2001 A Wales Odyssey
The foundations of a Welsh Government are taking shape.
In his posthumous autobiography, Rhodri Morgan told us that as Wales’s First Secretary, he wanted his administration ‘to think more governmental, to sound more governmental, and to act more governmental’. We saw in the Cabinet papers from the year 2000 how the move to the adoption of ministerial titles developed, and Rhodri’s own commitmnt to open government was established with the publication of Cabinet Minutes and the advertising as Special Adviser positions. Now things are taken further.
In 2001, we see the emergence of a Cabinet sub-committee system, a commitment to publish not only Cabinet Minutes but Cabinet Papers, more emphatic attempts to strengthen inter-governmental working across the UK, a recognition of the need to make further effort to distinguish the Welsh Cabinet from the Assembly overall, and the publication of the first Welsh Ministerial Code. We also see the Cabinet dealing with major crises such as Foot and Mouth and Corus steel closures, the development of a stronger sustainable development focus led by Sue Essex as Minister for the Environment, and the Wales response to the threat of terrorism after 9/11. Concerns about civil service capacity also emerge, the operations of Assembly Sponsored Public bodies (Quangos) become a focus, the restructuring of the NHS is planned, and a Strategic Policy Unit is created.
This is an administration testing its governmental boundaries, and beginning, as Rhodri said, to think, sound, and act ‘more governmental’. In this post I will develop some of these matters in more detail. Links to the Cabinet Minutes are contained within the subject headings. There are also copies inserted into the text of Cabinet Papers which began to be published from the middle of the year. This is quite a long post, so bear with me.
CORUS
2001 began with the continuing crisis over Corus’s steel-making facilities in Wales. Rhodri told the Cabinet on 15 January that:
every effort was currently being made to encourage Corus to look to the medium and long-term and to retain its steel-making capacity in Wales. Discussions were continuing with the company at all levels, and the Administration, in conjunction with the Government in London, was in the final stages of putting together a support package for Corus. Ministers would continue to work closely with the company and the UK Government to ensure that every effort was made to prevent any closure. Immediate planning would be put in hand to remedy the impact of closures that they were unable to prevent.
It is significant that at this stage the Cabinet is still referred to as the ‘Administration’, rather than as a government.
The 15 January Cabinet also heard about the closures of Dewhirst factories around Wales.
By 21 January, talks with Corus are accelerating:
The First Minister would…be travelling to London that morning for talks with the Prime Minister on Corus, and would then meet the management of Corus along with the Deputy First Minister later that day. The Minister for Assembly Business would answer questions therefore on behalf of the First Minister in Plenary that afternoon.
The First Minister said that both the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, Stephen Byers, and the Secretary of State for Wales, Paul Murphy, had separately met last week with Sir Brian Moffat, Chairman of Corus, to discuss the company's restructuring programme. It was clear that Corus was unwilling to reveal any of its future plans, but discussions would continue with the company at all levels.
On 1 February, Corus announced plans to close facilities at Llanwern, Ebbw Vale, Bryngwyn, Deeside and at Teeside in England. Ebbw Vale was to be completely shut down. A special Cabinet meeting was called on 6 February to discuss the Corus situation. I have edited the meeting record here:
The First Minister said that he had called a Cabinet meeting to update colleagues on the latest position regarding Corus.
The First Minister said that he, the Minister for Finance and the Secretary of State for Wales had very positive and constructive discussions in London the previous day on the strategy for responding to the crisis. A series of meetings had taken place with the Prime Minister, the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Andrew Smith and the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, Stephen Byers. There had also been discussions with the Secretary of State for Education and Employment, David Blunkett and the Minister for Employment, Welfare to Work and Equal Opportunities, Tessa Jowell. There had been recognition of the seriousness of the situation in Wales, but also a strong resolve to support the trade unions' strategy of engaging with Corus to find alternatives to its decisions.
The First Minister said that there was now a 14-day consultation period in which the unions would be attempting to engage with Corus. Unions would be using that time to best effect to find ways of persuading Corus to think again in a proper strategic long term way, looking at all genuine and viable options for saving jobs. Given that there was a moratorium until 14 February, it was important that no package of measures should be finalised and announced until the unions had had the opportunity to put their case.
Work was in hand however on detailed contingency plans, in the event that the unions' efforts should prove to be unsuccessful. Ministers and officials were working on a detailed package, which would be tailored to meet the immediate needs of people, but also the specific regeneration and economic development needs of each area of Wales affected by the announcement. Work would continue on this package in close consultation with local authorities, the Welsh Development Agency, the Training and Enterprise Councils, the Employment Service and others.
