Assembly Round-up
This week we discussed the future of the quangos which Labour is committed to abolishing. I intervened on a number of occasions to keep up the pressure for the ending of the quango state, and the strengthening of our democratic culture within Wales:
In First Minister's questions on Tuesday, I took up the issue of the branding of Wales. I am completely in favour of the international brand being Wales, not some other brand such as that of one of the quangos:
Leighton Andrews: Would you agree that promoting a nation abroad is a highly competitive activity these days, and, therefore, it is absolutely essential that Wales gets the full benefit of its marketing spend and that is why it is right to concentrate spending on the brand of Wales?
The First Minister: To use one of the Secretary of State for Wales’s favourite phrases, we have had the drains up on this issue. We have been working very hard on this over the past 12 months to get consistency of the brand that we are promoting and the values behind it, which relate to our being a small, clever and creative country with a lean, keen, clean and green image. We asked the Wales Tourist Board to lead on this because it is the only public sector body in Wales that is marketing led. We said, ‘You have the marketing expertise; extend that beyond the field of tourism into giving Wales a consistent message across the whole public sector’.
I also took up the whole principle of the abolition of quangos, undemocratic bodies which the Tories used to run Wales in the absence of a majority in the 1980s and 1990s:
Leighton Andrews: Returning to the question, which was on the reform of public services, First Minister, the announcement today is good news that progress is being made towards the merger of the WDA and other bodies with the Welsh Assembly Government. Does this not demonstrate that, by April 2006, we will have accomplished the merger of the Welsh Development Agency and Education and Learning Wales with the Welsh Assembly Government, and that we will have achieved the proper democratic oversight of key public services in Wales?
The First Minister: Apart from a few people on the opposition frontbench, I do not think that anybody wants to live in ‘Outer Quangolia’. People see the shrinking of the quango state as a major achievement. The issue is that now we are now on track to achieve that. Once you have the two directors in place, then the tier 2 and tier 3 appointments can be made, and we hope that they will all be in place by Christmas or thereabouts so that the two new departmental structures are ready for 1 April 2006.
Then on the First Minister's statement on Wednesday:
Leighton Andrews: Perhaps we can get back to the big picture after the mind-numbingly niggling questions that we have heard over the last 40 minutes. Is it not the case that this represents the end of the quango state in Wales, which will be widely welcomed? Is it not also the case that the appointment of senior figures from outside the civil service to jobs within the Welsh Assembly Government— [Interruption.]
The Presiding Officer: Order. I am always interested in Leighton Andrews’s supplementary questions and I want to hear them.
Leighton Andrews: Is it not also the case that the appointment of substantial figures from outside the Welsh Assembly Government is something that many people have been pressing for, for many years and that that will also be widely welcomed? Finally, is it also not the case that the development of a single brand identity will enable Wales to compete properly on the global stage?
Gareth Hall and Steve Marshall were not appointed by Ministers; they were appointed by the Permanent Secretary. I need to make that clear. There was a worldwide search, conducted through worldwide executive agencies and also by testing and interview. The fact that we have an Australian civil servant here demonstrates Wales’s worldwide pull. One thing is certain: an Australian civil servant will understand devolution before they start. Likewise with Gareth Hall, he is not a civil servant, but he is coming in from the WDA, which will help to put to bed some of the rumours that this is a takeover and not a merger; that is not the case. On the unifying of the branding of Wales as a small, clever country with a lean, keen, clean and green image, it is important that we get this message across and get best value for money for all public sector spending in this area, and then try to get buy-in in terms of private sector spending on their iconic products.
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