Search

proposed Legislative Competence Order relating to Transport : Eighth report of session 2009-10, report, together with formal minutes, oral and written Evidence

The effect of this proposed LCO would be to devolve wide-ranging legislative competence for social housing policy to the National Assembly for Wales. The terms of the proposed Order include the provision of social housing, provision by local authorities of caravan sites for use by gypsies and travellers, measures to tackle homelessness, and council tax payable in respect of dwellings that are not the main residence of an individual. The current proposal is a revision of an earlier, much narrower, affordable housing LCO laid before Parliament in 2008, which was criticised because the terms of the LCO went much wider than the policy purposes described to us by the Minister in her evidence. The Committee believes that there is indeed a demand in Wales for comprehensive social housing legislation for Wales, to include the regulation of social housing providers and reform of tenure law. It concludes that the current Order is a logical extension of the current devolution settlement and, with minor technical changes outlined in this Report, is content that it should proceed. The Committee reiterates its continuing concerns about the naming of LCOs. There is now a number of draft or proposed Orders with similar titles. The recommendation is that LCOs should be given a simple title which conveys the actual subject of the Order to the general reader.

The proposed National Assembly for Wales (Legislative Competence) (Local Government) Order 2009 is the twelfth Legislative Competence Order on which the Welsh Affairs Committee has reported. The Order will give the Assembly powers in respect of the structures and work of local government in Wales at all levels. The Welsh Assembly Government has requested this power because it wishes to develop and strengthen the role of community councils and councillors in Wales. The proposed Order will allow the Welsh Assembly Government to fulfil its commitment to seek legislation to address issues identified in the 2003 'Aberystwyth Report'. The Committee agrees that a clear need for the proposed LCO has been identified and is consistent with the Government's commitment to build up the capacity of town and community councils. The proposed Order is drafted in broad and accessible terms with the minimum of exceptions and interpretation. The Committee is concerned, however, that there are now many terms used to describe the various tiers of local government in Wales and agree with the suggestions put forward that the Minister should speedily undertake a review of terminology relating to local government. Specifically the term 'community' is cited as having various meanings dependent on context. Furthermore, given that there have already been several LCO proposals identified in terms of local government, to call this the National Assembly for Wales (Legislative Competence) (Local Government) Order introduces the potential for confusion. A title such as 'National Assembly for Wale (Legislative Competence) (Community Councils) Order or similar is suggested

There remains worrying uncertainty about the new Universal Credit (UC) IT system. This includes how it will work, how much it will cost, and who will develop it. National roll-out of UC was due to begin in October 2013. But problems with IT systems meant that major changes to the implementation timetable were made in July and then again in December 2013. Currently, UC claims are still limited to 10 Pathfinder Jobcentres. New claims are not expected to be extended to the whole of Great Britain until 2016; and the bulk of existing claimants will not move over to UC until 2016-17. Only 4,280 people were claiming Universal Credit by December 2013 and the majority of these claims were of the simplest nature. By comparison, in the same month, 1.22 million people were claiming Jobseekers Allowance. The DWP is developing a new 'end-state solution' for UC IT which will eventually replace the IT system currently in use in the UC Pathfinders. This is costing £25-32 million to develop up to November 2014, with no indication of how much more it will cost in the long-term. The Government has hampered the Committee's scrutiny of UC implementation by not providing accurate, timely and detailed information. And there is a lack of detail on how support for vulnerable people being provided in partnership with local authorities, housing providers and the voluntary sector will operate. Delays to UC implementation mean that local authorities will now administer housing benefit for much longer than anticipated.

This report examines the recommendations of the Commission on Scottish Devolution ('the Calman Commission'), specifically the parts which relate to relations between the two parliaments. The Scottish Affairs Committee concludes that closer cooperation between the UK and Scottish parliaments and governments is only possible if backed up by political will. Removing procedural barriers is only one part of improving communication and cooperation; structural changes alone will not make the difference. The Committee's key findings are: the Government should make time for a regular 'State of Scotland' debate, to include devolved matters; The UK and Scottish governments have given a positive response to the idea of appearing before committees of either Parliament; the idea of a 'Scottish Super Grand Committee' composed of Scottish MPs, MSPs and Scottish MEPs should be revisited; changes should be made to allow UK and Scottish parliamentary committees to work together; positive consideration should be given to whether Scottish ministers can give evidence to UK Parliament committees examining Scotland Act Orders; arrangements should be made to remove any unnecessary barriers to access for MSPs visiting Westminster; a programme of exchanges and secondments with the Scottish Parliament should be funded and encouraged by the House.

Minutes of proceedings, Session 2004-05 : [Wednesday 24 November 2004 - Tuesday 5 April 2005]

Devolution was a major component of the Government's package of proposed constitutional reform for the United Kingdom post 1997. Devolution has fundamentally transformed politics within the devolved territories, but it has also had a significant impact on the make-up and the constitution of the United Kingdom. Fundamental changes in the way Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are governed have not been followed by major changes in the way England is governed. Matters which are the responsibility of devolved Parliaments in the rest of the UK are, in England, determined by the United Kingdom Government and Parliament. This report identifies several changes required to improve the current infrastructure and the procedures and practices of governance in the UK after devolution, in order to facilitate the effective and efficient functioning of the asymmetric system of devolution. Whitehall was not ready for devolution. Departmental responsibility for overseeing the working of the UK's system of government has been divided and unsettled, and the report recommends that a lead department responsible for devolution strategy be identified. The second half of the report identifies two significant constitutional and political issues which have been brought into sharp focus since the onset of devolution in 1999: first, the fact that England remains highly centralised under the authority of the UK Government and Parliament, resulting in the "English Question", a phrase which encapsulates a range of different questions in relation to the governance of England, and, secondly, the increasing concern about the efficacy and application of the Barnett Formula as the means for the allocation of increases and decreases in public funds.