271.The Welsh Ministers are required by this section to establish a Partnership Council for Wales whose members, to be appointed by the Welsh Ministers, are to comprise Welsh Ministers (or Deputy Welsh Ministers) and members of local authorities (including national park authorities, police authorities, fire and rescue authorities and other authorities which may be added by order) in Wales. Before appointing local authority members the Welsh Ministers will be required to consult appropriate local government associations. The function of the Council will be to advise the Welsh Ministers on matters affecting their functions, to make representations on matters affecting, or of concern to, those involved in local government in Wales and also to give advice to those involved in local government in Wales.
272.Under this section the Welsh Ministers are required to make, keep under review, and from time to time remake or revise, a local government scheme, setting out how they propose, in the exercise of their functions, to sustain and promote local government in Wales. When determining the content of the scheme the Welsh Ministers must have regard to any advice or representations on the part of the Partnership Council. The scheme, and any revisions to it must be published and laid before the Assembly as must an annual report by the Welsh Ministers setting out how the proposals in the scheme were implemented during the preceding financial year.
273.Under this section the Welsh Ministers are required to make, keep under review, and from time to time remake or revise, a voluntary sector scheme, setting out how they propose, in the exercise of their functions, to promote the interests of relevant voluntary organisations. The Ministers are under a duty to consult any voluntary organisations they consider appropriate before they make, remake or revise a scheme.
274.Relevant voluntary organisations are organisations that are not local authorities or other public bodies, whose activities are not carried on for profit and which, directly or indirectly, benefit Wales or a part of Wales.
275.When determining the content of the scheme the Welsh Ministers must consider how they intend to exercise their functions in relation to matters which concern or affect voluntary organisations. The scheme must specify the Ministers proposals to assist voluntary organisations, their proposals to monitor assistance provided and how they will consult voluntary organisations about their functions.
276.The scheme, and any revisions to it, must be published and laid before the Assembly, as must an annual report by the Welsh Ministers setting out how the proposals in the scheme were implemented during the preceding financial year.
277.Under this section, the Welsh Ministers must make a business scheme setting out how they propose to take account of the interests of business in exercising their functions. The scheme must specify how the Welsh Ministers propose to carry out consultation about the exercise of their functions in relation to matters affecting the interests of business, and how they propose to consider the impact of the exercise of their functions on the interests of business.
278.The Welsh Ministers are obliged to keep the business scheme under review and may remake or revise it. Before making, remaking or revising the scheme, the Welsh Ministers are obliged to consult such organisations representing business (including trade unions) and such other organisations, as they consider appropriate. They are obliged to publish the scheme once made or remade, as well as revisions to the scheme, and must lay the same before the Assembly.
279.The Welsh Ministers must publish reports of how the proposals set out in the business scheme have been implemented. The first report must be published within the two year period beginning with the day on which the first business scheme is made. Subsequent reports must be published at intervals of no more than two years. These reports must be laid before the Assembly.
280.Under this section the Welsh Ministers are required to make, keep under review, and from time to time to remake or revise, a code of practice (“the regulatory impact assessment code”), setting out their policy on the carrying out of regulatory impact assessments in relation to Welsh subordinate legislation and on the carrying out of consultation in connection with regulatory impact assessments. The Ministers are under a duty to consult such persons as they consider appropriate before they make, remake or revise a code.
281.Regulatory impact assessments are assessments as to the likely costs and benefits of complying with the Welsh subordinate legislation in question.
282.The regulatory impact assessment code, and any revisions to it, must be published and laid before the Assembly.
283.Under this section the Welsh Ministers are required to make arrangements with a view to securing that their functions are exercised with due regard to the principle that there should be equality of opportunity for all people.
284.The Welsh Ministers are also required, after each financial year, to publish and lay before the Assembly a report containing a statement of the arrangements made under subsection (1) which had effect during that financial year and an assessment of how effective they were in promoting equality of opportunity.
