Statement from the Presiding Officer of the National Assembly for Wales

10 March 2014

The Presiding Officer of the National Assembly for Wales, Dame Rosemary Butler AM, has issued the following statement in response to part two of the Commission on Devolution in Wales, which was released today.

Dame Rosemary said: “I welcome the package of recommendations from the Commission on Devolution, in particular the issue of more Assembly Members. More Members means greater opportunity to develop the necessary expertise and knowledge required to robustly challenge Government Ministers on their proposals.

“I believe the package of recommendations provides a strong basis for the development of devolution in Wales, to strengthen democracy and accountability and, most importantly, for the Assembly to better serve the people of Wales.

“Moving to a reserved powers model will help to dispel some of the uncertainty of the Assembly’s role and responsibilities. It will allow us to legislate more effectively and with greater confidence. Critically, it will put us on a similar legislative footing as the Scottish Parliament which, to date, has not had a Bill referred to the Supreme Court by a UK law officer to clarify its right to legislate in a particular area.

“I am also pleased to see that the Commission agrees with my position that we should have the right to choose our own name - a name which better reflects our position as a mature parliamentary body. With full legislative powers and the fiscal responsibilities we will exercise for the first time in the next Assembly, it is time to recognise that we are no longer the same democratic institution as was first elected in 1999.

“This report is also an important step toward the establishment of a constitutional convention, regardless of the result of the Scottish referendum later this year, as I believe we must examine the future of devolution and clarify the responsibilities and relations between the different legislative institutions of the UK.

“Finally I would like to thank Paul Silk and the rest of the Commission on Devolution for the dedication and effort they have put into producing two excellent reports that give a vision of Wales’s democratic future. I hope the Secretary of State for Wales and the First Minister respond positively to their findings.”