North Wales MS and Chair of the Welsh Parliament’s Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee (PAPAC), has criticised the Welsh Government for the “discourteous approach” it has taken in responding to the Report by PAPAC’s predecessor Committee, the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), on ‘Barriers to the successful Implementation of the Well-Being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015’.
Responding to the Social Justice Minister’s statement, ‘Well-being of Future Generations National Implementation’ in Tuesday’s meeting of the Welsh Parliament, Mr Isherwood also questioned the Minister, Jane Hutt MS, over why all but one of the Welsh Government’s responses to the report’s recommendations are “accept in principle” only.
He said:
“As Chair of the Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee, I must remind Members that the role of this committee is to scrutinise the efficient and effective use and administration of public resources, which cuts across all areas of Welsh Government business.
“It is practice for Committee Chairs to receive Welsh Government responses to Committee Reports in writing, enabling detailed consideration by the Committee. But we only received a written response last Wednesday, and the Committee doesn't meet until tomorrow. Furthermore, PAPAC reports, and Ministerial responses to them, are not usually debated via Ministerial Statement.
“The approach taken by the Welsh Government today is therefore considered discourteous, as is the replacement, only yesterday, of a Tabled Statement with a title which included our Report, by a generic Statement - the Statement being debated now.
“Minister, do you recognise that this is not the usual way for a Committee Report to be responded to, and that this does not allow for an adequate debate or discussion on this very important cross-cutting issue?”
Mr Isherwood added:
“Minister, I only received the Welsh Government's response to the PAC report, as you know, last Wednesday, with its ‘acceptance in principle’ only of the majority of the Report's recommendations directed at the Welsh Government.
“The Welsh Government explained that this approach was taken where they agreed with the recommendations themselves, but not their timetable for delivery or the means in which to achieve the recommendation. Why, when the Permanent Secretary previously gave the Public Accounts Committee a commitment, in January 2018, to end this practice in light of Members' concerns that acceptance in principle did not constitute an adequate response, do all but one of your responses, ‘accept in principle’ only?
“Further, do you recognise that it is not clear how the Welsh Government has agreed with the recommendations even in principle? Although many of the Welsh Government's responses suggest there is other activity being undertaken, do you accept that implementation of legislation requires monitoring, evaluation, and a clear timetable, not only for the recommendations you have agreed to ‘in principle’, but also for the implementation of the Act?”