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Final sounding on Senedd powers | Final sounding on Senedd powers |
(about 8 hours later) | |
Around 200 people have met in Cardiff in the final public session of the All Wales Convention looking at whether the assembly should have more powers. | |
A referendum would have to be held in Wales before any moves towards law-making powers for the assembly. | A referendum would have to be held in Wales before any moves towards law-making powers for the assembly. |
According to a straw poll at the meeting in City Hall, almost two-thirds of those there wanted law-making powers for the assembly all at once. | |
But more than one-third want the situation to stay as it is. | |
An electronic vote at the meeting showed 64% of those who took part backed giving the assembly law-making powers, while 36% would leave the situation as it is. | |
On the panel at the meeting, Helen Mary Jones, Plaid Cymru AM for Llanelli, said the present system was "confusing". | |
"It is a very complicated system and not stable," she said. | "It is a very complicated system and not stable," she said. |
Sir Emyr Jones Parry chairs the convention (pic: All Wales Convention) | |
But another panellist, former Conservative minister Lord Tristan Garel-Jones, said he supported both devolution and supported the present system, where law-making powers on particular issues came to Wales after scrutiny in Westminster. | |
"The step-by-step process that now exists is the route to go down," he said. | "The step-by-step process that now exists is the route to go down," he said. |
Gaining more powers could be "another little step" towards an independent Wales which would be "exceedingly dangerous," he said. | Gaining more powers could be "another little step" towards an independent Wales which would be "exceedingly dangerous," he said. |
'Confusing' | |
Sir Emyr Jones Parry, chair of the convention, said the evidence was that some people thought the split in responsibilities between Wales and Westminster was "confusing" and a "fog". | |
The panellists also included Professor Richard Wyn Jones, director of the Wales Governance Centre, at Cardiff University, Nick Ainger, Labour MP for Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire; and the Archbishop of Wales, Barry Morgan. | |
From the floor of the meeting Michelle Matheron, of the Wales Council for Voluntary Action, said effective lobbying of politicians under the present system was difficult. | From the floor of the meeting Michelle Matheron, of the Wales Council for Voluntary Action, said effective lobbying of politicians under the present system was difficult. |
She wanted to know whether an assembly with increased law-making powers would help people engage with it. | She wanted to know whether an assembly with increased law-making powers would help people engage with it. |
On that question, the electronic vote recorded 69% saying yes and 23% voting no, while the rest were undecided. | |
The Cardiff meeting was the last of 23 of the convention around Wales over the past six months. | |
The convention was a commitment by Labour and Plaid Cymru when they formed a coalition assembly government in 2007. | |
It is intended to prepare the ground for a possible referendum on full law-making powers for the assembly on or before the next assembly election in 2011 by gauging public opinion. | |
It is also intended to explain the present system of powers available to the assembly. | |
Its executive committee has also taken evidence from individuals and organisations in more formal sessions, as well as in written form. | |
Sir Emyr said he hoped the committee's report would be available by the end of November. |
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