North Wales Assembly Member, Mark Isherwood, who Chairs a number of Assembly Cross Party Groups (CPGs) annually in North Wales, has called for more Cross Party Groups to meet outside of Cardiff.
Mr Isherwood said Cross Party Groups which meet in North Wales are well attended and more CPGs should be held in locations that are easier for people and organisations to attend.
Raising the matter during Questions to the Assembly Commission yesterday, Mr Isherwood said:
“You might recall that, when we used to have the Regional Committees, they were extremely popular and well attended, particularly in North Wales - even when that wasn't necessarily the case across the whole of Wales.
“Since their demise, the Cross Party Groups I Chair largely meet annually in North Wales, and when they do there's huge popular engagement with them, from organisations and people interested in the key areas who see those groups as the face of the Assembly in the absence of any other direct interaction that they can take part in.
“How might you and the Commission therefore be able to consider how you might work with the cross-party groups on that agenda?”
The Presiding Officer of the National Assembly for Wales , Elin Jones AM replied:
“I've noticed that you've been particularly proactive as leader of your cross-party groups in ensuring that there are meetings outside of Cardiff Bay, and in the north in particular for your cross-party groups. I think that that's a model that I'd want to encourage and facilitate and want to see the commission supporting. I'm as keen also to provide the support for committees, as they undertake to meet outside of Cardiff Bay. That logistically can be very challenging for those committees, because many Members are also members of other committees, and that makes it quite difficult to meet in different parts of Wales. But the principle of encouraging the work that we do to take part and take place in other areas of Wales is one that I wholly endorse and would want to see the commission seek to facilitate across party groups and committees as well.”