An arm's-length corporate body, able to enter into its own contracts, its own arrangements, its own leases, is significantly more independent than a body that is hosted by Powys Teaching Health Board. All of the community health councils' staff at present are employees of the national health service through Powys health board. Now, to move those people to an independent, arm's-length corporate body, able to determine their own affairs, is undeniably a more independent way of operating than their current arrangements. Those are the facts of what is being proposed. The challenge here is whether Members are able and willing to describe honestly the difference between that set of arrangements and the ones that currently exist.

The current Bill gives the citizen voice body the power to establish committees, to enable it to establish local or regional committees that are focused on local or regional needs as they, not the Government, see them. It can, as I've mentioned, enter into contracts or leases for premises. Therefore, it can determine where its offices should be based. It won't simply be tied to a location determined by Ministers in Cardiff, as is often supposed to be the case. It will be up to the citizen voice body to determine where it is based, not just its head office, but all of its other regional locations as well. 

The desire not to prescribe the structure is not linked to money. The regulatory impact assessment clearly includes costs for multiple offices. The costs in the impact assessment are based on the current CHC accommodation, which has staff spread across 12 locations within Wales. In developing and preparing its statement of policy, I'd expect the body to engage and involve stakeholders to ensure that its arrangements are actively supported by people across Wales. I believe that strikes the right balance between allowing the body to determine its own local structure, based on its own assessment, whilst placing a requirement on the body to ensure that it is accessible to and able to represent all people across Wales. So, I remain committed to an organisation that has local roots, but where the body itself determines where it is based and how it is organised, and I ask Members to support that approach.