Inquiry into European Structural Funds

Report: First Report, Session 1999-2000 (HC 46 including 861-i & ii of 1998-99)

Date of publication: 17 February 2000

Witnesses:

Tuesday 26 October and Tuesday 2 November 1998 (Session 1998-99)

Rt Hon Paul Murphy MP, Secretary of State for Wales, Alison Jackson, Head, and Anne Morrice, Economic Affairs, Office of the Secretary of State for Wales.

Monday 22 November 1999: National Assembly for Wales

Val Feld AM, Chair, Economic Development Committee, National Assembly for Wales;

Dr Victoria Winckler, Welsh Local Government Association, Mr Graham Benfield, Wales Council for Voluntary Action, and Dr Geraint Davies, Welsh Development Agency, Wales European Task Force;

Mr Rhodri Morgan MP AM, Assembly Secretary for Economic Development, Mr Hugh Rawlings, and Mr Mike Chown, European Affairs Division, National Assembly for Wales.

No. of memoranda: 9

Replies to the Report: Responses from the Government and the National Assembly for Wales: received on 3 May 2000 and published as Fourth Special Report (HC 470) on 17 May 2000.

Related activities: The Committee had a briefing from Jane Hough, House of Commons Library, in connection with the inquiry.

Specialist Adviser: Professor Philip Cooke of the Centre for Advanced Studies, University of Wales, Cardiff

Inquiry into the Transport Bill and its Impact on Wales

Report: Second Report, Session 1999-2000 (HC 287)

Date of publication: 6 March 2000

Witnesses: None

No. of memoranda: 34

Replies to the Report: Responses of the Government and the National Assembly for Wales: received on8 May 2000 and published as Fifth Special Report (HC 497) on 23 May 2000.

Specialist Adviser: Professor Stuart Cole, Director of Transport Research and Consultancy, University of North London.

Inquiry into Social Exclusion in Wales

Report: Third Report, Session 1999-2000 (HC 365)

Date of publication: To be arranged

Witnesses:

Tuesday 21 March 2000

Mr Bill Wells, Senior Labour Market Economist, and Mr Chris Barnham, Head of the Welfare to Work Division, Department for Education and Employment;

Mrs Helen Ghosh, Director for Children and Families, Ms Rebecca Endean, member of the Poverty and Social Exclusion Team and Policy Official dealing with Welfare to Work issues, and Mr Jeremy Groombridge, Policy Manager for Welfare to Work, Department for Social Security.

Tuesday 11 April 2000

Ms Kate Bennett, Director and Ms Nia Morgan, Senior Development Manager, Equal Opportunities Commission;

Dr Peter Williams, Deputy Director General, Council of Mortgage Lenders.

Monday 17 April 2000: County Hall, Llandrindod Wells

Mr Alun Daniel, Director, Wales Rural Forum and member of Union of Welsh Independent Churches;

Mr Ged Turner, North Wales Contact/Youth Worker, Ms Frances Ballin, South Wales Contact/Oxfam Volunteer, Ms Emma Loveluck, Youth Worker, Ms Elizabeth Perrett-Atkins, Volunteer Worker, and Mr Niall Cooper, UK Co-ordinator, Church Action on Poverty, Mr Jim Barnaville, Project Leader, The Children's Society, Wales Anti-Poverty Unit;

Mr Alan Bull, Director, Voluntary Action Cardiff, Mr Richard Watson, Active Member, St Vincent de Paul and Mr Byron Hughes, Volunteer Director, Cardiff Unemployed Workers Project, European Anti-Poverty Unit Cymru.

Monday 8 May 2000: Cwmbran

Mr Hywel Davies, Chairman, Pembrokeshire Hearing Voices Group and Member of Pembrokeshire Mental Health Forum, Ms Claire Williams, Policy Information Officer, Mind Cymru, Mr David Parrett, Head of Service Planning for Newport County Borough Council, and Ms Mary E Powell, Equality Adviser to Rhondda Cynon Taff Borough Council;

Dr Mashuq Ally, Head, and Ms Judith Jones, Equality Action Officer, Public Sector, Commission for Racial Equality;

Mr Kester de Veteuil, Development Office, All-Wales Ethnic Minority Consultative Association;

Ms Jackie Hankins, Welfare Rights Co-ordinator, Neath Port Talbot Borough Council, Ms Nel Coles, Acting Welfare Rights Manager, City and County of Swansea, Ms Elain Hogan, Benefits Adviser, Monmouthshire County Council, Mr Iwain Fox, Welfare Rights Officer, Powys County Council, and Mr Jeff Rogers, Senior Benefits Advice Officer, Torfaen County Borough Council.