The First Minister said that he and other Ministers would be visiting the plants affected during the next week to lend their support to the unions' approach and efforts. Cabinet Ministers would also be having further meetings and discussions with the Assembly's partners and with the UK Government. Both the Minister for Finance and the Minister for Economic Development would be making separate statements to Plenary that afternoon concerning Corus and the previous day's series of meetings. It was agreed that if everything was in place, a full announcement or debate would be made or take place in Plenary on Thursday 15 February.
At the Cabinet Meeting on 12 February, though, the First Minister acknowledged
a full statement to Plenary on Thursday could be difficult considering the limited time officials and Ministers would have between the outcome of discussions between Corus and the unions on the Wednesday, and a meeting of Plenary the following morning.
The First Minister updated Cabinet on 5 March:
The First Minister said that the Prime Minister had met steel union leaders in Wales for talks about Corus during his visit to South Wales on Friday. Discussions were ongoing between the unions and the company at a local level, and a variety of options was being considered in an attempt to save jobs throughout plants in Wales. A key meeting would take place between Corus and the unions on 27 March at which a final decision would be made. Until then, Cabinet Ministers would be working intensively with Corus, the unions and departments across Whitehall to minimise job losses and to ensure that the plant level negotiations on the way forward were given the best possible chance of success.
There was little more to add at the Cabinet Meeting on 12 March. That day, the Crus management at Ebbw Vale rejected the union poposals to save the plant. A further meeting on 27 March between the overall Corus management and the unions led to the setting-up of a joint working party to look at the union proposals.
At Cabinet on 2 April, the First Minister said:
Corus and the trade unions had met on 27 March. There appeared to be willingness on the company's behalf to engage in further discussion with the unions and the Government. Proposals for an aid package under Article 95 of the European Coal and Steel Community Treaty would need not only the European Commission’s approval but also the unanimous approval of member states.
Proposals for financial support had been taken to the European institutions a couple of days earlier.
Cabinet had agreed to establishing a working group on Corus, and this became part of a discussion on the establishment of Cabinet Sub-Committees. The first meeting of the Corus Cabinet Sub-Committee took place on 3 April. I will return to the subject of Cabinet Sub-Committees next week.
Cabinet on 30 April heard:
that a statement announcing measures for dealing with the consequences of planned job losses by Corus would be made on Thursday, once the outcome of a meeting between Corus, the steel unions and the Department for Trade and Industry were known.
A package of £66 million was announced on 3 May, with £50 million from the Welsh ‘administration’ for regeneration and development of the areas affected, and £16 million from the UK Government. The First Minister told Cabinet on 14 May that
the announcement of a £66 million package of support for individual steelworkers and communities affected by Corus's decision had been widely welcomed. The workforce and the trades unions had acknowledged that the partnership Government had done everything possible to avert and minimise job losses in Welsh plants.
From this point on, discussions on the Corus recovery plan largely switch to the Cabinet Sub-Committee. Although papers are available for meetings in 2002, only one Sub-Committee paper appears to be available for 2001.
FOOT AND MOUTH
From 3 March, there is regular reporting to Cabinet of the Foot and Mouth outbreak which was to delay the UK General Election subsequently.
There had so far been a total of three confirmed cases of the foot and mouth virus in Wales. These were at an abattoir in Gaerwen on Anglesey, and at farms in Painscastle and Felindre in Powys. In addition to these confirmed cases, there were currently a total of 17 suspected cases throughout Wales. Of these suspected cases, 11 were in Anglesey, 2 in Radnorshire, 1 in Montgomeryshire, 1 in Monmouthshire, 1 in Torfaen and 1 in Newport. The Minister for Rural Affairs said that it was too early to tell whether the disease had been contained in Wales. However, it was hoped that current measures had succeeded in keeping the spread of the disease in check, and had limited the three confirmed and 17 suspected outbreaks to a cluster in Anglesey, and a linear cluster next to the English border.
In the meantime, it had been agreed on 2 March that farmers unaffected by the disease could apply for licences to transport animals direct to abattoirs in an effort to avoid meat shortages and to help farmers in unaffected areas. The Minister for Rural Affairs said that the licensing system was now in place and that farmers would be able to apply to their local authorities for a licence to move their animals from their farms directly to an approved abattoir. There were a total of 14 approved abattoirs across Wales that could receive livestock for slaughter amid the strict supervision of vets and hygiene inspectors. It was expected that abattoirs would begin receiving livestock on Tuesday.
