The Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015

Part of 3. Topical Questions – in the Senedd at 3:40 pm on 15 May 2019.

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Photo of Jane Hutt Jane Hutt Labour 3:40, 15 May 2019

The well-being of future generations Act is about improving the social, economic, environmental and cultural well-being of Wales, now and into the future. Of course, the interpretation of the law is a matter for the courts, but the Act does provide for enhanced scrutiny, not just of the Welsh Government through the powers of the Future Generations Commissioner for Wales—an independent commissioner—but also the examination duty on the Auditor General for Wales, and it's improving decision making, both in the short and longer term through the five ways of working. It's designed to support 44 public bodies in Wales to make decisions.

The well-being of future generations Act is well regarded, not just in Wales. I met with the third sector today keen to embrace those ways of working, keen to make it work. Worldwide, it is highly regarded as something where Wales is leading the way, and indeed it is an opportunity in terms of making real change. And if you look at the powers of the future generations commissioner, they're very clear. The commissioner's role is to act as a guardian for the interests of future generations in Wales and to support those public bodies.

Well, I do know that, in fact, Andrew R.T. Davies didn't actually vote for this piece of legislation in the final stages—