requirement. Giving written evidence does not guarantee that you’ll be asked to be a witness.
Committees can’t hear from everyone face to face, and often the written evidence you send will provide the information the committee needs.
Diverse perspectives
It’s important for committees to hear from a wide range of people about issues they are looking at.
It helps committees understand the challenges people face and opportunities they identify, from lots of different perspectives.
By considering these multiple perspectives, committees can make more informed recommendations that aim to improve things for people.