Chair of the Senedd’s Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee (PAPAC), Mark Isherwood MS, has today spoken of the need for continued collaborative scrutiny of implementation of the Well-Being of Future Generations Act 2015 across the Senedd.
The Act, which came into force in 2016, is about improving the social, economic, environmental and cultural well-being of Wales.
Objectives in the Act include people contributing to their community, being informed, included and listened to, however Mr Isherwood has previously stated that “too often this hasn't happened because it's not been monitored, because people in power don't want to share it or to understand that this would create more efficient and effective services”.
Speaking in today’s Debate on the Equality and Social Justice Committee Report: ‘Annual scrutiny of the Future Generations Commissioner: An update’, Mr Isherwood said “continued collaborative scrutiny of implementation of the Act across the Senedd is essential going forward”.
He said:
“PAPAC has long term interest in the implementation of the Well-Being of Future Generations Act 2015, with our predecessor Committee reporting on ‘Delivering for Future Generations: The Story so Far’ in March 2020. Last November, I was pleased to share the lead on a joint debate, with the Chair of the Equalities and Social Justice Committee, on the Welsh Government’s response to that report, as well as its responses to the first statutory reports by the Future Generations Commissioner and Auditor General for Wales, published in May 2020, on the Act.
“That joint Committee Debate, the first of its kind, demonstrated cross-party commitment to securing the successful implementation of the Act and ensuring our public services deliver efficiently and sustainably for our future generations.
“I thank the Equalities and Social Justice Committee for their work in this area and welcome this report, which builds upon the work undertaken by the previous Public Accounts Committee (PAC) and reinforces many of the concerns raised by it.”
Mr Isherwood confirmed that PAPAC has accepted Recommendation One of the Report, which asked PAPAC to carry out a review of the resourcing arrangements of Wales’ Commissioners, and will undertake scrutiny into the work of Welsh Commissioners in Autumn 2022.
He added:
“During the last Plenary Debate on implementation of the Act, I noted that successful implementation depended on cultural change, that needs to begin with awareness and understanding at all levels of public bodies. It is disappointing that the Equalities and Social Justice Committee report concludes that, while encouraging progress is being made in terms of the implementation of the Act, there is ample room for improvement, particularly in relation to the gap between policy and practice.
“I, therefore, endorse recommendation 4 of the Committee’s Report, which asks the Welsh Government to set out its plans for embedding the Act to ensure that all aspects of public life are shaped by the legislation and that the measures in place to monitor and evaluate progress in implementing the Act are fit for purpose.
“In summing up, continued collaborative scrutiny of implementation of the Act across the Senedd is essential going forward. We hope that the response from the Welsh Government to this report, and the ongoing work being undertaken in response to the previous PAC report, is progress towards better implementation, but this remains slow.
“I look forward to working with the Equalities and Social Justice Committee and to ensuring that the Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee will maintain a key role in monitoring progress and holding the Welsh Government, and others tasked with implementing the Act, to account.”