The Minister for Rural Affairs confirmed that he would be unable to make a full assessment of whether the disease had been contained or not until the beginning of next week. By then, a clearer picture should have emerged, as the 21 day incubation period for the disease in sheep would have passed, and it would be known whether the 17 suspected cases had been confirmed or not. It would be theoretically possible for the Assembly to raise its own export ban before other parts of the UK, but this would depend on the agreement of the European Commission's Veterinary Committee and on Wales, in particular the border areas, being clear from the disease for at least three weeks. All current measures and efforts were aimed at containing the disease to Anglesey and the Welsh borders.
Cabinet also discussed the impact of the outbreak on tourism and cultural institutions like the Urdd.
At Cabinet on 12 March:
The First Minister said that he had made clear his concern that morning on Radio Wales about the foot and mouth disease outbreak and its effect on various economic sectors throughout Wales. The Deputy First Minister said that the outbreak was having a severe impact on the tourist industry in Wales. The Welsh Tourist Board had allocated an extra £100,000 for a new promotional campaign.…
The Minister for Culture, Sport and the Welsh Language said that Urdd Gobaith Cymru had decided to re-open its camps at Llangrannog and Glanllyn under tight control, following advice from Assembly officials. It was also re-considering its decision to postpone preliminary stages of the Eisteddfod in areas unaffected by the outbreak.
The Minister for Rural Affairs updated Cabinet on the foot and mouth disease outbreak. The total of confirmed cases of foot and mouth in Wales had risen to nine. There were nine other suspected cases including one in Carmarthenshire, which was the first suspected case in West Wales.
Since updates such as these tended to appear in matters arising or in First Minister’s items, it is unfortunate that the minutes of the Cabinet of 26 March are not available. This appears to be an archiving issue:
On 2 April, Cabinet heard
The First Minister said that he, the Minister for Rural Affairs and the Secretary of State for Wales had met with farming and tourist representatives in a series of visits in North and Mid Wales on Sunday. The Minister for Rural Affairs had visited Anglesey on Friday, and had met with protestors in Breconshire on Saturday.
The Minister for Rural Affairs said that the cull of up to 40,000 sheep on Anglesey had resumed after the weekend. The 4,000 carcasses at the Mona airfield, at Bodffordd, had now been moved to the Penhesgyn site for burial. The Minister had met protesters during his visit to the Mynydd Epynt ranges on Saturday. Although alternative sites were being examined, because of the size of the cull on contiguous farms, the Mynydd Epynt ranges remained the only possible option that could cope. The site was within an infected area, and while the Minister understood the concerns of protestors, fears surrounding the movement and burial of carcasses were unfounded. The Environment Agency confirmed the Epynt site as safe and suitable, and the transportation of carcasses was subject to stringent disinfectant and inspection procedures.
The Minister for Rural Affairs said that he was concerned about the possible use of the Trecatti landfill site in Merthyr Tydfil, to dispose of healthy animals killed under the welfare disposal scheme. Protestors had gathered at the site after the owners of the site had stated that it would take carcasses. The Intervention Board was considering using the site for welfare disposal carcasses but had not consulted the Assembly administration. The Minister would be seeking urgent clarification with the Intervention Board concerning its plans and generally about its statutory powers and duties of consultation.
The Permanent Secretary confirmed that the pressure on staff was significant in dealing with the outbreak and he was now considering ways in which staff could be released from other divisions to assist the Assembly's Agriculture Department in its efforts.
Cabinet paid tribute to the work of the Minister for Rural Affairs in dealing with the foot and mouth disease outbreak.
On 30 April, Cabinet was told:
The total of confirmed cases of foot and mouth in Wales stood at 83. The emergence of new cases in South Wales over the last week and in Anglesey over the weekend was of concern, but monitoring would continue through testing and firm action would be taken as appropriate.…There was now no backlog on the contiguous cull. There were no plans to dispose of any more animals at the Mynydd Epynt site unless the disease circumstance in Wales took a significant turn for the worse. Animals already at the site were being burnt, and this would be completed by the following week….The Minister for Economic Development said that that tourism bookings across the Easter period were down approximately 20 per cent, but that there were significant variations between the coastal and rural areas of Wales….The Minister for Culture, Sport and the Welsh Language said that she had announced extra support of £150,000 for Urdd Gobaith Cymru as a result of the losses experienced due to the foot and mouth disease outbreak. The money would help the Urdd re-establish activities and run a membership drive in the autumn. The Minister was also in discussion with the National Eisteddfod of Wales over the future of its Denbighshire Eisteddfod in August.