285.Under this section the Welsh Ministers are required to adopt a Welsh language strategy which sets out their proposals for promoting and facilitating the use of the Welsh Language. The Welsh Ministers are also required to adopt a Welsh language scheme. The scheme must specify the measures they are proposing to take, for the purpose of giving effect (as far is appropriate and reasonably practicable) to the principle that English and Welsh should be treated on a basis of equality in the conduct of public business in Wales. The scheme applies in relation to the use of Welsh in connection with the provision of services to the public by the Welsh Ministers or by those acting as servants or agents of the Crown, or by those who are public bodies within the meaning of Part 2 of the Welsh Language Act 1993.
286.The Welsh Ministers must keep both the strategy and scheme under review, and may revise or replace them with new versions as they deem appropriate. The Welsh Ministers must consult such persons as they think appropriate before they adopt or revise a strategy or scheme. They are also required to publish the scheme and strategy when they are first adopted, and any new versions or revisions which are subsequently adopted, and to lay that which is published before the Assembly.
287.At the end of each financial year the Welsh Ministers must publish a report of how the proposals in the strategy and scheme were implemented in that financial year. The report must also set out how effective the implementation of the proposals in the strategy has been in promoting and facilitating the use of Welsh. A copy of the report must be laid before the Assembly.
288.Under this section the Welsh Ministers are required to make, keep under review, and from time to time remake or revise, a sustainable development scheme, setting out how they propose, in the exercise of their functions, to promote sustainable development. The Ministers are under a duty to consult such persons as they consider appropriate before they make, remake or revise a scheme.
289.The scheme, and any revisions to it, must be published and laid before the Assembly, as must an annual report by the Welsh Ministers, setting out how the proposals in the scheme were implemented during the preceding financial year.
290.The Welsh Ministers are also required, in the year after an ordinary general election is held, or was due to be held under section 3, to publish and lay before the Assembly a report containing an assessment of how effective the proposals contained in their scheme have been in promoting sustainable development.
291.This section makes it clear that a European Community obligation of the United Kingdom is also an obligation of the Welsh Ministers, the First Minister or the Counsel General if (and so far as) the obligation could be implemented or complied with by the exercise by the Welsh Ministers etc. of their functions.
292.Where, however, the obligation in question is to achieve a result defined by reference to a quantity and that quantity relates to the whole of the United Kingdom or some part of the United Kingdom which includes a part, or the whole, of Wales this rule does not apply unless a Minister has, after consultation with the Welsh Ministers, made an order under this section apportioning the obligation so as to define what contribution the Welsh Ministers must make to the achievement of that result.
293.This section also provides that the Welsh Ministers, First Minister and Counsel General have no power to make subordinate legislation, or to do any other act, if the subordinate legislation or act is incompatible with Community law or with an obligation imposed by an order of a Minister of the Crown made under this section.
294.This section provides that the Welsh Ministers, First Minister and Counsel General have no power to make subordinate legislation, or to do any other act, if the subordinate legislation or act is incompatible with the European Convention of Human Rights.
295.The section also provides that the only persons (apart from the Attorney General, the Counsel General, the Advocate General for Scotland, Advocate General for Northern Ireland or the Attorney General for Northern Ireland) who can bring proceedings on the ground that an act of the Welsh Ministers etc. is incompatible with Convention rights or rely on Convention rights in proceedings are persons who are “victims” for the purposes of Article 34 of the Convention. (Article 34 of the convention requires applications to the European Court of Human Rights to be from “any person, non-governmental organisation or groups of individuals claiming to be a victim of a violation of a Convention right”).
296.The section also makes clear that an act of the Welsh Ministers etc. is not outside their powers by reason of being incompatible with Convention rights if that act is not unlawful under section 6 of the Human Rights Act 1998, i.e. if the act in question was inevitable as a result complying with an Act of Parliament.
297.Further, the section restricts the damages which a court or tribunal may award in respect of an act incompatible with Convention rights to the damages which could be awarded if the act was found to be unlawful under section 6 of the Human Rights Act.
298.This section relates to international obligations of the United Kingdom which impinge on functions of the Welsh Ministers (and of the First Minister or Counsel General).
299.It firstly gives the Secretary of State a power to intervene in order to restrain and if necessary reverse action by the Welsh Ministers etc. which the Secretary of State considers to be incompatible with such an obligation. The Welsh Ministers etc. can be directed by order not to take a proposed action (including the making of subordinate legislation) and any subordinate legislation which has been made by the Welsh Ministers etc. (or which was made under powers since transferred to the Welsh Ministers etc. so that they now have the power to revoke it) may be revoked by order made by the Secretary of State, which may have retrospective effect.
300.The Secretary of State may also by order direct the Welsh Ministers etc. to take action which is within their powers if this is necessary in order to give effect to an international obligation.
301.If an international obligation requires a result to be achieved by reference to a quantity and that quantity relates to the United Kingdom as a whole, or to a part of the United Kingdom which includes Wales, the Secretary of State may make an order apportioning the obligation so as to define what contribution the Welsh Ministers must make to the achievement of that result.
302.Orders under this section, with the exception of orders under subsection (1) directing that a proposed action should not be taken may only be made after the Secretary of State has consulted the Welsh Ministers, and the orders must state the reason why they are being made.
303.Orders directing the Welsh Ministers etc. not to act in a way which they propose and those apportioning international obligations are subject to annulment in pursuance of a resolution of either House of Parliament. Those requiring the Welsh Ministers to take action and those revoking subordinate legislation require affirmative resolutions of each House of Parliament before they can be made.
304.This section empowers the Welsh Ministers (and the First Minister and Counsel General) and any Minister of the Crown, government department, public authority or holder of a public office in England and Wales, to enter into an arrangement under which each (including their respective staffs) exercises functions of the other. Functions to which such arrangements may relate may not, however, include functions of making, confirming or approving subordinate legislation contained in a statutory instrument. The fact that a party to such an arrangement has made arrangements under it for the other party to exercise a function on its behalf does not relieve the former of its legal responsibility in relation to the exercise of that function.
305.Where an enactment (usually an Act of Parliament) confers a power in relation to England and to Wales (or in relation to England and Wales and also to some other territory, such as Scotland) and the power is exercisable in relation to Wales by the Welsh Ministers (or the First Minister or Counsel General) but in relation to England by a Minister of the Crown, this section makes it clear that the fact that the power is exercisable under the same provision does not require it to be exercised in the same way in relation to both countries or indeed require it to be exercised at all by the Welsh Ministers etc. in relation to Wales. In other words the Welsh Ministers etc. may exercise their discretion as to how to exercise such functions differently from the way in which the relevant Minister of the Crown exercises the same discretion in relation to England. However, the provision made by this section is subject to any different provision which might be made by the enactment etc which gave the power to the Welsh Ministers, First Minister or Counsel General.
306.This section requires references in Acts of Parliament and other enactments or other documents to a “Minister of the Crown” or to a “government department” to be construed, where necessary (i.e. where relevant functions have been transferred to the Welsh Ministers, the First Minister or Counsel General) as references to the Welsh Ministers etc.. Similarly, references in such Acts or other enactments or other documents to property vested in or held for the purposes of a “government department” are to be construed as including references to property vested in or held by the Welsh Ministers etc..
307.Some Acts of Parliament impose requirements on Ministers of the Crown (and others) to lay reports or statements before Parliament. This section makes provision for those cases where the report or statement to be laid relates to matters in respect of which functions are exercisable by the Welsh Ministers, the First Minister, the Counsel General or the Assembly Commission, but the function of making or receiving the report or statement is not one which the Welsh Ministers, the First Minister etc have by virtue of this Act. If no functions in relation to the matters to which the report relates are exercisable any longer by Ministers of the Crown, the requirement to lay the document before Parliament is to be construed as a requirement to lay it before the Assembly instead. If a Minister of the Crown still has functions in relation to those matters, the document must be laid both before Parliament and before the Assembly.