Download or read book House of Commons Welsh Affairs Committee The Work Programme in Wales HC 264 written by Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Welsh Affairs Committee and published by The Stationery Office. This book was released on 2013-11-04 with total page 110 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Work Programme is the latest government-contracted employment programme, which aims to support long-term jobseekers into work and off unemployment benefits. Launched in June 2011, the Work Programme replaced a number of previous welfare-to-work programmes and consolidates employment support for a very wide range of jobseekers into a single mainstream programme. Providers, who are predominantly commercial companies, provide support to participants, and receive payments for finding participants sustained employment. In Wales one in nine people who joined the Work Programme in its first two years found sustained employment (defined as 13 or 26 weeks). This is the lowest rate in Great Britain, though not much lower than the average. The Committee's conclusions include: Working Links Wales and Rehab Jobfit-the two providers operating in Wales-must ensure that both they and their subcontractors have specific measures in place to support lone parents; and that Work Programme participants in Wales-unlike those in England-cannot access European Social Fund training and skills courses which is hampering the performance of the Work Programme in Wales and ultimately the opportunities available to the long-term unemployed. Similarly, DWP must enable participants to exit the Work Programme if required in order to access Jobs Growth Wales. The key issue here seems to be that there is a lack of flexibility in and between the various programmes set up to get people into work, and that this lack of flexibility appears to be more marked in Wales

Download or read book House of Commons Welsh Affairs Committee The Impact of Changes to Housing Benefit in Wales HC 159 written by Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Welsh Affairs Committee and published by The Stationery Office. This book was released on 2013-10-17 with total page 140 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The costs of housing benefit currently makes up more than a tenth of the UK Government's expenditure on welfare, with costs forecast to reach £25 billion by 2014-15. The Government's policy on under-occupation came into force in April 2013 and it is estimated that 40,000 tenants in Wales will be affected; representing 46% of working age housing benefit claimants living in the social rented sector. This is the highest proportion of any region in Great Britain. There could therefore be a shortage of one and two bedroom homes in Wales to re-house everyone who wants to downsize. If local authorities are struggling to find alternative smaller accommodation for Government should undertake a speedy review of this policy. It is also increasingly urgent for the Welsh Government to continue with its house-building programme, with a particular focus on the building of smaller sized properties: obviously this is a long-term solution that would require additional resources. If no social housing is available, tenants may need to move to the private rented sector and private rental costs would need to be monitored. The costs of moving disabled households who require adaptations are also a concern. There may be a case for exempting disabled households from the policy. The Government's proposal to pay housing benefit direct to social tenants under Universal Credit may result in some tenants being unable to manage their rent payments. The Committee recommends that the Government provide for housing benefit to be paid direct to the landlords in certain circumstances, for example after a specified period of non-payment

Download or read book House of Commons Welsh Affairs Committee Pre Legislative Scrutiny of the Draft Wales Bill HC 962 written by Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Welsh Affairs Committee and published by The Stationery Office. This book was released on 2014-03-03 with total page 60 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The draft Wales Bill was published following the recommendations of the Silk Commission in November 2012. It sets out to devolve tax and borrowing powers to the Welsh Government and National Assembly for Wales, make changes to the electoral arrangements of the National Assembly for Wales, and clarify and update the devolution settlement. The Government hopes that the provisions in the draft Wales Bill will enable devolved governance in Wales to become more accountable. The cross-party Committee believes partial devolution of income tax to the Welsh Government should be put to the people of Wales in a referendum. The cross-party Committee also has sympathy with the argument that the issue of "fair funding" must be resolved before any income tax powers are devolved so that Wales is not unfairly disadvantaged. The issue of fair funding - how the size of the block grant from the UK Government is determined, currently by the Barnett formula which has long been criticised as providing an unfairly low allocation to Wales - needs to be examined and should not wait until after the 2015 General Election. The National Assembly for Wales should have power to decide its own Assembly term length, rather than this being decided at Westminster. The Committee recommends the clause in the draft Bill which permanently extends the length of the Assembly from four to five years should be scrapped and replaced with provisions that give the National Assembly the powers to determine the length of its own electoral term.

Download or read book Broadcasting for Wales written by Elain Price and published by University of Wales Press. This book was released on 2022-10-15 with total page 315 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This study provides an insight into the history of one of Wales’ most important cultural organisation. It provides a detailed insight into the key decisions and debates from within S4C. It contains interviews with key individuals who were part of the debates and discussions providing significant context to those debates.