Monday 15 May 2000: Cardiff

Ms Fran Targett, Wales Services Manager, Ms Juliet Morris, Social Policy Development Officer, Ms Helen Seale, Bureau Manager, Rhyl Citizens' Advice Bureau, and Mr Craig Lane, Legal Services Manager, Newport Citizens' Advice Bureau, National Association of Citizens' Advice Bureaux Cymru/Wales;

Ms Angela Pulman, Chief Executive, Ms Dawn Davies, Director, Creation Community Development Limited, and Mr Gary Foreman, Project Manager, Penywaun Enterprise Partnership, Community Enterprise Wales;

Ms Ana Palazón, Welsh Executive Office, Help the Aged, Mr Tom Moran, Wales Pensioners and Ms Jackie Dix, Policy Officer, Age Concern.

Monday 22 May 2000: Conwy

Dr Delyth Morris, University of Wales, Bangor;

Ms Sue Bowyer, National Benefits/Welfare Rights Co-ordinator, Ms Violet Greaves, National Childwork Co-ordinator, and Ms Deanna Millward, National Police and Legal Issues Co-ordinator, Welsh Women's Aid;

Mr Anthony Drew, Chief Executive, Mr John Troth, Board Member, and Mr Ken Cook, Contract Manager Social Inclusion, CELTEC.

Tuesday 6 June 2000

Mr Howard John, Director, Disability Wales.

Tuesday 4 July 2000

Mr Rory Murphy, Joint General Secretary and Mr John Earls, Joint Head of Research, UNIFI;

Mr Stuart Sweetman, Group Managing Director, Customer & Banking Services, Mr Basil Larkins, Managing Director, Network Banking, and Mr Dave Miller, Managing Director, the Post Office Network.

Tuesday 18 July 2000

Mr Colin Baker, General Secretary, and Ms Annabel Barnett, Research Officer, National Federation of Subpostmasters;

Mr Tim Sweeney, Director General, and Mr Mike Young, Director, Consumer and Retail, British Bankers' Association.

No. of memoranda received: 82

Specialist Advisers: Mark Drakeford, University of Wales, Cardiff, and Hywel Williams, Gofal Cymru.

Visits: The Committee made the following visits in connection with the inquiry:

Visit to North Wales

Monday 6 December 1999: Visit to Llanfrothen Post Office and "Starter Units"; briefing with Gwynedd County Council; visit to Deiniolen; briefing seminar at University of Wales, Bangor.

Tuesday 7 December 1999: Visit to Rhyl Community Agency; briefing with Wrexham County Borough Council; visit to Southsea and Brynteg Estates; visit to North Wales Children's Rights Service, Wrexham.

Visit to South and West Wales

Monday 24 January 2000: Briefing with City and County of Swansea Council; visit to Townhill Urban Initiative; visit to Bon-y-Maen Community House; visit to Cornerstone Church, Blaen y Maes 'People in Communities' project, Swansea; briefing seminar at University of Wales, Swansea.

Tuesday 25 January 2000: Briefing with Carmarthenshire County Council, Llanelli and visits to local projects; visit to Streets Youth project, Miners' Welfare Hall, Ammanford; visit to Amman Valley Enterprise, Ammanford; visit to the Acorn Project, Ystradgynlais; briefing with Powys County Council.

Visit to North Wales

Monday 21 February 2000: Visit to J E O'Toole Centre, Holyhead; visit to Maesgeirchen Estate, Bangor; briefing with Bangor Bond Scheme; visit to Bryn-y-Neuadd Hospital.

Tuesday 22 February 2000: Visit to Gerddi Stiniog, the Park Project and Tan y Maen Centre, Blaenau Ffestiniog; Visit to Caia Park estate, Wrexham.

Visit to the Republic of Ireland

Tuesday 7 March 2000: Briefing with National Anti-Poverty Strategy Unit, Department of Social, Community and Family Affairs; briefing with Irish League of Credit Unions.

Wednesday 8 March 2000: Visit to Combat Poverty Agency and the Tallaght Partnership; visit to Enterprise Centre, including Local Employment Service Office and Flexible Training Unit; visit to Glencree Reconciliation Centre.

Thursday 9 March 2000: Visit to Dublin City University; visit to Ballymun Regeneration Project; briefing with Department of Finance.