At Cabinet on 14 May, it was reported that there were currently 90 confirmed cases of foot and mouth in Wales.
Better news was reported to Cabinet on 4 June:
In the absence of the Minister for Rural Affairs, the First Minister updated Cabinet on the foot and mouth disease outbreak. There were 92 confirmed cases of foot and mouth in Wales. No new cases had been confirmed since 28 May….The Minister for Environment said that following the issuing of additional guidance to local authorities, footpaths and other public rights of way were re-opening at a steady rate. Some local authorities had not yet lifted restrictions and were continuing with the painstaking process of risk assessing footpaths prior to their opening. Most had now lifted the restrictions.
But by 25 June another case had come to light:
The First Minister updated Cabinet on the foot and mouth disease outbreak. There were 93 confirmed cases of foot and mouth in Wales. The latest case was detected at Modrydd Farm in Libanus on Saturday, a month since the last confirmed case in Wales….The Minister for Economic Development said that the latest case had come just as tourist trade in the area was beginning to return to normal. Local businesses had been hoping that the worst was over. However, the latest case would have a very significant effect upon the summer season and many businesses were now struggling….The Minister for Environment said that Pen-y-fan was one of the most popular and important peaks in the UK for walkers and it had been hoped that the lifting of restrictions in time for the summer season would benefit the tourism industry considerably. However, the peak was within three kilometres of the outbreak and had been immediately closed therefore.
On 2 July, there was more bad news:
There were now 97 confirmed cases of foot and mouth in Wales. The latest case, detected at Cwrt Gilbert, was the fifth recent case in the Libanus and Breconshire area. It was contiguous to the first case and the animals had already been slaughtered. It was likely that the disease had been present in the area for several weeks….The Minister for Environment said that progress had been made on restoring access to the countryside although some local authorities were continuing with the painstaking process of risk assessing footpaths prior to their opening….The Minister for Economic Development said that a rural recovery plan would be launched later that month to help businesses struggling to cope with the impact of the foot and mouth disease. Local authorities had already been given £12 million to help with rate relief, and the Wales Tourist Board had received £1.5 million towards the cost of marketing.
Foot and Mouth had provided evidence of the need for an expansion of the Assembly’s powers:
The Minister for Rural Affairs said that the Assembly had a strong case for seeking increased powers over animal health and animal movement. The foot and mouth disease outbreak had highlighted deficiencies in the current arrangements, with the Assembly administration taking over operational control over the State Veterinary Service in Wales at the UK Government's behest. The Assembly therefore had a clear case for having responsibility in this area, and for acquiring powers to make secondary legislation in relation to animal movement. The Minister was seeking Cabinet's agreement in principle to prepare a more detailed case for obtaining such a transfer of powers.
The bad news continued, as the minutes of 16 July show:
There were now 101 confirmed cases of foot and mouth in Wales. The latest case was the fourth in a new cluster in the Crickhowell area. Animals had been slaughtered on the affected farms, and livestock on surrounding farms would also need to be killed as part of the contiguous cull. Officials were continuing to test sheep on the Brecon Beacons, after a cluster of confirmed cases in the Libanus area….The Minister for Rural Affairs informed Cabinet of the potential need to cull and dispose of up to 1 million “light” lambs in Wales during the autumn. These were lambs that would normally be exported during the autumn, but with export restrictions arising from the foot and mouth outbreak would need to be bought and disposed of by the Intervention Board….Wales was affected to a greater extent than the rest of the UK because of our relatively higher proportion of light lambs, developed for export to Mediterranean zone countries. The Minister for Rural Affairs would be discussing such issues at a meeting of the Ad Hoc Ministerial Group in Foot and Mouth in London the following day.
The final case in Wales was announced in August. By 19 November, there was hope for the future, as the Cabinet discussed a paper on Farming Futures:
The Minister for Rural Affairs introduced the paper and invited comments from his Ministerial colleagues. The paper set out a vision for Welsh farming…. It was more about an overall vision than specifics but included reference to measures to assist co-operation between farmers in product development as well as the cultivation of sustainable agricultural products such as energy crops.
Wales was declared free from Foot and Mouth in December.
