6. Will the Commissioner make a statement on public engagement in the North Wales region? OAQ51616

The Commission delivers many initiatives to engage the people of north Wales in the Assembly’s work. People of all ages participate in events, committee consultations and workshops to improve their levels of understanding. We are also proud to have an office in Colwyn Bay that provides a public space for Members and Commission staff to deliver our work in the region, and I understand that you took your oath at that office when taking your seat in this Parliament.

Diolch, Commissioner. Commissioner, I was quoted in the press on my return as an Assembly Member as saying that, generally, people in north Wales think that the Welsh Assembly should not exist. [Interruption.] Calm down. This view is expressed by many constituents on different campaign trails. Now I am here, I can see first-hand the impact that the Assembly has on the lives of the people who live in my region. Commissioner, what additional steps will the Assembly Commission take to show the people of north Wales what the Assembly does, the difference it makes, how they can get involved, and encourage more than a 43.5 per cent turnout at the next Assembly elections?

Thank you for that supplementary question. The Commission and, I’m certain, every Member in this Chamber is very aware that there is a continuous challenge to ensure that people in every region of Wales understand fully what is devolved to this Assembly and the powers that lie elsewhere. In response to that challenge, the Commission decided to commission a piece of work that was led by Leighton Andrews and a panel to look at how the Commission, on behalf of this Assembly, may communicate our work better to every community in Wales. There are opportunities, of course, to communicate digitally these days, in every part of Wales—hoping that the broadband reaches every part of Wales, of course. But there are interesting and innovative recommendations in that report from that commission, and we, as an Assembly Commission, would hope that we would be able to realise those recommendations as we wish to communicate with the people of Wales—that’s true in every community, not just north Wales—and that we communicate an understanding of the work that we do in this Parliament on behalf of the people of Wales.

I agree that communication is crucial, of course, but there’s nothing that can beat actually getting out there and engaging directly with people. I do applaud the initiative of Senedd Newport in 2016, and Senedd Delyn, which had to be deferred because of sad circumstances. That model of intensive engagement in different parts of Wales is something I think we should do more of. May I ask, therefore, whether the Commission would be willing to consider not just having one every year, but actually having that intensive engagement targeting specific areas every month? Because that’s the best way, I think, of educating people on what we do.

I appreciate the point that the Member has made. Certainly, our experience, having undertaken Senedd@ in various communities—I’m thinking of the most recent one, Senedd@Newport—demonstrates that there is real value to the work of the committees, the work of the Members, and the work of the entire Assembly in engaging with specific areas, improving Members’ understanding from every part of Wales of that specific area, and also vice versa. So, we are looking now, following the fact that we had to unfortunately defer Senedd@Delyn, at how we can plan this programme of intensive activities in specific communities throughout Wales for the rest of this Assembly term.

You might recall that, when we used to have the regional committees, they were extremely popular and well attended, particularly in north Wales—even when that wasn't necessarily the case across the whole of Wales. Since their demise, the cross-party groups I chair largely meet annually in north Wales, and when they do there's huge popular engagement with them, from organisations and people interested in the key areas who see those groups as the face of the Assembly in the absence of any other direct interaction that they can take part in. How might you and the Commission therefore be able to consider how you might work with the cross-party groups on that agenda at least, notwithstanding the fact that generally they fall outside the definition of being a formal Assembly body?

I've noticed that you've been particularly proactive as leader of your cross-party groups in ensuring that there are meetings outside of Cardiff Bay, and in the north in particular for your cross-party groups. I think that that's a model that I'd want to encourage and facilitate and want to see the commission supporting. I'm as keen also to provide the support for committees, as they undertake to meet outside of Cardiff Bay. That logistically can be very challenging for those committees, because many Members are also members of other committees, and that makes it quite difficult to meet in different parts of Wales. But the principle of encouraging the work that we do to take part and take place in other areas of Wales is one that I wholly endorse and would want to see the commission seek to facilitate across party groups and committees as well.

Thank you, Llywydd.