The Welsh Government to May 2003
Sorting Sheep from Goats in the run-up to the election.
This post covers the Cabinet meetings up until the Assembly election in May. I will outline the details of the six meetings of Cabinet prior to the May 2003 Assembly Election, then conclude with some personal observations from the campaign trail as I experienced it.
The meeting on 13 January heard that a report from the Auditor-General was due on unauthorised spending by the Education quango ELWA would be published the next day. ELWA’s activities would be under considerable scrutiny throughout the Second Assembly from 2003-7.
There were plans to develop the former Llandarcy site, and a new substantial order for Airbus at Broughton. The ASW site in Cardiff had been bought by Celsa.
The Executive Procedure was used for the approval of three items of subordinate legislation (see above).
Cabinet discussed the background to a draft energy strategy, a Business and the Environment Action Plan, and the review of Community Transport. There was a paper on the Greek Presidency of the European Union.
The papers subsequently published are attached below.
Thoughts are clearly turning to the election by the next meeting on 27 January. The First Minister drew attention to the draft agendas for the next two Cabinet meetings. Ministers were invited to identify any issues needing Cabinet consideration before the Easter recess.
The Minister for Open Government outlined the schedule of Assembly business up to the Easter recess. The Minister also informed Cabinet that press officers would be responsible for handling queries at the weekly press conferences in the run up to the Assembly elections.
Cabinet also considered a progress report on the delivery of the commitments in the Partnership Agreement. Ministers made a number of comments on specific commitments. The report was not published with the Cabinet Minutes.
Cabinet heard that Finance and Education officials had been asked to examine urgently the issues and implications for Wales of the UK Government’s White Paper on Higher Education. They would be reporting to Ministers as soon as possible and there would be a need for further Ministerial consideration in due course.
The open mike Cabinet session in Haverfordwest had been successful…. Ministers agreed that another session should be organised for early March, in a Valleys location.
The First Minister raised the issue of remit letters for Assembly Sponsored Public Bodies. Ministers considered the need for common material in the letters. Further consideration would be given to material for inclusion in the letters and suggestions would be circulated to Ministers for comment.
There was clear concern about the use of the Executive Procedure for approval of measures which might otherwise go before the Assembly. Ministers restated that it was important to ensure that the executive procedure was used only where there was a real need for urgency. The Permanent Secretary would communicate this view to officials and expected full compliance. Ministers also requested statistics on the number of requests to use the executive procedure.
A Task and Finish Group on Child Poverty was being established.
The First Minister updated colleagues on the outcome of the Deputy First Minister’s meeting with Ruth Kelly MP, Financial Secretary at the Treasury. There was a need to ensure appropriate preparations were taking place well in advance of any referendum on United Kingdom membership of the Euro.
These papers were discussed:
At the meeting on 10 February there was a discussion on Location Strategy, with endorsement of the proposed location of functions at the new Assembly Government office in Merthyr Tydfil. Ministers requested figures on the number of staff employed in Assembly Government offices and the offices of Assembly Sponsored Public Bodies in each location in Wales.
The Minister for Health and Social Services introduced a paper on the Office of Fair Trading Market Study on Pharmacy Licensing. No firm decision on the recommendations could be made before the Assembly elections. Ministers were concerned that the proposals could conflict with the Assembly Government’s commitment to social inclusion. There was a need to maintain access to basic services. Concerns were raised about the need for the Assembly Government to respond jointly with the Department of Trade and Industry although it was clear that the control of entry onto pharmaceutical lists was a devolved matter. Ministers concluded that the Assembly Government’s response should be determined by the outcome it required.
The Minister for Health and Social Services introduced a paper and draft response to the Annual Report of the Children’s Commissioner.
The following papers were discussed and published:
Cabinet on 24 February noted that a short debate on Iraq was scheduled for plenary on 26th February. Ministers also noted the implications of a debate on Iraq in the House of Commons on Assembly business and Ministerial announcements.
The First Minister invited comments on the draft statement to plenary on the Assembly Government’s proposals for primary legislation. The statement needed to reflect the fact that the proposals could be changed if required by a new administration following the Assembly elections.