INTER-GOVERNMENTAL RELATIONS
Rhodri Morgan’s government was of course highly dependent on the UK Government to advance its legislative programme. On 15 January, the First Minister reminded his colleagues:
that bids for primary legislation needed to be finalised by 16 January so that he could inform the Secretary of State for Wales of those bids, in writing, by 19 January.
Relations with Westminster did not always run smoothly, however, as the Cabinet meeting on 12 February heard:
The Minister for Culture, Sport and the Welsh Language said that she had become aware of a UK Ministerial visit to Wales of which neither she as Assembly Minister nor the constituency Assembly Member had been notified. It was a concern that the protocol under which UK Ministers and indeed backbenchers informed constituency MPs of their intention to visit did not appear to have been extended in this case to our Minister with a policy interest and the constituency AM…..
The First Minister said that he was eager to establish closer liaison with Ministers in the Scottish Executive, Northern Ireland Assembly and the Republic of Ireland. The British-Irish Council provided Ministers with a key opportunity to meet counterparts from the other devolved administrations and the Republic of Ireland but it had only met once since its establishment. The First Minister believed that closer liaison and bilateral meetings should be arranged and that appropriate items from Ministers and officials should be sought to form topics for possible future meetings. The Minister for the Environment said that she was keen to discuss issues such as transport with Republic of Ireland counterparts in particular, and the Minister for Education and Lifelong Learning added that she would be visiting the Republic of Ireland the following week to discuss lifelong learning…..
The Minister for Education and Lifelong Learning stated her concerns about consultation and communication between Whitehall and the Assembly on particular UK Ministerial announcements. She had become aware almost by accident that the green paper to be announced by the Secretary of State for Education and Employment that afternoon would include proposals for the Student Loans Company to repay the loans of student teachers pursuing teaching careers in shortage subjects. The consultation between the Department for Education and Employment and her officials over this and on the announcement concerning pay increases in the further and higher education sector was either inadequate or non-existent. Other examples were referred to by Ministers of announcements by UK Ministers concerning England and Wales matters which did not make clear where the Assembly's source of funding for such proposals were to come from.
By 2 April, Cabinet was considering a forward-looking process for future primary legislation bids:
The Minister for Assembly Business said that the Cabinet could be more than happy with its record so far in influencing primary legislation at Westminster. His paper proposed that it should go further. The ways in which the Cabinet sought to influence primary legislation could be both better planned and integrated more closely with mainstream policy-making and the pursuit of the objectives in 'Putting Wales First'. Bidding for primary legislation, whether in our own right or as part of proposals from UK Government departments, should be an integral part of the policy-making process. In formal terms, it meant thinking actively about what Cabinet would like to see in each Queen’s Speech around eighteen months in advance.
The Cabinet Meeting of 4 June was told that ministers would be actively seeking to build new relationships with their UK counterparts following the 7 June UK General Election. By 25 June several had done so. At this meeting it was noted that the Joint Ministerial Committee had not met for some time. It was therefore important that Cabinet members engaged with their devolved administration and UK Government counterparts in other ways. The First Minister would raise the issue of the Joint Ministerial Council (JMC) at his next meeting with the Prime Minister. The First Minister informed Cabinet of organisational changes at No 10 and the Cabinet Office. This included the appointment of Anji Hunter as head of the new Government Relations Unit at 10 Downing Street, which covered relations with the devolved administrations and other inter-governmental connections.
The Cabinet meeting of 6 November was told that a JMC meeting had recently taken place:
The First Minister reported on the annual meeting of the JMC held in Cardiff on 30 October, to consider progress and problems between Whitehall and Westminster and the devolved administrations. The problems that had occurred in 2000-1 had been of little or no constitutional significance and it was felt that the past year of devolution had been easier than the previous. The visit by the Prime Minister to address the plenary had been welcomed.
Inter-governmental relations were a recurring item. The 19 November Cabinet discussed:
the ways in which connections were made between Ministers and MPs over the passage of Bills in which the Assembly had an interest. It was important that Ministers and MPs should work together. Special Advisers would facilitate these connections where necessary.
The meeting of 10 December discussed devolution of functions relating to the police.
THE PROBLEM OF THE CORPORATE BODY STATUS OF THE ASSEMBLY
Cabinet agreed on 12 February to give more focus on Ministerial Statements to Assembly plenary sessions, setting out ministerial intentions, rather than debates:
Ministers could use statements in Plenary as the principal means of introducing policies or issues to the full Assembly. Such statements were considered of benefit to the Plenary. They would not replace but supplement debates by setting out the main proposals and issues, the commitments to consultation, the process and opportunities for AMs to debate or scrutinise the proposals as the policy progressed through the Assembly, any consequential subordinate legislation and the timetable. Assembly Members would then have the opportunity to debate or scrutinise either in committee, in Plenary following consultation, or during the passage of subordinate legislation.
