Cynulliad Cenedlaethol Cymru / National Assembly for
Wales
Pwyllgor yr Economi, Seilwaith a Sgiliau
/
Economy, Infrastructure and Skills Committee
Comisiwn Seilwaith Cenedlaethol i Gymru
/
National Infrastructure Commission for Wales
Gan/From:
Cymdeithas Contractwyr Peirianneg Sifil Cymru (CECA Wales
Cymru) /
Civil Engineering Contractors Association (CECA Wales
Cymru)
CECA Wales
responses to the following issues:
1.
What the role,
remit and objectives of the Commission should be:
- The role of the
Commission should, initially, be to provide independent and
evidence based recommendations on infrastructure and related
matters to meet the economic, social and environmental ambitions of
Wales and the Welsh Government within the context of UK, European
and global economic conditions. However, consideration should be
given to the Commission developing delivery and investment
functions as is the case in other nations.
- Whilst the
Commission could initially be established as a non-statutory body
(to enable its rapid establishment) it should move quickly to a
statutory footing to ensure that its recommendations carry
sufficient weight and credibility.
- Strategically its
remit should encompass all forms of new infrastructure including
social infrastructure such as housing, schools and hospitals. The
integration of social infrastructure with transport, for instance,
is absolutely essential given the obvious inter-dependencies and
the need for connectivity between places of working and living.
Operationally consideration should be given to extending its remit
to delivery and investment functions either directly, on a
commissioning basis or through formal partnerships with others e.g.
Welsh Development Bank.
- The objectives of
the Commission should be to :
-
- Provide
independent advice, guidance and recommendations to the Welsh
Government on all matters relating to infrastructure including how
best to finance and deliver infrastructure programmes;
- Develop a
long-term programme (15-20 years) of prioritised infrastructure
projects aligned to the economic ambitions of the
nation;
- Develop an
investment strategy to support delivery of the
programme;
- Develop a skills
strategy to support delivery of the programme.
2.
How
the Commission should operate, and what methodologies it should
adopt for conducting its work:
- The Commission
should operate via a Board of Directors and a small Executive
team;
- The strategic
direction and governance of the Commission should be provided by
the Board of Directors;
- Operational
delivery should be managed by a small Executive team of experts
commissioning specific pieces of work via appropriate suppliers
– although this could increase as the remit of the Commission
changes;
- Its initial focus
should be on understanding the economic ambitions of the Welsh
Government within the context of UK, European and global economic
environments and setting out, in broad terms, the infrastructure
needed to deliver these ambitions;
- The Commission
needs to develop a strong evidence base to inform its
decisions;
- It should liaise
closely with a wide range of stakeholders across Wales and ensure
alignment with other UK infrastructure proposals.
3.
How
the Commission should be governed and funded to ensure its
independence from the Welsh Government:
- The Commission
should operate as an “arms-length” body, independent of
the Welsh Government, with a Board of Directors, selected via
public appointment, with specific areas of expertise;
- It should not be
administered by Welsh Government officers but, rather, by a small
team of experienced staff to deliver/commission specific pieces of
work in support of its objectives;
- It should be
funded by the Welsh Government and have a budget which will allow
it to commission specific areas of work;
- It should reflect
Wales’ diverse communities and should operate/meet across the
whole of Wales.
4.
Examples of UK and
international best practice that the Commission could learn
from:
- UK Government
National Infrastructure Commission;
- Scottish
Futures;
- National
Development Agency Ireland;
- Infrastructure
Australia.
5.
How
the work of the Commission should incorporate the principles of the
Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015:
- The process of
embedding the principles of the WFG Act 2015 in Welsh life is at a
very early stage;
- The Commission
should ensure that all of its outputs consider and report issues
against each of the principles so that any justification can be
formally considered by stakeholders and other interested
parties;
- The Future
Generations Commissioner should be a formal consultee to the
Commission.
6.
How
and to what extent the work of the Commission should influence
Welsh Government decision making and prioritisation of
infrastructure projects:
- If the Commission
is to have any value and credibility the outputs of its work (eg
recommendations) should be implemented in all cases unless specific
consideration is given by Welsh Government Ministers to disregard
or amend the proposals. In any instance where the work of the
Commission is not implemented a formal report should be presented
outlining the reasons why proposals are not progressed;
- Responsibility for
the development of an investment strategy to support any proposals
is essential if the Commission is to have any credibility and
accountability. This should not be limited by a prescribed envelope
of funding set by the Welsh Government – particularly as the
Commission should also be considering the impacts and benefits of
non-devolved and private sector infrastructure
projects;
- Recommendations
made by the Commission on infrastructure related issues such as
future workforce skills should be considered by the appropriate
Minister and treated as for direct infrastructure
issues.
7.
How
the work of the Commission should interact with regional
infrastructure priorities and City/Growth Deals:
- Given the obvious
economic interdependencies and infrastructure connections within
the different regions of Wales there needs to be a continuous
dialogue between the Commission and the various regional/city
bodies to ensure alignment of objectives and priorities and
investment;
- NICW should be
able to examine regional infrastructure proposals from a broader
Welsh perspective to confirm alignment and to identify potential
opportunities, impacts and risks for the Welsh economy (similar to
Infrastructure Australia).
8.
What relationship
the Commission should have with the UK Government’s
Commission on cross-border issues and infrastructure in areas that
are partially devolved:
- Given the obvious
economic interdependencies and infrastructure connections between
Wales and the remainder of the UK there needs to be a continuous
dialogue between both Commissions;
- NICW should be
able to examine UK infrastructure proposals from a Welsh
perspective to identify opportunities, impacts and risks for the
Welsh economy;
- Similarly, there
should be opportunities for the UK NIC to scrutinise and challenge
any proposals put forward by NICW to ensure that all proposals are
fully debated and to ensure alignment.
Submission by
:
Ed Evans,
Director, Civil Engineering Contractors Association (CECA)
Wales