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Mark Isherwood: ...been proud to host and speak at both the 2022 and 2023 Equal Power Equal Voice Senedd events, celebrating the Equal Power Equal Voice project, a mentoring programme aiming to increase diversity of representation in public and political life in Wales. Equal Power Equal Voice, or EPEV, is a partnership between Women's Equality Network Wales, Stonewall Cymru, Disability Wales, and Ethnic...
Mark Isherwood: Thank you. I did respond accordingly. But of course, this wasn't a freedom of information request, I was making representations—as we all do—on a neutral basis, representing my constituents at their request, and with their written authority, so it was an alarming response. And in that context, as I trust you're also aware, the Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2014, Part 10, code...
Mark Isherwood: ...Bay. And empowering local people to take the lead on where we need houses, facilities and services—where they should be developed, trusting local people. Peredur Owen Griffiths referred to his representation of many former mining towns and villages, still reeling—and this is a bit of poetic licence here—after 25 years of continuous Labour Government in Wales. And perhaps I should...
Mark Isherwood: ...for Crown Court defendants; provide 3.5 million more people in Wales and England with access to criminal legal aid at the magistrates' court; and for the first time ever, provide free legal representation for all under-18s and for parents challenging doctors over the withdrawal of their child's life support, and free legal help for families at inquests where there's been a potential breach...
Mark Isherwood: ...boards, regarding integrated health and social care support, they replied: 'What we're hearing back from some of the regional organisations is that the level of involvement of older people representation isn't as good as they would like it to be, and through the development of regional partnership boards we'd like to see more meaningful engagement of more older people, and their...
Mark Isherwood: ..., the Sustainable Farming Scheme will be an important mechanism and source of funding to address habitat loss and species decline, including some of our iconic farmland birds such as the curlew. Representations from the Gylfinir Cymru Partnership will be considered by the Minister for Rural Affairs, North Wales and Trefnydd as the Sustainable Farming Scheme is developed.' But, with...
Mark Isherwood: Legal aid is intended to help meet the cost of legal advice, family mediation and representation in a court or tribunal. The rules about who qualifies are set out in the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 and regulations referred to by the Counsel General. Whether you qualify will depend on the type of case and your financial circumstances. Does the Counsel General...
Mark Isherwood: ...in Wales; support for advice service providers; quality and location of court buildings; Welsh language provision in the justice system; and the organisation of the senior judiciary, including representation in the UK Supreme Court. What therefore is the state of play with these discussions?
Mark Isherwood: ...the proposed red route to the A55 at Northop, highlighting issues, including environmental impact on habitats, meadows and ancient woodland. You've also, as we've heard, received extensive representation regarding this in support of the open letter from North Wales Wildlife Trust, sent to you and the First Minister, asking you to drop the proposals, and heard the call by the Petitions...
Mark Isherwood: ...between the UK and the Republic of Ireland as a consequence of the historic relationship between both countries, and the ability of Commonwealth citizens to vote at UK elections is a legacy of the Representation of the People Act 1918. However, this Bill, we believe, proposes a step too far. At least most of the few countries that allow foreign citizens to vote have a minimum residency...
Mark Isherwood: ...arrangements differently and proportionately, given the challenges faced, but as you know, this was not intended to diminish the voice of communities or weaken democratic accountability and representation. How, therefore, will you ensure that councils without LDPs do not pursue a challenging use of the emergency procedures to get them approved?
Mark Isherwood: ...between the UK and the Republic of Ireland as a consequence of the historic relationship between both countries, and the ability of Commonwealth citizens to vote in UK elections is a legacy of the Representation of the People Act 1918. However, this Bill proposes a step too far. At least most of the countries that allow foreign citizens to vote have a minimum residency requirement, but...
Mark Isherwood: ...and hours of deliberation by committee members. The Bill provides that each principal council may decide for itself on the voting system to use, whether first-past-the-post or proportional representation using the single transferrable vote. However, 33 out of 35 respondents to its White Paper consultation disagreed and preferred to keep one voting system for the whole of Wales. Further, as...
Mark Isherwood: ...and work against the above-inflation council tax rises in the bottom six councils, including Blaenau Gwent. Despite this clear cross-party statement, the Minister has dismissed their official representation and rejected a funding floor in the final settlement. As one of these leaders told me, 'It's clear to me that there continues to be very little understanding of the pressures and...
Mark Isherwood: ...do you respond to the statement by Carnegie Trust in their latest report on turnaround towns that the enabling state approach, such as moving from target setting to outcomes, top-down to bottom-up, representation to participation, is the way of moving forward from the status of provider of welfare towards a more enabling style of Government, with a shift in the relationship between...
Mark Isherwood: ...border between Ireland and Northern Ireland. We know that 75 per cent of Wales’s exports are estimated to go to the rest of the UK, and only 15 per cent to the EU. And when officials from the representation of the German state Bremen told the external affairs committee that 10 per cent to 15 per cent of the gross domestic product of Germany is to the UK, they put this as it’s exposed...
Mark Isherwood: ...young and those with lower incomes are markedly under-represented in Welsh local government, and work seeking to remedy this has not achieved sufficient progress. As the committee heard: 'The under-representation of women in local government is only part of a wider diversity issue. Increasing representation among younger people, those from different socio-economic backgrounds, individuals...
Mark Isherwood: ..., the Welsh Government failed to support calls for any tackling poverty strategy during the individual Member's debate calling for this two weeks ago here. How, therefore, do you respond to the representations made to me after that debate by sector representatives regarding my emphasis on the need to focus on Welsh policy levers that the Welsh Government has within its power, that 'This is...
Mark Isherwood: ...of a code of collaborative practice. Will that be mandatory and how will it be enforced or will it be entirely a voluntary code? If I can conclude by asking the obvious question about third sector representation, we know that Age Alliance Wales has continued to raise concerns about third sector representation on regional partnership boards, feeling excluded, feeling not fully engaged, and...
Mark Isherwood: .... Don't just be aware, act. And if all we're going to do is simply raise awareness, we're just going to make waiting lists grow longer and longer. We need to move to understanding, acceptance, representation, inclusion and equality. Where autistic adults are speaking, are we listening? Therefore, I would welcome a statement, not simply in the context of the normal service-led or medical...