The same Cabinet meeting also discussed the need for a separate title for the Administration in Wales which distinguished it from the Assembly as a whole:
The First Minister said that Plenary had recently discussed the use of the term 'Assembly', and of the absence of an agreed term to distinguish action taken in the name of the Assembly Cabinet from decisions taken by the Assembly as a whole. The First Minister did not disagree with the Presiding Officer that the time had come to clarify the situation, and agreed that the term 'Assembly' should not be applied to any Cabinet decision taken which had not been endorsed in Plenary. It would therefore improve matters if the Cabinet established a single title by which the governmental side of the Assembly was to be known to distinguish it from the legislative side of the Assembly.
There were a number of titles that could be used and the legal advice was that there would be no legal bar to any of them. Ministers discussed the main alternatives. The preferred title arrived at was the 'Government of the National Assembly for Wales'. Guidance on the use of this title would be drawn up and submitted to the First Minister for further consideration.
In the end of course, Rhodri Morgan opted for the name Welsh Assembly Government in November 2001. From this time civil servants were instructed to stop using the term ‘administration’ to describe the Cabinet’s work. A useful explanation of the debate over this was later written by the former director of the Institute for Welsh Affairs, John Osmond.
CROSS-DEPARTMENTAL WORKING
Cabinet on 12 February discussed cross-deartmental working:
The First Minister said that his paper was seeking the Cabinet's view on whether the present arrangements within Cabinet were adequate for giving political and strategic leadership to the development of policy that cut across more than one portfolio, or whether a more structured approach should be introduced. There were a number of options open to Cabinet if they believed that alternative measures should be put in place….Ministers agreed that they would consider topics that could be considered by either task and finish groups or sub-committees.
There was a further discussion on the role of working groups and Cabinet committees at the meeting on 12 March:
The Minister for Assembly Business said that the Cabinet at its last meeting had agreed in principle to the establishment of working groups of the Cabinet to allow more focused discussion of key issues. His paper set out the current proposals and outlined some practical considerations….The Minister for Health and Social Services said that a standing committee rather than a working group should be constituted on children and young people. Such a committee should be able to invite people from outside the Assembly to participate and give evidence. The Cabinet agreed that there should be a single working group or sub-committee to combine international matters, the image of Wales and major events, and that further work was needed on proposals for a working group on urban regeneration and regional initiatives.
At the meeting on 2 April, there was a paper from the First Minister:
The First Minister said that Cabinet had already agreed in principle to establish sub-committees on sustainable development, children and young people, and international affairs. It had also agreed to establish a working group on Corus. His paper formally set out the membership and terms of reference for each, and sought Cabinet's formal consent under Section 55 of the Government of Wales Act to establish them.
The Committees appointed began to meet from then on.
Cabinet held an Awayday to deepen understanding of cross-departmental strategic issues, with a report to the 16 July Cabinet Meeting:
The Minister for Assembly Business said that his paper was to inform Cabinet about the work flowing from the Cabinet Awayday and its development into the final published strategic plan at the end of October. Officials were developing the key themes and ideas arising from the Awayday and these would be incorporated into the revised strategic plan. Cabinet had also agreed at the Awayday that the corporate brand needed to be settled urgently. The Communications Directorate would be coming forward to Cabinet in October with final options for a logo.
The First Minister had told the Cabinet Meeting on 25 June that:
he had decided that papers for Cabinet and its Sub-Committees would henceforth be published on the same basis as Cabinet minutes. The usual tests of commercial confidentiality and significant harm would apply and this would mean that finance papers would not usually be published.
The Cabinet Paper on the Awayday was published for the 16 July meeting and is copied below:
At the 19 November meeting, the First Minister reported on the activities of the Cabinet Sub-Committees so far:
He noted that the Cabinet Working Group on Corus was nearing the end of its work. It had been set up as in effect a task-and-finish group, and as such was different from the other Sub-Committees. The Minister for Environment (Sue Essex) said that much of the work done by the Assembly Government on Sustainable Development, together with other pioneering work done by the Assembly such as the Tir Gofal scheme, could potentially generate international interest. Consideration should be given to exploring these possibilities in the Wales in the World Sub-Committee. The Minister for Education and Lifelong Learning said that work that was being done by the Training and Education Department in the field of global development could also foster links that would be useful to the Sub-Committee. The Minister for Health and Social Services said that the lessons learnt from the operation of the Sub-Committees were useful, and the outside interest expressed in them was encouraging. However, examination also needed to be made of their impacts in order to demonstrate their usefulness. Mechanisms had grown out of the Children and Young People Sub-Committee to facilitate joint working and working across Divisions. Officials were now driving these arrangements, which were aiding the making of policy in a connected way.
