Public Affairs

The National Assembly for Wales has an increasing influence on the lives of both people in Wales, and the rest of the UK – and that could grow further depending on the outcome of the 2011 Referendum.

Assembly Members voted 53-0 in February 2010 to notify the Secretary of State for Wales of their wishes for a referendum on whether the National Assembly should be given primary law-making powers in the 20 areas currently devolved to it. These include:

Health
Education and training
Economic development
Transport and highways
Agriculture
Sport
Housing
Environment
So what is the importance of the 2011 Referendum?
At present, devolving new powers to the Assembly to enable it to make its own primary laws is a cumbersome process which requires the approval of the UK Parliament. This inevitably slows the process of making laws.

A Yes vote in a referendum – and opinion polls suggest the people of Wales would back the changes – would reduce delays by allowing considerably more legislation to be made in Wales.

As a result, awareness of legislative activity in Wales has never been so important – and not just for organisations based in Wales but for anyone operating in Wales.

Wales has already led the way on a number of new initiatives ahead of the UK and Scottish Governments.

In February 2011 AM Ann Jones’s measure for the compulsory fitting of sprinklers in all new homes in Wales was approved – making it the first legislation of its kind in the world
In November 2010 it became law that Welsh shoppers will pay 5p per single carrier bag from October 2011.
Wales was the first country in the UK to implement a ban on smoking in public places.
Prescription charges were abolished in Wales first.
Hospital parking charges have been axed in Wales, excepting for existing contracts,
Wales was the first part of the UK to offer free bus passes for pensioners and disabled people.
School league tables were first axed in Wales.
The Assembly Government introduced a new approach to learning for the 3-7 year olds, the Foundation Phase.
Wales became the first to ban the use of collars designed to administer an electric shock to dogs or cats.
While Assembly Measures will have implications for all of us, some will have even more significance for organisations working in related sectors.

With the devolved approach to government in Wales set to make us even more different from other parts of the UK, it is crucial that organisations based or working in Wales understand and have information about what is happening in Wales on the areas that impact on their business. The one-fits-all rule no longer applies.

But it also provides an opportunity for organisations to have a real influence with the Assembly and turn their ideas into action which may have been nearly so likely with Westminster.

How Effective Communication can help you?

Ahead of any changes in legislative powers for Wales, Effective Communication has developed a targeted Public Affairs service that can be specifically tailored to any client’s needs.

This includes:

Weekly monitoring of the activities of the National Assembly for Wales and the Welsh Assembly Government through its committees and decision-making processes
Identifying policy issues
Alerting clients of issues being raised
Lobbying and campaigning
Organising briefings and meetings with Assembly Members, Minsters, advisors and civil servants
Identifying key stakeholder groups in Wales with which clients should be engaging
Event management, including representation at party political conferences
All of these activities can link into the work of the Public Relations team at Effective Communication, offering a seamless PA/PR service.

The company employs and engages the most experienced team in Wales, offering very personalised and unrivalled access to key contacts within the Welsh political scene, the Welsh media, the Welsh business community.

If you would like to discuss the changes in the National Assembly, understand how we believe they may affect you, and how Effective Communication can help you with this or any other aspect of your communication strategy, contact Alastair Milburn on (O) 029 2064 6861 (M) 07813 857328 or by email.