What is the function of cross-party groups in the Senedd?

Mike Hedges – MS for Swansea East

Whilst what most people see of the Senedd is the theatre of First Minister’s questions, budget setting and set piece debates, a lot of other activities occur including Senedd full sessions called plenary sessions, committee meetings and outside the formal Senedd meetings cross party groups.

Cross-party groups are set up by Members of the Senedd in respect of any subject area relevant to the Senedd which they are interested.

A group must include Members from at least three political parties represented within the Senedd. The purpose of cross-party groups is to provide a forum for Members of the Senedd from different political parties to meet to consider and discuss shared interests in particular subjects with other interested people.

Although cross-party groups are not formal Senedd groupings and are not, therefore, part of Senedd proceedings they are still bound by formal Senedd Cymru ‘rules for the operation of cross-party groups.’

Activities

Each cross-party group must elect a Chair and a Secretary and the Chair of the group must be a Member of the Senedd. The group’s Secretary may be a Member of the Senedd, a member’s support staff, but are usually an individual from outside the Senedd working for an organisation with an interest in the subject.

The Secretary must only act where they have the approval of the Chair of the group, and all notices inviting members and others to meetings, correspondence, documentation, and other arrangements relating to the activities of the Group must be issued in the name of it.

A cross-party group must meet to elect its officeholders although the meeting can be online. It is expected that officeholders will initially be elected at an inaugural annual general meeting.

However, officeholders may also be elected at other meetings of the group. Following any election of an officeholder, the Chair of the group should notify the change to the Senedd table officer and information on office holders is published on the Senedd’s website.

Annual report

These rules state that in addition to a cross-party group’s inaugural AGM at its first meeting in a Senedd term, groups must then also have an AGM every 12 months, at which the group must again nominate and vote for office holders, and that within six weeks of an AGM (other than the inaugural AGM), groups must issue an Annual Report and Financial Statement.

Following the holding of an inaugural AGM officeholders of Cross-Party Groups should register with the table office of the Senedd.

There are a lot of cross-party groups with health dominating, currently there are over eighty cross party groups with  over twenty-five health related. Outside health, subjects covered vary from the armed forces and apprenticeships to wool and animal welfare.

Speakers

Cross party groups allows the organisations involved with each area to meet and discuss key issues relevant to them. Often well informed outside speakers provide updates on areas covered by the cross-part group.

They provide an opportunity for organisations to bring their concerns to all Senedd members who  can create written and oral Senedd questions and use the information to help with contributions in debates.

They also provide a way that organisations can interact collectively with Senedd members.

For example, the cancer cross part group’s purpose is to facilitate discussion between; Members of Senedd; medical professionals; charities and those affected by cancer, to identify ways to improve cancer outcomes and patient experience in Wales, and to campaign for those improvements.

Cei Cryer, the secretary of the CPG on age and Ageing, said: “The Cross-Party Group on Older People and Ageing, chaired by Mike Hedges MS, with Secretariat provided by Age Cymru, provides an important forum for organisations representing older people and for Members of the Senedd and/or their researchers, to have the opportunity to discuss issues affecting older people in Wales, to hear updates from Ministers, and to learn about new research from presentations by various organisations.

“Over the last year the Group has discussed important issues such as the prevention of the abuse of older people, integrating mental health in care home transitions, and delays in social care in Wales, to promote the understanding of issues affecting older people in Wales.”

Valuable

Mark Isherwood MS who chairs several cross-party groups said: “Cross-Party Groups are widely recognised as a valuable part of the democratic process, and I have been privileged to be elected and re-elected to Chair several of these over many years and Senedd/Welsh Parliament terms.

“The great strength of these groups is their direct engagement with both the relevant bodies and charities which deliver key services in our communities and know what is really going on, and, most importantly, with the people who are directly affected. By accessing their lived experience first-hand, cross-party groups can provide true representation on the issues they exist to give voice to, speaking truth to power, raising awareness and helping to drive change.

“Effective cross-party groups carry out meaningful work, taking evidence, campaigning, conducting enquiries, producing reports with recommendations, and engaging directly with Government.”