There was some good news on the economic front. The Defence Aviation Repair Agency had been given approval by the Ministry of Defence to construct a new aircraft repair and maintenance facility at St Athan. The computer manufacturer, Centerprise, would be developing a new production facility in Caerphilly. The announcement by 118UK of a new call centre in Swansea and an increase in the number of jobs in their call centre in Cardiff was also noted.
The Deputy First Minister outlined the proposed handling of the International Strategy. A paper and draft strategy could be put to Cabinet following the Assembly elections. Further information on the financial aspects should be included in any future Cabinet paper.
The Minister for Open Government outlined the proposed response to the UK Government’s proposals for a single equality body. Whilst the proposal for a single body was accepted in principle, concerns about the possible implications for the individual equality areas were also raised. In particular, there was a risk of some aspects of equality policy being relatively marginalised or downgraded under the new arrangements, unless there were a clear and consistent legal framework. Ministers supported the proposal for a single equality body although this needed to be accompanied by a Single Equality Act to underpin the body and ensure consistency across the areas of equality. This should be strongly emphasised in the Assembly Government response. There was also a need for a statutory basis for the relationship between the proposed body and the Assembly. The response should also include a reference to the Assembly’s duty to ensure equality of opportunity under section 120 of the Government of Wales Act.
These two papers were published:
At Cabinet on 10 March, the impact of the pending election was identified in respect of the UK Government’s planned budget on 9 April. The Minister for Finance, Local Government and Communities would issue a factual statement on the consequential funding for Wales and the implications for the Assembly’s budget processes, which would take place following the Assembly elections. In the interests of compliance with purdah restrictions, there would be no further comment.
The third report of the Economic Research Advisory Panel was tabled and discussed but not published unlike previous reports.
There were discussions on a draft strategy on physical activity, Foot and Mouth Contingency planning and the Historic Environment. There was also a discussion on the Welsh Government’s response to the report on the Victoria Climbié Inquiry.
The following papers were published:
At the final meeting of Cabinet prior to the 2003 Assembly election, on 24 March, there was a discussion on the Iraq War, where Ministers discussed the potential implications of the current international situation on ethnic minority communities in Wales. A meeting of the Inter Faith Council for Wales was now set for 27th March. The purpose of the meeting was to enable the leaders of the faith communities in Wales to report on the current situation within their communities in Wales.
Ministers noted the recent publication of economic statistics in Wales including a continued fall in unemployment in Wales.
The Minister for Culture, Sport and the Welsh Language introduced a paper on Sports Strategy. The strategy had been re-drafted following discussion at the previous Cabinet meeting. It would be inappropriate to consult on this during the purdah period, so the strategy should come back to Cabinet after the election.
The Minister for Education and Life Long Learning introduced a paper on reducing bureaucratic burdens on schools. While it appeared that all information supplied to and requested from schools was necessary, there was significant scope for streamlining the processes involved. There was a need to communicate information to schools and teachers in a more co-ordinated way, and to avoid duplication in the collection of the same information from schools by different policy divisions.
Ministers discussed proposals from the Lord Chancellor’s Department on the reform of the tribunal system. There was a need to ensure that the United Kingdom Government considered the use of the Welsh Language in tribunal proceedings in Wales.
The First Minister introduced a paper on the handling of executive functions during the election. Ministers made a number of comments on the paper. There appeared to be no legal alternative to the Permanent Secretary exercising functions in the absence of a Cabinet from the election date until the appointment of a new First Minister and Cabinet, but there was a strong need for those functions only to be exercised where absolutely necessary and with adequate consultation. Accordingly, the Permanent Secretary should be required to consult with the leader or leaders of the party or parties commanding a majority in the Assembly before exercising the functions concerned. The proposed amendments to the standing orders to be discussed in plenary should be amended to reflect this requirement. Ministers also requested advice on the level of decisions which would or could be made by the Assembly during the purdah period.
A paper onthe benefits of developing an Assembly Government Geographic Information System was discussed.
