Presiding Officer to make keynote speech in scrutiny conference
20 September 2010
The Presiding Officer for the National Assembly for Wales will today (20 Sept) make a keynote speech at a conference examining the effectiveness of the scrutiny of government at different levels in Wales.
Lord Dafydd Elis-Thomas will address the audience at ‘Scrutinising Scrutiny’ along with representatives from local government and other public sector organisations at the Pierhead in Cardiff Bay.
The conference has been organised in partnership with the Welsh Local Government Association, Wales Council for Voluntary Action, the Bevan Foundation and Positif Politics and will examine how the actions and processes of public bodies are examined and whether anything can be done to improve accountability.
The National Assembly’s Director of Assembly Business Adrian Crompton will also take part in a discussion panel with Assembly Members Darren Millar, Ann Jones and Dr. Dai Lloyd.
Lord Elis-Thomas’s speech will consider the efficacy of the National Assembly’s scrutiny functions after more than ten years of devolution, and questions how Wales’s legislature can be improved through, for example, the current review of Standing Orders.
“This conference offers an excellent opportunity to debate the nature of the Assembly’s work from May of next year,” said the Presiding Officer.
“At the beginning of the Third Assembly, the Secretary of State for Wales had the final say on the Assembly’s Standing Orders. As we approach the Fourth Assembly, we are now responsible for reviewing and rewriting our own Standing Orders.
“However, scrutiny of policy and legislation remains one of the Assembly‘s core responsibilities. Our current review of Standing Orders seeks to ensure that as an Assembly we remain wholly transparent, that we allow the Welsh Government to carry out its work without impediment and that we also provide opposition parties the opportunity to state their case.
“Effective scrutiny lies at the heart of democracy. I am very much looking forward to taking part in this conference, and hearing people’s views on how we can improve on one of our core functions.”