§ The Secretary of State for Wales (Peter Hain)A consultation on the future of public sector Ombudsman services in Wales began in November last year when the First Minister of the National Assembly for Wales and I published "Ombudsmen's Services in Wales: Time for change?". That document invited views on a proposal to bring together the offices of Welsh Administration Ombudsman, Health Service Commission Wales and the Commissioner for Local Administration in Wales to create a unified Ombudsman's jurisdiction for Wales, led by a single individual. We undertook to consult further on the precise remit of the new office if the principle of a single jurisdiction was endorsed.
I can announce that responses to the consultation have given the proposal for a single Ombudsman's jurisdiction in Wales almost unanimous support. We will therefore move later this year to a further round of consultation on the jurisdiction and powers of this new Office. Individual copies and a summary of the responses will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.