Approval to proceed with the process of appointing members to the Welsh-medium Education Strategy Ministerial Advisory Group

Date of decision / Dyddiad y penderfyniad:

21 June 2012

Statement of information / Datganiad gwybodaeth:

The Minister for Education and Skills is being asked to approve the appointments process for the Welsh-medium Education Strategy Ministerial Advisory Group.

The Welsh Government launched the Welsh-medium Education Strategy in April 2010. The Strategy contains fixed five-year and indicative ten-year targets based on outcomes, which will be used to monitor progress in implementing the Strategy. A comprehensive review of the Strategy will be undertaken after the initial five-year period (2015).

There is a commitment in the Strategy to establish an Advisory Group to advise the Minister for Education and Skills on its implementation. The Implementation Programme states that ‘A Strategy Advisory Group will also be established with representation from major stakeholders. This body will meet annually, and will be chaired by the Minister for Education and Skills. Its purpose will be to advise on progress, in particular the coordination of planning of Wels-medium provision’.

The original Welsh-medium Education Strategy Ministerial Advisory Group was established in 2010 and has met on three occasions. The Minister for Education and Skills has requested that the current Group be disbanded and a public appointments exercise undertaken to appoint members to a new Ministerial Advisory Group.

The length of the appointments to the Group will be for three years, with the possibility of extending the appointment, subject to satisfactory review, for a further 3 years. It is intended that the Group will consist of no more than 7 members with some members representing more than one subject area. The Group will meet up to three times and it is considered to be advantageous to hold at least one meeting outside of Cardiff. Members will be unpaid, but will be reimbursed for reasonable costs associated with attending these meetings which will include travel and subsistence and supply cover.

The Welsh Government is committed to making appointments to public bodies, whether paid or unpaid, by fair and open competition. Appointments to the Welsh-medium Education Strategy Ministerial Advisory Group do not come within the remit of the Commissioner for Public Appointments. However these appointments will be made using a process which takes into account the Commissioner’s Code as best practice.  

The application process reflects the Welsh Government’s policy to promote and integrate equality of opportunity into all aspects of its business including appointments to public bodies.  A wide range of organisations including women’s groups, ethnic minority communities and disabled groups will be informed of the opportunities and invited to circulate the advert to potential candidates. Applications from people in under represented groups, including women, minority ethnic communities and disabled people are welcomed.

The powers are in section 61(k) of the Government of Wales Act 2006 which allow the Welsh Ministers to do anything they consider appropriate to support the Welsh language.  The Welsh Ministers also have a duty in section 10 of the Education Act 1996 to promote the education of people in Wales.  The duty in section 10 was conferred on the Secretary of State and transferred to the National Assembly for Wales by the National Assembly for Wales (Transfer of Functions) Order 1999 and is now vested in the Welsh Ministers by paragraph 30 of Schedule 11 to the Government of Wales Act 2006.