WALES: I am very sorry I will not be part of the future.Byline: By TOM BODDEN Welsh Affairs CorrespondentASSEMBLY presiding officer Noun 1. presiding officer - the leader of a group meeting leader - a person who rules or guides or inspires others moderator - someone who presides over a forum or debate Lord Dafydd Elis-Thomas was accused yesterday of forcing a top civil servant out of his job. The Assembly clerk Paul Silk Paul Silk was born in Crickhowell, Powys and is currently a Clerk in the British House of Commons. Silk was formerly Clerk to the National Assembly for Wales from March 2001 to January 2007 and acted as the principal adviser to the Presiding Officer and was responsible for , 54, told staff that he was leaving after more than five years in the post to return to Westminster. But deputy presiding officer and Wrexham AM John Marek John Marek PhD (born 24 December 1940), is the leader of the Welsh political party Forward Wales. He represented the Wrexham Welsh Assembly constituency at the National Assembly for Wales from 1999 to 2007. fired off an angry email to Lord Elis-Thomas, who had paid tribute to Mr Silk's "unique contribution". Dr Marek said: "I knew nothing about this until last Tuesday and am, frankly, appalled at the way Paul has been forced out by you. "Even more important, the Assembly will need his services when primary legislation passes through the various procedures in the Assembly." Assembly sources denied that the presiding officer had forced Mr Silk out. The move came after a decision by the all-party shadow Assembly commission to appoint a chief executive to run the parliamentary services after the Government of Wales Act There have been two Government of Wales Acts of the Parliament of the United Kingdom:
Mr Silk told staff: "It is clear to me that members of the Shadow Commission would like someone with a different skill set from mine to take on this role. I can understand this. I have therefore decided that I shall not apply for the post. "In many ways, I am very sorry that I will not be part of the very exciting future of the Assembly. "But I believe that I have done something since I arrived in March 2001 to build up a parliamentary organisation which can take its proper place among the legislatures of the United Kingdom." He is due to leave in January. Dr Marek's email, circulated to all AMs, questioned the decision to appoint a chief executive. "Those are the extra duties we will have as an Assembly, there will be no other significant new responsibilities. "The WAG will draft and translate Bills: the Assembly will need to manage the procedure once the Bills are presented to it. "A chief executive appointment, probably from local government, will put us on a level with other county councils. "I would like to think that you do not wish this to happen. "We won't succeed in replacing Paul Silk with anyone who has his particular expertise and diligence exactly in the area where we are to have the new duties! "Worse, all this plotting has been done in August and the views of Assembly Members have not been sought. "Paul does not wish to leave and your job is to make sure he doesn't!" Lord Elis-Thomas declined to comment yesterday but had issued a statement to AMs. "I would like to place on record my warmest thanks to Paul for his unique contribution in developing the Assembly Parliamentary Service, which has prepared us so well for implementing the Government of Wales Act 2006," he said. The Meirionydd Nant Conwy AM, who chairs the shadow commission, added: "His combination of parliamentary skills and knowledge of procedure has served both the Assembly, and Wales Wales, Welsh Cymru, western peninsula and political division (principality) of Great Britain (1991 pop. 2,798,200), 8,016 sq mi (20,761 sq km), west of England; politically united with England since 1536. The capital is Cardiff. , well in its formative years. I wish him well in his future plans." The Assembly's top civil servant, Sir Jon Shortridge Jon Shortridge KCB became Permanent Secretary of the Welsh Office in March 1999 and of the National Assembly on its creation in May 1999. He was educated at Chichester High School and has a degree (MA) in Philosophy, Politics and Economics from Oxford University, and in Urban , told party leaders yesterday: "Paul Silk has informed me that he will not be an applicant and wishes to take up a secondment to the House of Commons House of Commons: see Parliament. from January 2007 for a period of up to five years." tom_bodden@lineone.net CAPTION(S): Assembly clerk Paul Silk is to leave his post and presiding officer Lord Dafydd Elis-Thomas is accused of forcing him out' Angry: AM John Marek |
|
||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion