Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 4:46 pm on 14 September 2021.
I'll try my best to address some of the key points there. You touched on, at the outset of your contribution, the potential, the power and the leverage that's there with procurement within Wales. As I said in the statement, we think the policy direction of procurement should be set here in Wales, but we're working closely across Government with my colleague the Minister for Finance and Local Government on how we can take the opportunity of procurement reform to take that policy direction to look at actually how we can maximise its potential, its outputs and the opportunities there, but also, actually, to support the procurement profession and the sector as well. One of the things we said in this Bill was to try to simplify things rather than create extra layers, and actually how we can support the profession to maximise, to grow and to develop as part of that. So, I'm sure as we move down the course of this Bill and wider procurement reform, there will be further updates and opportunities for Members to influence and shape that direction as well.
I'm familiar with the Bevan Foundation's response and a number of other consultation responses. I think I spent a half-term recess trying to read myself through all the consultation responses, as I find it really helpful to personally get to grips with the points that people are raising. And I think there were a number of things there, too. I said within the statement that legislation alone isn't going to address all these things, so there will probably be policy that can sit around the legislation too, to address some of those challenges and issues as well. For example, looking at those sectors that we know are facing particular challenges and, really, there's a business case for the businesses to get around the table too, to talk about actually how we can perhaps upskill and support workers, and that will provide them with more stable and decent employment, but will also provide stability for the sectors as well. So, within the points that the Bevan Foundation made around the wider labour market and upskilling, the fair work duty around the things that we can do within our devolved responsibilities around supporting skills and training, I think that will bring opportunities and, like you said, place that duty on Welsh Ministers to have to consider that and have to do something about it, and be a cross-Government priority as well.
You mentioned the social partnership duty and the calls for that to cover other bodies and other organisations. As is set out in the draft Bill, it was in line with the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015 and the public bodies over there and, of course, people have pointed out that since that Bill was enacted, other public bodies have come into force. So, as part of this process of working with stakeholders over the summer, and other partners, to refine the Bill and to move things forward to be in a position to actually introduce it in this place, there was actually, alongside this, going to be a review of the bodies as recommended by the committee report, to review those bodies that are covered by the well-being of future generations Act. That work will go alongside us progressing the Bill and will then help to shape how we can better align that and look if the right bodies are covered by this Act.
So, there's been a lot of work going on over the summer, predominantly around the fair work duty, of course, and also around actually how the procurement will work in practice. That has been done in partnership with stakeholders and social partners, and that is something that we'll continue as we look more now to bring the Bill forward, but also, actually, look at the operational nature of the legislation as well.