Speech by the Presiding Officer at the reception hosted by the Presiding Officer and the Chair of the Sustainability Committee at the Royal Welsh Agricultural Show, July 25th 2007

This is an exciting period in Welsh politics as we stride towards a referendum and full legislative powers by 2011 and witness Plaid Cymru Ministers taking their seats around the Cabinet table for the first time as part of the new coalition government. The Government has set out its commitment to ensuring that rural Wales is an inextricable part of Wales’ economic and environmental future. The One Wales document states: “We will provide support to those communities in the many different parts of rural Wales to build a new future. We will not digress from playing our part in tackling global environmental challenges, in caring for our environment and in placing the family farm at the heart of our strategy for sustainable food production and rural development”.This is the measure of the Government’s commitment to rural life and sustainability. However, one of the most radical and far-reaching developments of late is the formal separation of the Government and the Assembly under the Government of Wales Act. One of my duties, as Presiding Officer, is to ensure that the Assembly puts its new powers into practice with enthusiasm and conviction. The challenge facing the new Assembly is to ensure that it operates in a transparent, open and accessible manner. It has a duty to scrutinise the Government, but not only can it influence new legislation, it can also propose its own measures. For the first time, new laws will be passed by the Assembly and it is crucial that people from all parts of society participate in the legislative process. The new petitions system will enable them to influence the process directly. Our new Committees with undertake proper scrutiny for the first time. The Sustainability Committee is one of our principal scrutiny committees and the Chair of the Committee, Mick Bates, will outline its work in greater detail. I am particularly pleased that a sub-committee has been established to focus on rural and agricultural issues. It met for the first time this morning. This is a logical step, which is hopefully indicative of the close relationship that will develop between our new committees and the electorate.