Assembly’s Presiding Officer to host seminar on women in public life as part of Mid & West Wales visit

11 May 2012

The National Assembly for Wales’s Presiding Officer, Rosemary Butler AM, is to host a conference, in Lamphey, Pembrokeshire, encouraging more women to get involved in public life.

The “Women In Public Life” seminar will take place at Lamphey Court Hotel, between 12.30 and 14.15 on Friday, 18 May.

It forms part of a series of seminars, around Wales, that will culminate in a national conference in Cardiff in November.

“At the National Assembly for Wales we have a good record in terms of the number of female Members,” said Mrs Butler.

“We have the highest number of women representatives in any UK parliament and at one point we had more female than male Members.

“However, it is clear that women are underrepresented in public life in Wales, whether it be at a local council level or indeed at the head of our biggest companies.

“That’s why I have made increasing participation one of my core objectives as Presiding Officer, and why the Assembly is organising a number of seminars around Wales, including this one in Lamphey.

“I am not saying women are better than men, we are just different, and we can bring a different perspective to public life.”

During her visit to the Mid & West Wales, the Presiding Officer will also visit the Monkton Priory Project, which aims to continue the education of Gypsy and traveller young people through secondary school.

And Mrs Butler will also meet with young people from Pembrokeshire College where she will attend a college council meeting.

The National Assembly’s Outreach Bus will also be at Pembrokeshire College between 12.00 and 17.00 which members of the public can visit and register their views on any issue before the Assembly or any issue they think should be before the Assembly.