Lords’ members could be barred from being AMs
ACTIVE members of the House of Lords would be barred from becoming Assembly Members in future, under legislative proposals published by the Assembly Commission.
The suggestion follows a recommendation made in 2014 by the Constitutional and Legislative Affairs Committee, which investigated the categories of people who should be disqualified from sitting as AMs.
The committee’s report stated: “We are satisfied that there is potentially a conflict of interest in having the ability to serve two legislatures that scrutinise primary and secondary legislation that potentially could cover the same policy area.”
Currently two AMs are members of the House of Lords: former Plaid Cymru leader Dafydd Elis-Thomas, who now sits as an Independent AM and serves as Culture Minister, and Eluned Morgan, who is Minister for the Welsh Language and Lifelong Learning, as well as a candidate for the Welsh Labour leadership.
Under the legislative proposal, AMs who are peers would be able to keep their seats if they took leave of absence from the House of Lords until they ceased being AMs.
Responding to the proposal, Baroness Morgan said: “I’m aware of the discussions around the proposals that come before AMs next week. As an AM, who also has a seat in the House of Lords, I would be more than happy to take a leave of absence. In reality, AMs already bear a huge responsibility and in practical terms with increasing devolution, the scheduling of Assembly business and an increasing workload means that for me, nearly all of my time is spent between the Mid and West Wales region and the Assembly.
“However, as a member of the House of Lords, I do think that I have been able to make a really important contribution to Welsh life and to how we govern ourselves. In beating back the Tory Westminster government, through the Lords it has been possible to win important victories on the Wales Bill and the Trade Union Bill. Victories that have made it possible to set Wales on a very different path such as on workers’ rights, for example.
“So being able to influence and speak up in the Welsh national interest was on those occasions absolutely essential.
“Since being elected to the Assembly, I have attended the Lords on a very rare number of occasions for things like the Brexit debate. I have not claimed the daily allowance (of up to £300) unless it was to pay for actual costs such as travel or accommodation.
“I am very clear that my principal responsibility is to my democratically elected position as an Assembly Member for the people of Mid and West Wales.”
Lord Elis-Thomas did not respond to a request for comment.
The suggestion to bar dual membership of the Assembly and the House of Lords is one of several proposals in the Welsh Parliament and Elections (Wales) Bill, to be introduced in the Assembly on October 10.
Using new powers devolved under the Wales Act 2017, the Assembly Commission proposes to introduce a bill to change the name of the Assembly to Senedd Cymru/ Welsh Parliament, lower the voting age for Assembly elections to 16, and make other changes to the Assembly’s electoral and internal arrangements. The Commission would like these changes to be implemented by 2021.
Presiding Officer Elin Jones said: “The Commission is grateful to all who continue to engage with us on these matters.
“We believe that lowering the voting age to 16 will give young people a stronger voice in the future of our nation, paving the way to improving the participation of our next generation in our democracy and our parliament as it enters its third decade of serving the people of Wales.”