1. 1. Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Local Government – in the Senedd at on 15 February 2017.
Mike Hedges
Labour
7. Will the Cabinet Secretary make a statement on the proposed general power of competence for local authorities in Wales? OAQ(5)0086(FLG)
Mark Drakeford
Labour
2:16,
15 February 2017
Llywydd, there was widespread support for a general power of competence for local authorities in Wales when the previous Government consulted on the draft Local Government (Wales) Bill. It remains a key part of our plans for reform, as set out in the white paper published on 31 January.
Mike Hedges
Labour
Can I thank the Cabinet Secretary for that response? It’s been called for by local authorities for at least 30 years. Can the Cabinet Secretary explain how it will benefit local authorities, and confirm it does away with the need to prove surplus capacity in order to sell goods and services to the private sector?
Mark Drakeford
Labour
2:17,
15 February 2017
Well, Llywydd, the general power of competence is a power of the first resort. It allows local authorities to carry out things for the benefit of their local populations without needing to find the specific power that allows them to do that. It is a general power, of course, designed to give local authorities more freedom within the law, not freedom from the law.
Elin Jones
Plaid Cymru
And, finally, question 8—Caroline Jones.
The cabinet is the group of twenty or so (and no more than 22) senior government ministers who are responsible for running the departments of state and deciding government policy.
It is chaired by the prime minister.
The cabinet is bound by collective responsibility, which means that all its members must abide by and defend the decisions it takes, despite any private doubts that they might have.
Cabinet ministers are appointed by the prime minister and chosen from MPs or peers of the governing party.
However, during periods of national emergency, or when no single party gains a large enough majority to govern alone, coalition governments have been formed with cabinets containing members from more than one political party.
War cabinets have sometimes been formed with a much smaller membership than the full cabinet.
From time to time the prime minister will reorganise the cabinet in order to bring in new members, or to move existing members around. This reorganisation is known as a cabinet re-shuffle.
The cabinet normally meets once a week in the cabinet room at Downing Street.
A document issued by the Government laying out its policy, or proposed policy, on a topic of current concern.Although a white paper may occasion consultation as to the details of new legislation, it does signify a clear intention on the part of a government to pass new law. This is a contrast with green papers, which are issued less frequently, are more open-ended and may merely propose a strategy to be implemented in the details of other legislation.
More from wikipedia here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_paper