Download or read book HC 337 International Representation and Promotion of Wales by UK Bodies written by Great Britain. Parliament. House of Commons. Welsh Affairs Committee and published by The Stationery Office. This book was released on 2014 with total page 56 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This report calls on VisitBritain and Visit Wales to jointly develop, by February 2015, a coherent strategy for promoting Wales as a first choice destination for international visitors to the UK. While the current number of international tourists to Wales remains below pre-2006 levels, there is substantial potential for growth in Wales' tourism market. Wales has some of the most spectacular landscape in Britain and Europe, a unique culture, language and history, dynamic cities, and offers a range of activities and a high quality of life. Wales' potential as a tourist destination is being undersold and there is concern that Wales still has a low profile overseas compared to other parts of the UK The tourism bodies Wales need to grasp this opportunity and maximise Wales' potential as a destination. UKTI should be mandated to begin to address the great disparities in wealth and investment across the UK, and the Committee calls for a dedicated Welsh trade promotion agency, to drive inward investment into Wales. Wales has masses of unfulfilled potential for increasing tourism. The responsible agencies in Cardiff and London and the respective Ministers need to work together more to maximise opportunities

Download or read book Devolution written by Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Justice Committee and published by The Stationery Office. This book was released on 2009-05-24 with total page 106 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Devolution was a major component of the Government's package of proposed constitutional reform for the United Kingdom post 1997. Devolution has fundamentally transformed politics within the devolved territories, but it has also had a significant impact on the make-up and the constitution of the United Kingdom. Fundamental changes in the way Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are governed have not been followed by major changes in the way England is governed. Matters which are the responsibility of devolved Parliaments in the rest of the UK are, in England, determined by the United Kingdom Government and Parliament. This report identifies several changes required to improve the current infrastructure and the procedures and practices of governance in the UK after devolution, in order to facilitate the effective and efficient functioning of the asymmetric system of devolution. Whitehall was not ready for devolution. Departmental responsibility for overseeing the working of the UK's system of government has been divided and unsettled, and the report recommends that a lead department responsible for devolution strategy be identified. The second half of the report identifies two significant constitutional and political issues which have been brought into sharp focus since the onset of devolution in 1999: first, the fact that England remains highly centralised under the authority of the UK Government and Parliament, resulting in the "English Question", a phrase which encapsulates a range of different questions in relation to the governance of England, and, secondly, the increasing concern about the efficacy and application of the Barnett Formula as the means for the allocation of increases and decreases in public funds.

Download or read book From Depression to Devolution written by Leon Gooberman and published by University of Wales Press. This book was released on 2017-02-01 with total page 281 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Throughout the twentieth century, Wales underwent rapid and far-reaching economic upheavals on such a scale that few avoided their impacts – from recessions, war, changing fortunes within the iconic steel and coal industries, the rise and decline of manufacturing, as well as the gradual rise to dominance of the service sector – the changes were as dramatic as was the intensity of attempts to deal with their consequences. Wales was a laboratory for government intervention in the economy, ranging from the attraction of investment and the clearance of land made derelict by industry, to the regeneration of urban areas. This is the first book to focus on these actions and to outline why, how and with what effect governments intervened, and it contains timely commentary as economic performance remains one of the most important issues facing contemporary Wales.

Download or read book Annual Report For 2004 written by Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Liaison Committee and published by The Stationery Office. This book was released on 2005 with total page 112 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Annual report For 2004 : First report of session 2004-05, report, together with appendices and formal Minutes

Download or read book Work of the Committee 2008 09 written by Great Britain. Parliament. House of Commons. Welsh Affairs Committee and published by The Stationery Office. This book was released on 2010 with total page 56 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Work of the Committee 2008-09 : Third report of session 2009-10, report, together with formal Minutes

Download or read book The Welsh Criminal Justice System written by Robert Jones and published by University of Wales Press. This book was released on 2022-10-15 with total page 308 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Devolution Law Making and the Constitution written by Robert Hazell and published by Andrews UK Limited. This book was released on 2015-12-01 with total page 356 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Law making is a primary function of government, and how well the three devolved UK legislatures exercise this function will be a crucial test of the whole devolution project. This book provides the first systematic study and authoritative data to start that assessment. It represents the fruits of a four-year collaboration between top constitutional lawyers from Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland and leading researchers in UCL's Constitution Unit. The book opens with detailed studies of law making in the period 1999–2004 in the Scottish Parliament and the Assemblies in Wales and Northern Ireland, and how they interact with Westminster. Later contributions look at aspects of legislative partnership in the light of the UK's strongly asymmetric devolutionary development, and also explain the unexpected impact of devolution on the courts. Individual chapters focus on various constitutional aspects of law making, examining the interplay of continuity and change in political, legal and administrative practice, and the competing pressures for convergence and divergence between the different parliaments and assemblies. This book is essential reading for academics and students in law and in politics, and for anyone interested in the constitutional and legal aspects of UK devolution, not least the practitioners and policymakers in London, Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast.

