Government of Wales Act 1998

Miscellaneous

119 Publication and inspection of documents

(1) Where the Assembly publishes any document, it shall make a copy of the document available for public inspection.

(2) Where the Assembly makes any document available for public inspection—

(a) the document shall be made available for such inspection free of charge, and

(b) (subject to subsection (3)) members of the public shall be afforded facilities for obtaining copies of the document (or of any part of it).

(3) The Assembly may make a charge for supplying copies of (or of any part of) any document which it publishes or makes available for public inspection.

(4) Subsections (2) and (3) have effect subject to any provision contained in, or made under, any enactment which provides for—

(a) the making of charges for the inspection of documents,

(b) the making of charges for supplying copies of documents (or parts of documents), or

(c) the supply of copies of documents (or parts of documents) free of charge.

(5) An Assembly member shall be entitled to a single free copy of any document such as is mentioned in subsection (3).

(6) Neither subsection (2)(b) nor subsection (5) requires or authorises the doing of any act which infringes the copyright in any work; but nothing done in pursuance of subsection (2)(b) or (5) constitutes an infringement of Crown copyright.

(7) Subsection (4) does not authorise the inclusion in the standing orders of provision contrary to subsection (2).

120 Equality of opportunity

(1) The Assembly shall make appropriate arrangements with a view to securing that its functions are exercised with due regard to the principle that there should be equality of opportunity for all people.

(2) After each financial year the Assembly shall publish a report containing—

(a) a statement of the arrangements made in pursuance of subsection (1) which had effect during that financial year, and

(b) an assessment of how effective those arrangements were in promoting equality of opportunity.

121 Sustainable development

(1) The Assembly shall make a scheme setting out how it proposes, in the exercise of its functions, to promote sustainable development.

(2) The Assembly shall keep the scheme under review and in the year following each ordinary election (after the first) shall consider whether it should be remade or revised.

(3) The Assembly may not delegate the function of making, or remaking or revising, the scheme.

(4) The Assembly shall publish the scheme when first made and whenever subsequently remade and, if the scheme is revised without being remade, shall publish either the revisions or the scheme as revised (as it considers appropriate).

(5) The Assembly shall consult such persons or bodies as it considers appropriate before making, remaking or revising the scheme.

(6) After each financial year the Assembly shall publish a report of how its proposals as set out in the scheme were implemented in that financial year.

(7) In the year following each ordinary election (after the first) the Assembly shall publish a report containing an assessment of how effective its proposals (as set out in the scheme and implemented) have been in promoting sustainable development.

122 English and Welsh texts of Assembly instruments

(1) The English and Welsh texts of any subordinate legislation made by the Assembly which is in both English and Welsh when made shall be treated for all purposes as being of equal standing.

(2) The Assembly may by order provide in respect of any Welsh word or phrase that, where it appears in the Welsh text of any subordinate legislation made by the Assembly, it is to be taken as having the same meaning as the English word or phrase specified in relation to it in the order.

(3) An order under subsection (2) may, in respect of any Welsh word or phrase, make different provision for different purposes.

(4) Subordinate legislation made by the Assembly shall, subject to any provision to the contrary contained in it, be construed in accordance with any order under subsection (2).

123 Provision of information to Treasury

Where it appears to the Treasury that any information in the possession or under the control of the Assembly is required for the exercise of any function by the Treasury, the Treasury may require the Assembly to provide the information to the Treasury in such form as the Treasury may reasonably specify.

124 Documentary evidence

A document purporting to be—

(a) duly executed under the seal of the Assembly, or

(b) signed on behalf of the Assembly,

shall be received in evidence and shall, unless the contrary is proved, be taken to be so executed or signed.

125 Minor and consequential amendments

Schedule 12 (minor and consequential amendments relating to Parts I to IV and this Part) has effect.