§ 6. Mr. Paul Flynn (Newport, West)What measures he intends to promote to improve democratic systems in Wales. [85160]
§ The Secretary of State for Wales (Mr. Alun Michael)The establishment of the National Assembly for Wales has brought democracy closer to the people of Wales. Our modernisation agenda involves increasing local accountability; encouraging councils to give local people a greater say in how councils are run; reviewing electoral procedures to encourage greater participation in voting; and seeking to enable councils to experiment with the way in which local authorities are conducted. Our specific proposals for local government are set out in the White Paper, "Local Voices: Modernising Local Government in Wales", which was published in July 1998.
§ Mr. FlynnDoes my right hon. Friend agree that commercial lobbying is the mother of corruption and the enemy of open democracy? What will he do to guarantee that the infestation of Cardiff by commercial lobbyists in the past few months will not succeed in gaining them any influence whatever on Welsh Office decisions or on the policies of the Welsh Assembly?
§ Mr. MichaelI am not sure about the infestation to which my hon. Friend refers, but I have certainly seen a lot of organisations taking a great deal of interest in Cardiff because they view the arrival of the Assembly as something positive for business as well as for the whole of Wales. The greatest protection is the fact that, built into the design of the National Assembly for Wales, and supported by the House, are the three partnerships: with local government, with the voluntary sector and—relevant to my hon. Friend's question—with business. To have open contact with business at every level is the best way of ensuring that we have good governance and protection against any inappropriate approaches to Assembly members or to the Assembly as a whole.
§ Mr. Richard Livsey (Brecon and Radnorshire)In the interests of improving democracy in Wales, and given the scams that have occurred in local government in both north and south Wales, when will the Secretary of State introduce proportional representation for local government elections in Wales?
§ Mr. MichaelThe hon. Gentleman has an inventive way of getting a traditional old Liberal song into this debate. I have no such plans at present.
§ Mr. Ted Rowlands (Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney)When does my right hon. Friend intend to light the bonfire 637 of the quangos? Was it not our position in devolution debates that we would abolish many of the quangos, which were the plague of the previous Administration?
§ Mr. MichaelI am sorry that my hon. Friend has not noticed the steps that have already been taken, including the ending of Tai Cymru and the reduction of the number of NHS trusts. Those steps have made considerable progress in reducing the dependence on quangos that developed under the previous Government. Now that the Assembly is in place, many other decisions are being taken in an open and democratic way, and that will increase as the Committees of the Assembly take up their duties. The position of some of the remaining bodies will be reviewed. For instance, the Cardiff Bay development corporation will wind up in the coming year.
§ Mr. Nicholas Winterton (Macclesfield)If the Secretary of State improves the democratic system in Wales, will that lead to a reduction of junior Ministers in the House?
§ Mr. MichaelThat is a matter for the Prime Minister.