Bilateral meetings were useful where issues engaged only two Ministerial portfolios. It was important to ensure that meetings continued to add value to the issues discussed and got the best value out of Ministerial engagement. In the case of the Children and Young People’s Sub-Committee in particular it was important that it engaged all Ministers. The Sub-Committee had issued an invitation to this effect, and the Minister for Health and Social Services thanked her colleagues for their response.
The paper summarising their activities was published:
The same cabinet also received a paper on the working of the new Strategic Policy Unit:
THE MEDIA
There is significant discussion of the media in this year of the Assembly, perhaps reflecting the novelty of the institution and the concern that its role should be widely understood.
Cabinet on 15 January heard that the appointment of the Assembly's head of news was to be announced, and that was followed by discussion of recent media coverage:
The Minister for Health and Social Services said that there had been considerable media coverage of the National Health Service (NHS) in Wales during the last week. The First Minister said that the appointment of the Children's Commissioner for Wales and the success of securing the Football Association (FA) Cup final had received positive coverage in the national media. The Minister for Education and Lifelong Learning said that there had been less favourable coverage recently of education issues in the press. Ministers agreed that media handling for individual Ministers had improved. They felt that ways needed to be found for media handling and public relations to be more proactive, and that quicker and firmer rebuttals and responses to informal criticisms were required.
The 16 July Meeting had a short discussion on the UK Government’s forthcoming OFCOM Bill:
The Minister for Culture, Sport and the Welsh Language informed Cabinet that the UK Government had recently published the Office of Communications Bill. The Bill would replace the five current regulators for the communications sector with one unified regulator, the Office of Communications (OFCOM). However, it was not the widely expected Communications Bill, which could have long-term significant implications for Wales, particularly on broadcasting.
Media Concerns were still prominent at the 3 December meeting:
Cabinet concluded that there should be greater efforts on getting more coverage in the broadsheet UK press and the technical media in Assembly issues, decisions and achievements. The UK media tended to concentrate on English policy developments without making reference to the devolved administrations. A paper would be brought to the Cabinet outlining proposals for strengthening closer links with UK London based media and the technical press including the possibility of holding a media reception in London. The Minister for Assembly Business informed Cabinet that the BBC were undertaking a review of its political coverage. Cabinet concluded it should provide a response from the Assembly Government to the review.
MINISTERIAL CODE
The 19 November Cabinet meeting discussed the proposed code of conduct for ‘Assembly Ministers’:
The First Minister introduced the Code, and Ministers agreed that its provisions should apply not just to any future new but also to current members of Cabinet. Private Offices would advise their Ministers on its application, although the responsibility for complying with the Code was a personal one for Ministers themselves. Deputy Ministers would be advised that the Code also applied to them. Ministers were given confirmation that the Ministerial Code was consistent with Ministerial Codes in other UK legislatures.
The First Minister’s covering paper and the Code were published:
TERRORISM
At the first Cabinet Meeting following the 9/11 Terrorist attack in New York, the Cabinet meeting on 8 October discuss terrorism threats to Wales:
Terrorism – Aerospace industry
The First Minister set out the possible impact of the recent terrorist attacks on the aerospace industry in Wales. Airbus was proceeding with its plans for the A380, and British Aerospace (BAe) Systems had continued to train apprentices at Hawarden. Sales prospects were, with regard to existing Airbus models being reassessed and it was not envisaged that the present order book would be untouched. The aerospace maintenance sector was in a potentially weaker position as demand for engine and aircraft maintenance was directly proportional to flying hours….
Terrorism – Multi-faith meetings
The First Minister noted that he had had three meetings with representatives of the main faith groups in Wales the previous week. These had allowed a very useful exchange of views and concerns, and had also created a database of contacts in all main faiths which would be valuable in both the short and longer term….
Terrorism – Communications
The First Minister said that he had kept party leaders fully briefed on the situation, and that there was no real pressure to recall the Assembly. However, it was important to co-ordinate public messages, and in particular to emphasise the humanitarian as well as military nature of operations in and around Afghanistan.
