Gower AM welcomes First Minister’s plans for legislating in the year ahead

​Gower Assembly Member, Rebecca Evans AM, is supporting a new bill which will include reform of local authority electoral arrangements, including reducing the voting age to include 16 and 17-year-olds.  
 
The Bill was one of a number of bills announced by the First Minister of Wales, Carwyn Jones, who has set out a new legislative programme that includes measures to protect children, strengthen NHS governance, reform local government and lower the voting age.
 
The Welsh Government will introduce new legislation to end the physical punishment of children in Wales. The bill will be part of a package of measures to ensure children have the best start in life and provide support to parents. 
 
Another new bill will be introduced to ban the use of wild animals in travelling circuses on welfare grounds. 
 
In addition to the Welsh Government’s legislative programme, the National Assembly will be asked to undertake a substantial programme of correcting regulations under the EU (Withdrawal) Act between October and March in preparation for EU exit.
 
Rebecca Evans said “Having led on several pieces of legislation myself, including the wide-ranging Public Health Act, and the Act which ended the selling off of council houses so that we can keep them for the people who need them most, I know what a difference good law can make to people’s lives in Wales.
 
“It is clearly going to be another busy year of law-making, and will be keen to hear the views of local residents on these new Bills as they come forward.”