Geldards' Vice Chairman gives evidence to Senedd

Geldards' Vice Chairman Huw Williams was invited to give evidence to the Subordinate Legislation Committee of the National Assembly for Wales at the Senedd in Cardiff bay on Thursday 14th January 2010. Huw is a member of the Planning and Environment Law Committee and of the Wales Committee of Cymdeithas y Cyfreithwyr/The Law Society of England and Wales.

Huw was part of a delegation giving evidence as part of an linked inquiry into the drafting of Statutory Instruments by the Welsh Assembly Government and into the development of Schedule 5 of the Government of Wales Act 2006 (which for the benefit of those who have not attended one of Huw's seminars, is the list of subjects where the National Assembly has legislative powers).

The evidence highlighted concern about the lack of scrutiny by the National Assembly of secondary legislative powers where these are conferred directly on the Welsh Ministers by Parliament, rather than though legislation made by the National Assembly, to whom the Welsh Ministers are accountable. The Law Society also criticised the complexity of the way Schedule 5 is developing as new matters are added to the Assembly's legislative competence by Westminster, particularly the extent of the exceptions and emphasised the particular importance to the citizen of clarity of the drafting in basic constitutional legislation.