Download or read book The Welsh Language Commissioner in Context written by Diarmait Mac Golla Chríost and published by University of Wales Press. This book was released on 2016-07-20 with total page 165 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: it is the first book on the subject much of the research data provides a unique insight to the development of government policy and is exclusive to this book several of the research results are quite striking and will be of great interest to academics and policy actors alike

Download or read book Legislating for Wales written by Thomas Glyn Watkin and published by University of Wales Press. This book was released on 2018-09-01 with total page 285 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: It provides a critical description and evaluation of how laws are made for Wales including the most recent changes made by the Wales Act 2017 which come into effect in 2018. It analyses and assesses the process of preparing and drafting legislation for Wales in terms of the requirements of democratic processes and respect for the rule of law. It analyses and assesses the legislative procedures of the legislatures which make law for Wales, explaining how they reflect the demands of law-making in a representative democracy. It is written in a clear and accessible style which does not require prior knowledge of its subject matter. It is written by two authors who between them have considerable experience at the highest levels of the law-making processes of Wales and the UK.

Download or read book Crossing the Border written by Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Welsh Affairs Committee and published by The Stationery Office. This book was released on 2013-03-06 with total page 130 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Problems with key M4 transport route continue to risk damage to Welsh economy. The route has suffered from under-investment and congestion for too long. The UK and Welsh Governments must work together to find attainable, funded solutions to these problems. The Committee also says the high toll on the Severn Crossing is still hampering the development of businesses in Wales and deterring inward investment to Wales and the UK Government should bring forward proposals for reducing it. The Committee also welcomes the new investment in cross-border rail links into Wales but the exclusion of South Wales from the HS2 proposals means businesses and people may relocate eastwards across the border. The development of a high speed rail link from Wales to England would be an important boost to the Welsh economy and help to achieve the aim of successive Governments of rebalancing the UK economy. There are good examples of joint working between the two governments to secure improvements to strategic cross-border routes, and especially welcome is the almost £2 billion of rail investment on the electrification of the Great Western Main Line and a proposed new rail link to Heathrow Airport. But the Committee says it is unclear why the Welsh Government should be entitled to a "Barnett" consequential payment in respect of the Crossrail project but not HS2. It also notes that rail connectivity between North and Mid Wales and England has been overlooked for too long and calls for more frequent rail connections from Mid Wales to England.

Download or read book The voluntary code of practice in the dairy sector written by Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Welsh Affairs Committee and published by Stationery Office. This book was released on 2013-05-21 with total page 78 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Dairy farming is of considerable economic and social importance to Wales, accounting for a third of all agricultural production by value and employing thousands of people. The dairy industry in Wales has an estimated total economic output of about £420m, one third (30%) of all Welsh agricultural production. There are 1,901 dairy farmers in Wales who produce 1.5 billion litres of milk per year, 12% of the total UK milk volume. The 224,000 dairy cattle in Wales constitute about 12% of the UK dairy herd. Long-standing cost pressures on dairy farmers came to a head in a crisis in summer last year, 2012, when processors announced a series of milk price reductions to be implemented at short notice. The Committee's key conclusions are: (i) The new voluntary code of practice is an important step forward to redress the balance in the contractual relationship between dairy producer and purchaser; (ii) The Committee urges all dairy processors who have not yet signed the voluntary code to do so; (iii) The code must be given time to work; (iv) Should the voluntary code fail, the UK Government must legislate for a statutory code of contracts.

Download or read book Review of the Lco Process written by Great Britain. Parliament. House of Commons. Welsh Affairs Committee and published by The Stationery Office. This book was released on 2010 with total page 60 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Welsh Affairs Committee finds many aspects of the Legislative Competence Order (LCO) process - the mechanism for the Assembly to bring forward proposals to extend its lawmaking powers - are working well. After more than two years in operation, the LCO process has proved to be an effective system for the transfer of powers to Wales.

Download or read book Government Publications of written by Great Britain. Her Majesty's Stationery Office and published by . This book was released on 1985 with total page 556 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: