Experts gather in Cardiff for seminar on Wales devolution
A total of 50 leading experts will gather for a seminar hosted by Aberystwyth University in Cardiff today to explore a particular aspect of the changes in the way Wales is being governed since devolution.
The inter-disciplinary seminar is being organized by the University's Institute of Welsh Politics and the Department of Law & Criminology at the Pierhead building in Cardiff Bay.
It will bring together Commissioners, Ombudsmen, key decision-makers, Civil Servants and leading academics from Wales and beyond to examine the role of these key figures in Welsh public life.
Professor John Williams, Head of the Department of Law and Criminology at Aberystwyth University and one of the convenors said: “Commissioners and Ombudsmen are a prominent feature of Welsh governance and indicate how Wales has developed its distinctive path of governance and policy-learning since devolution. The Children's Commissioner, the Older People's Commissioner for Wales, the Welsh Language Commissioner now play a leading role in their respective fields. They promote and highlight issues while contributing to the scrutiny and development of government policy.
“Ombudsmen meanwhile have become key figures responsible for scrutinizing services and practices while simultaneously making valuable interventions with regard to developing policy in Wales.
“Wales pioneered the role of the Children's Commissioner during the early years of devolution, a post which has since been replicated in other areas of the UK while the Welsh Language Commissioner is the latest attempt to promote and facilitate the use of the Welsh language.
“We have also witnessed the creation of the Older People's Commissioner in Wales while other parts of the UK have developed their own versions and variants. However the differences between the various offices and the difficulties experienced by them have not yet been fully explored; potential challenges, opportunities and developments may therefore remain unaddressed.
“While some academic work has looked at the role of individual Commissioners or Ombudsmen, this will be the first attempt to take a broad overview of these offices in the context of the changing nature of Welsh governance”, added Professor Williams.
The Seminar will hear from Commissioners and Ombudsmen active in other parts of the UK and Ireland and it will aim to broaden the understanding of the changing patterns of governance while potentially highlighting major policy implications for the future nature of Welsh governance.
The Seminar will explore the legal status and accountability of the Commissioners and Ombudsmen, their relations with governments and legislatures, their policy-making input and the implications of multi-level nature of governance within the devolved UK.
It will also address the way in which members of the public access the services of the Commissioners and Ombudsmen.
Through engagement between academics and practitioners, the seminar attempts to reflect on, and influence the future shape of Welsh governance post-devolution.
Commissioners and Ombudsmen and the infrastructure of Welsh Governance: lessons from Wales and lessons for Wales
Convenors: Dr Elin Royles, Ann Sherlock and Prof John Williams, Aberystwyth University
Date: Thursday 20 March 2014
Location: The Pierhead, National Assembly for Wales, Cardiff Bay
Sponsorship: Rosemary Butler AM, Presiding Officer National Assembly for Wales
Financial Support: Institute of Welsh Politics, Department of Law and Criminology, Sir David Hughes Parry Fund, Aberystwyth University
Rationale: The aim of this inter-disciplinary seminar is to critically examine the role of Commissioners and Ombudsmen within the political and administrative structures of devolved Welsh governance in a comparative context. Commissioners and Ombudsmen are a prominent feature of Welsh governance and indicate how Wales has developed its distinctive path of governance and policy learning from other international cases. To date, valuable academic work has considered individual Commissioners in Wales (e.g. the Children’s Commissioner, the Older People’s Commissioner for Wales, the Welsh Language Commissioner) with some comparative work with other cases (e.g. UK and Ireland). However, this work has not been brought together to reflect more broadly upon the position of Commissioners and Ombudsmen in Wales and this is therefore an understudied academic area that has major policy implications for the future nature of Welsh governance. Drawing on a comparative perspective, this seminar seeks to examine various factors relating to Commissioners and Ombudsmen, particularly their legal status and accountability, their relations with executives and legislatures, their policy-making input and the implications of multi-level governance and the multi-level division of competences within the devolved UK. Our aim is that the current Commissioners and Ombudsmen in Wales will participate along with other key decision-makers from the Welsh Government and Civil Service, National Assembly for Wales and counterparts from other parts of the UK and Ireland. Through engagement between academics and practitioners, the seminar attempts to reflect on, and influence the future shape of Welsh governance post-devolution.
