§ Mr. Wigleyasked the Lord President of the Council whether the civil servants servicing the Welsh National Assembly, as outlined in the White Paper, Command Paper No. 6348, will have clear 641W lines of responsibility to the executive members of the Assembly, and not to the Secretary of State for Wales; and whether those civil servants with clear responsibility to the Secretary of State for Wales will be called upon to act in any direct capacity on the instructions of the Assembly.
§ Mr. Edward ShortThe answer to the first part of the Question is "Yes". and to the second part is "No".
§ Mr. Wigleyasked the Lord President of the Council if he will clarify whether the Welsh ombudsman referred to in paragraph 218 of the White Paper, Command Paper No. 6348, will be empowered to investigate legislative aspects of subjects for which the Welsh National Assembly has executive responsibility.
§ Mr. Edward ShortThe Welsh Assembly Commissioner will be able to investigate action taken by or on behalf of the Welsh Assembly by members, committees or officers in the exercise of executive powers conferred on them by the devolution legislation or subsequent legislation. The purpose of the Commissioner's investigations will be, as in the case of the Parliamentary Commissioner, to establish whether maladministration has taken place and not to review the merits of legislation or the policies embodied in it.
§ Mr. Wigleyasked the Lord President of the Council if he will clarify his intention in paragraph 219 of the White Paper Command Paper No. 6348, as to whether it is intended to permit the Welsh National Assembly to open its own representative office in Brussels to liaise with officials of the EEC Commission, or to prohibit it from doing so.
§ Mr. Edward ShortAs Cmnd. 6348 made clear, the United Kingdom Government will remain responsible for the conduct of all aspects of international relations. There can, therefore, be no question of the establishment of separate Welsh diplomatic representation in Brussels.