| Dear Sir |
ELECTORAL ARRANGEMENTS OF THE NATIONAL
ASSEMBLY FOR WALES ISSUES AND QUESTIONS FOR CONSULTATION
|
| The County Council has considered
the Commission's consultation paper on the electoral arrangements
of the National Assembly for Wales, and would wish to
make the following comments. |
| Generally, Council considered
that the review of the National Assembly's electoral arrangements
was premature at this time, and that the present system
should be allowed time to 'bed down' before any alterations
to the number of members for the electoral system were
considered. |
| In response to the three main
questions posed in the consultation document, Council's
view was as follows:- |
| a. The present size of
the Assembly was felt to be more than adequate for the
present workload; |
| b. The present electoral
system was felt to be sufficiently representative.
However concern was expressed at the lack of public interest
and understanding of the Assembly, as evidenced in the
turn-out at the recent elections, and therefore more work
could usefully be done to convince the public of the worth
of the Assembly as it presently operates. Some concern
was expressed at the ability of candidates, under the
existing rules, to stand for election in both the constituency
and region. |
| c. Changes to the power
of the Assembly are not supported at this time apart from
clarification of the present anomalies in respect of central
government legislation and National Assembly legislation
which would be welcomed. The Secretary, Richard
Commission. |
| d. Issues that arose during
the Foot-and-Mouth crisis in relation to the relevant
animal health regulations are a good example of the difficulties
that can arise without this clarification. |
| Members did also comment that
the representative role of Assembly members would be improved
by greater consultation with other elected bodies to provide
a more cohesive system of representation for local residents. |
| Council also noted that some
individual County Councillors had submitted detailed individual
comments to the Commission. |
| Yours faithfully |
|
| Director of Scrutiny & Democratic
Services |
|
|
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