The inter-disciplinary seminar is being organized by the University's Institute of Welsh Politics and the Department of Law & Criminology at the Pierhead building in Cardiff Bay.
It will bring together Commissioners, Ombudsmen, key decision-makers, Civil Servants and leading academics from Wales and beyond to examine the role of these key figures in Welsh public life.
Professor John Williams, Head of the Department of Law and Criminology at Aberystwyth University and one of the convenors said: “Commissioners and Ombudsmen are a prominent feature of Welsh governance and indicate how Wales has developed its distinctive path of governance and policy-learning since devolution. The Children's Commissioner, the Older People's Commissioner for Wales, the Welsh Language Commissioner now play a leading role in their respective fields. They promote and highlight issues while contributing to the scrutiny and development of government policy.
“Ombudsmen meanwhile have become key figures responsible for scrutinizing services and practices while simultaneously making valuable interventions with regard to developing policy in Wales.
“Wales pioneered the role of the Children's Commissioner during the early years of devolution, a post which has since been replicated in other areas of the UK while the Welsh Language Commissioner is the latest attempt to promote and facilitate the use of the Welsh language.
“We have also witnessed the creation of the Older People's Commissioner in Wales while other parts of the UK have developed their own versions and variants. However the differences between the various offices and the difficulties experienced by them have not yet been fully explored; potential challenges, opportunities and developments may therefore remain unaddressed.
“While some academic work has looked at the role of individual Commissioners or Ombudsmen, this will be the first attempt to take a broad overview of these offices in the context of the changing nature of Welsh governance”, added Professor Williams.
The Seminar will hear from Commissioners and Ombudsmen active in other parts of the UK and Ireland and it will aim to broaden the understanding of the changing patterns of governance while potentially highlighting major policy implications for the future nature of Welsh governance.
The Seminar will explore the legal status and accountability of the Commissioners and Ombudsmen, their relations with governments and legislatures, their policy-making input and the implications of multi-level nature of governance within the devolved UK.
It will also address the way in which members of the public access the services of the Commissioners and Ombudsmen.
Through engagement between academics and practitioners, the seminar attempts to reflect on, and influence the future shape of Welsh governance post-devolution.
Commissioners and Ombudsmen and the infrastructure of Welsh Governance: lessons from Wales and lessons for Wales
Convenors: Dr Elin Royles, Ann Sherlock and Prof John Williams, Aberystwyth University
Date: Thursday 20 March 2014
Location: The Pierhead, National Assembly for Wales, Cardiff Bay
Sponsorship: Rosemary Butler AM, Presiding Officer National Assembly for Wales
Financial Support: Institute of Welsh Politics, Department of Law and Criminology, Sir David Hughes Parry Fund, Aberystwyth University
Rationale: The aim of this inter-disciplinary seminar is to critically examine the role of Commissioners and Ombudsmen within the political and administrative structures of devolved Welsh governance in a comparative context. Commissioners and Ombudsmen are a prominent feature of Welsh governance and indicate how Wales has developed its distinctive path of governance and policy learning from other international cases. To date, valuable academic work has considered individual Commissioners in Wales (e.g. the Children’s Commissioner, the Older People’s Commissioner for Wales, the Welsh Language Commissioner) with some comparative work with other cases (e.g. UK and Ireland). However, this work has not been brought together to reflect more broadly upon the position of Commissioners and Ombudsmen in Wales and this is therefore an understudied academic area that has major policy implications for the future nature of Welsh governance. Drawing on a comparative perspective, this seminar seeks to examine various factors relating to Commissioners and Ombudsmen, particularly their legal status and accountability, their relations with executives and legislatures, their policy-making input and the implications of multi-level governance and the multi-level division of competences within the devolved UK. Our aim is that the current Commissioners and Ombudsmen in Wales will participate along with other key decision-makers from the Welsh Government and Civil Service, National Assembly for Wales and counterparts from other parts of the UK and Ireland. Through engagement between academics and practitioners, the seminar attempts to reflect on, and influence the future shape of Welsh governance post-devolution.
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