Papers published:
On a personal note, writing as an election candidate 2003 began in a very busy fashion, with Rhodri making an early visit to Tylorstown in the the Rhondda, then subsequent visits by Peter Hain and during the campaign itself, Tony Blair. Our campaign involved speeches to school sixth forms, pensioners meetings and other community engagements. Alongside the intense canvessing we had regular stands in Treorchy market and in the main street in Tonypandy, in Porth and Ferndale. While campaigning, we were getting flak on national issues such as asylum, on Welsh issues like health waiting lists. The international situation in Iraq, though controversial, seemed to resonate positively on thenwhole with Labour voters.
By February we were too busy for me to continue keeping a diary. However, I wrote this up later:
Tony Blair’s visit in April 2003 received extensive coverage in the press. Speaking during his visit to Valleys Kids Soar Ffrwdamos building in Penygraig, he stressed the importance of a Labour government in Westminster working in partnership with Labour in the Assembly. He went on to warn that a Plaid Cymru administration would put Labour’s achievements at risk. He said, “It is easy for people to say ‘elections come and go and it does not really matter who we elect’... but unless people come out and vote, they will end up with a result which would be a disaster for the people of Wales”.
We were campaigning of course during the Iraq war and commentators then and since have debated whether Labour received a ‘Baghdad bounce’ as a result. Several of us recall canvassing in Gelli during April with people coming to the door saying that they were with us, but wanted to get back to the television footage of crowds pulling down Saddam’s statue. The Rhondda campaign involved hundreds of local members across the constituency getting out our leaflets and publicity materials. As well as the constituency office in Porth we also took over a shop in Treorchy for the campaign. Meanwhile the indefatigable Rhondda Labour Women’s Forum coordinated the telephone canvassing.
On election night, Labour took the seat with 61.6% of the vote, an increase of 21.1% - the highest increase in Labour’s percentage of the vote in any constituency in Wales and its highest constituency vote. My vote was over 14,000 and my majority was 7,954.
During my election night speech, I pledged that Labour would never again take the Rhondda for granted. The result was a tribute to a Labour party that believed in the community socialism that marked the valleys. I said that the election results across the south Wales valleys demonstrated that only Labour could claim to be the real party of Wales. Yet I also argued that we needed to demonstrate that the Assembly was delivering practical solutions and better services. The assembly had to show that it was able to connect better with and deliver for the ordinary people of the Valleys and the people of Wales.
While the Assembly’s first term had delivered some important policies, voters were still not sure of the benefits of the Assembly and the way it connected with their lives. In my year as a prospective candidate I found that if you explained to people precisely what the Assembly had been able to do for pensioners, young people and families, you generally evoked a positive response.
On 5 May I wrote up my account of election night, and here are some edited extracts:
As Ann and I arrived at the count, our people all had smiles. The votes stacked up and it looked clear. Plaid looked shell-shocked.
It was the biggest moment of my life, I guess, aside from my wedding day, and it was a different kind of tension, waiting for the announcement in the knowledge that we’d won and I had a speech to get through. In fact, of course, it went as well as I’d hoped, so the queasiness I’d felt in my stomach was unnecessary.
After the result I came off the platform and Ann came and joined me and lots of photos were taken. Then the round of interviews, waiting first of all for the links, then giving up and doing recorded items for HTV; the BBC; Radio Four/Five Live and Radio Wales. I spoke some Welsh for S4C.
Then to the Ferndale Rugby Club. It was so emotional. They’d been waiting for our arrival, and of course when we walked through the side door there was pandemonium – a cacophony of cheering and applause. I did a less formal speech, and a much more partisan one, than I had done at the declaration. They all seemed to enjoy it. Then they gave me a congratulations card. I had a couple of pints finally, and thanked everyone individually. We watched the results come in, then went off home about 4.30.
I reheated some chilli about 5 and listened to the results come in then went to sleep about 5.30 when the BBC Wales programme went off the air, still waiting for Conwy. I woke up about 8.30 to hear we had only 30 seats and couldn’t understand it for a while till I realised that we had not picked up a list seat.
My next post in this series will review the Cabinet Committee meetings in 2002 and the early part of 2003.