Visit to Monmouthshire, the Valleys and Cardiff

Monday 27 March 2000: Visit to Llwynu Infant School, Abergavenny; briefing with Monmouthshire County Council; visit to Llanelly Hill Action Committee, Llanelly Hill, Abergavenny; briefing with Torfaen County Council, Blaenavon Workingmen's Club; briefing with Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council.

Tuesday 28 March 2000: Visit to the Bell Centre, Blaenllechau; visit to Bargoed Credit Union; briefing with Wales Youth Agency, Caerphilly; briefing with Wales Co-operative Centre, Cardiff.

Visit to Cardiff

Monday 3 April 2000: Meeting with Ethnic Minority Groups, Cardiff University.

Visit to the USA

Washington DC

Monday 12 June 2000: Briefing with US Department of Labor, meeting with the Director for Sustainable Development; meeting at Centre for Law and Social Policy (CLASP); briefing with the Brookings Institution and the Department of Housing and Urban Development

Tuesday 13 June 2000: Meeting with the Federal Reserve

Pittsburgh

Tuesday 13 June 2000: Briefings from academics; visit to Keystone Commons Industrial Mall; briefing at University of Pittsburgh and meeting with the St David's Society.

Wednesday 14 June 2000: Visit to Manchester's Craftmen's Guild and Bidwell Center.

Chicago

Thursday 15 June 2000: Visit to Ounce-of-Prevention Educare Center; visit to Erikson Institute; briefing with Gallery 37 and other city cultural outreach programmes; briefing with Voices of Illinois Children, Woodstock Institute and Illinois Department of Human Resources.

Gary, Indiana

Friday 16 June 2000: Briefing with steelmill executives and union representatives; meeting with the Mayor of Gary and other leading officials; meeting with Shorebank Corporation; visit to the Community Development Corporation.

Visit to Machynlleth

Monday 26 June 2000: Meeting with young people from across Wales, Celtica.

Visit to North Wales

Monday 10 July 2000: Briefing with Denbighshire County Council's Pupil Support and Social Inclusion Centre; visit to Project 11, Rhyl High School; visit to CARS (Community Autos Rhyl) workshop; visit to Skillbuild group, Rhyl College; visit to "Get it while you can" project, Colwyn Bay.

Scrutiny of the Work of the Wales Office (Office of the Secretary of State for Wales)

Witnesses:

Tuesday 26 October 1999 (Session 1998-99)

The Role of the Secretary of State for Wales: Rt Hon Paul Murphy MP, Alison Jackson, Head, and Anne Morrice, Economic Affairs, Wales Office (HC 854).

Monday 27 June 2000

The first year's work of the Office of the Secretary of State for Wales: Rt Hon Paul Murphy MP, Secretary of State for Wales, Alison Jackson, Head, and Mr John Williams, Head of Finance, Wales Office (HC 627).

Monday 21 November 2000

The outcome of the Comprehensive spending review and other departmental matters: Rt Hon Paul Murphy MP, Secretary of State for Wales, Ms Alison Jackson, Head, and Mr John Williams, Head of Finance, Wales Office (HC995).

No. memoranda: 1 (plus one more requested but not yet received, see paragraph 27)

Relations with the National Assembly for Wales and consideration of its work

Witnesses:

Monday 30 October 2000: National Assembly for Wales, Cardiff

Devolution in practice from the Assembly's perspective: Mr Rhodri Morgan MP AM, First Minister, Mr Derek Jones, Senior Director, Economic Affairs and Mr Gary Davies, Head of Industrial Development Division, National Assembly for Wales

Meetings with the National Assembly's Panel of Committee Chairs, Cardiff:

Tuesday 12 October 1999

The meeting was preceded by an informal meeting with the Assembly First Secretary.

Subjects of discussion: The Committee's current and future programme of inquiries; the work of the National Assembly's committees; proposals for future meetings.

Thursday 2 December 1999

Subjects of discussion: Taking evidence from Assembly Members; scrutiny of the Government's legislative programme

Thursday 16 March 2000

Subjects of discussion: Relationship between the Committee and the National Assembly; the Committee's future programme of inquiries; reciprocal access for Members of Parliament and Members of the National Assembly to each others' buildings.

Monday 16 October 2000

Subjects of discussion: Current and future inquiries of the Committee; current programme of the Assembly's subject committees; the Government's legislative programme for 2000-01; working together.