§ Dr. WrightTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list the executive non-departmental public bodies sponsored by his Department which(a) have a statutory base, (b) admit members of the public to all board or committee meetings and (c) hold open meetings for the public; and if in each case this is (i) under a statutory requirement or (ii) voluntarily. [16174]
§ Mr. Hague(a) The Curriculum and Assessment Authority for Wales, the Countryside Council for Wales, the Cardiff Bay development corporation, the Development Board for Rural Wales, the Further and Higher Education Funding Council, Housing for Wales, the Land Authority for Wales, the Residuary Body for Wales, the Welsh Development Agency, the Welsh Language Board, the Welsh National Board for Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visiting, the Wales tourist board and the agricultural wages committees are all established by statute. Other bodies are established under royal warrant or royal charter.
(b) Only the Residuary Body for Wales, as a levying body, is bound by a statutory requirement, under the Public Bodies (Admission to Meetings) Act 1960, to open its board meetings to the public. The public are allowed access to board meetings of CBDC, LAW and WNB but are asked to leave if confidential matters are to be discussed.
(c) No NDPB is statutorily required to hold open meetings for the public; CCW, the national library of Wales and the national museum of Wales—NMW—hold such meetings voluntarily.