At the same time, every effort should be made to focus on the consequences for Wales and in particular its ethnic and religious minority communities. There could be particular problems among younger generations, who no longer automatically accepted the views of older generations. There were also problems of isolated Muslim families in rural Wales and the Valleys. However, the meeting agreed that all Ministers should seek to undertake engagements which emphasised support for ethnic communities: the Equality Policy Unit should draw up a list of options in each portfolio.
LOCAL GOVERNMENT
The Cabinet Meeting of 3 December discussed the proposed Local Government White Paper:
The Minister for Finance, Local Government and Communities introduced the paper. The Minister reported a successful meeting with The Rt Hon Nick Raynsford MP, Minister of State at the Department for Transport, Local Government and the Regions. Department for Transport, Local Government and the Regions (DTLR) would be publishing its White Paper in December. The Assembly Government would be producing its own consultation paper on local government policy to be issued in the New Year. There would be no Welsh chapter in the DTLR paper. A further paper would be produced for the Cabinet in the New Year.
The Assembly Government would be proposing that it should re-brand Best Value to concentrate more on outcomes. It would involve a corporate assessment of local authorities rather than assessing the performance of individual departments. It would also facilitate the assessment of categories of services on an all Wales basis and propose the streamlining of grant schemes.
Ministers welcomed the proposals which re-emphasised the themes and values being followed in the structural changes to the NHS.
The Cabinet Paper and proposed structure for the White Paper is below:
NHS STRUCTURAL REFORM
Cabinet Meetings on 22 January and 16 July discussed plans for restructuring the NHS in Wales. The meeting of 6 November considered the proposed plan in detail. The meeting of 19 November discussed plans for announcing these more widely. The Cabinet Paper explaining the LHB structure is published below.
MISCELLANEOUS ISSUES
Mike German, Deputy First Minister and Minister for Economic Development, stood down temporarily on 6 July, while police carried out an examination of his business dealings. Rhodri Morgan took over the Economic Development brief which he had previously held under Alun Michael. Jenny Randerson became ‘Acting Deputy First Minister’.
Concerns over the future of DARA, the Defence Aviation Repair Agency, surfaced at the 12 February meeting, following an annoucement that it was to be relocated from St Athan to Hampshire, at a cost of 165 jobs.
The Education Minister told the same Cabinet meeting that the new Education and Training Agency for Wales would be called ELWA. ‘The name's meaning in Welsh was "to gain benefit from".’
Issues of concern over genetically modified crops emerged at the 14 May Cabinet meeting. Cabinet on 4 June expressed concern about statements by the Countryside Council for Wales on the issue.
Changes to the Assembly’s IT system were discussed at the 25 June meeting:
The First Minister said that action was being taken to split up the Assembly’s e-mail global combined address system. This was to prevent repetition of the leaks which had occurred when Ministerial and official e-mail correspondence was inadvertently sent to the recipients with the same or similar name who were political researchers for AM's or parties. The solution proposed would divide the Global Address List of the Assembly’s e-mail system into four separate sections, with Ministers and civil servants in the administration in a separate section. The change would be implemented as soon as was practicable. The current system was a leak waiting to happen.
The same meeting also had a brief discussion on the report on student hardship by Professor Theresa Rees, a long discussion on the branding of Wales internationally, the overall ICT framework for Wales under the title Cymru Ar-lein, and the future of Aberthaw power station.
Concerns about the lack of qualified female candidates for the board of the Welsh Development Agency were raised at the meeting on 2 July.
The 8 October meeting discussed a National Economic Developent Strategy and a Location Stratregy for the ASPBs.
Concerns about Civil Service capacity were raised at the meeting on 6 November:
Ministers were conscious of the capacity within the present staffing of the Civil Service to deliver their wishes. It was appreciated that officials adopted a “can do” attitude with regard to Ministerial requests but they needed to be prepared to advise Ministers where delivery within a certain timescale would not be possible because of other priorities. The Permanent Secretary welcomed Ministers’ collective acceptance of the principle. It would be helpful for all concerned.
The Kennedy Report on Bristol Royal Infirmary was discussed at the 19 November meeting:
The Kennedy Report had identified flaws in the management arrangements and culture of the Bristol Royal Infirmary, particularly in terms of clinical audit management and listening to stakeholders, which the Assembly Government’s response sought to address.
The Cabinet Meeting of 10 December also discussed the Private Finance Initiative and the Regional Dimension of European Governance.
A reminder of Cabinet Membership during the year: