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IC Wales
July 7,
2003
Summary:
Peter Hain
speaks against devolving more power to the Welsh
Assembly. He is also opposed to full representation (proportional
representation), which is used in Assembly elections.
Hain opposed to new Assembly powers
By Jamie Lyons, PA News
July 7, 2003 The Welsh Assembly is still too young to be
handed major new powers, Peter Hain said today. The Welsh Secretary
and Leader of the House of Commons said after just four years it was
too soon for another radical shake-up in the way Wales was governed.
Mr Hain said he was a "passionate devolutionist" but did not want
constitutional change for its own sake. He said there must be clear
evidence there would be practical benefits to the people of Wales
before the Assembly was given extra power. In a speech to the
Institute of Welsh Affairs in Cardiff, Mr Hain said: "I know there
is a lot of excited chatter about the Assembly's powers. "As
everybody knows, I am a passionate devolutionist. But the National
Assembly is only four years old. The system is still very young. It
is just 50 months since the people of Wales underwent a radical
change in the way they are governed." Mr Hain said the Assembly had
already used its existing powers to benefit the people it served.
Furthermore, he said, Wales has not been "short-changed" by
Westminster in terms of new legislation, and important powers had
already been handed down to Wales, including last week's proposal to
give the Assembly responsibility over the fire service. The Richard
Commission set up by the Welsh Assembly government is currently
looking at its powers and electoral arrangements. Mr Hain indicated
that any further change to the current constitutional settlement
would need another referendum. "Any major changes proposed, as well
as having to demonstrate very clear practical improvements in
delivery of public services to the people of Wales, would need to
have a democratic mandate," he said. Mr Hain said he did not
believe the people of Wales wanted the Assembly to be given the same
tax-varying powers as the Scottish Parliament. He said he could not
imagine the Welsh economy operating with a different fiscal regime
to England. "I don't see it as being a realistic proposition and I
don't see it as being sensible either," he said. Mr Hain also
revealed his unhappiness with the proportional representation
electoral system used for Assembly elections. "How can it be right
that candidates who are defeated in the first-past-the-post ballot
can then be elected under the regional list ballot?" he said. |
