Submission to RICHARDS COMMISSION

Declaration of Interest

a. Until three years ago secretary/agent of the Rhondda Labour Party for a long time building up wide experience as an election agent in County, Westminster and European parliamentary elections. Personal experience too as Labour List candidate in the first Assembly elections for the South Wales Central electoral region and recently endorsed as Labour candidate for the local government county elections in 2004.

b. For 1996 elected chair of the Wales Labour Party and still an elected member of its Executive Committee. Before the Referendum chaired Labour's Policy Commission on Devolution consulting widely all over Wales receiving oral and written evidence from many individuals and organisations. One of two Labour Party representatives on the cross party, National Assembly Advisory Group, later asked to chair its successor, the Assembly Preparation Group, and recently completed three years as part time adviser to Labour A M, Janice Gregory.

c. Let me make it clear that what follow are my own personal opinions.

Ken Hopkins