Welsh commissioner bid is turned down

The Department for Education and Skills has rejected a call for the
children’s commissioner for Wales to have a remit that covers all
aspects of Welsh children’s lives.

In the DfES response to the Welsh Affairs Committee’s fifth report
on the children’s commissioner published this week, the government
said non-devolved matters would be determined in Westminster.

The DfES quashed the committee’s fears that the children’s
commissioner for England would have too much power, stating: “The
children’s commissioner remit will cover non-devolved matters
across the UK, but that does not mean he or she will be at the top
of a ‘hierarchy’ of commissioners.”

In response to the committee’s claim that the government had not
correctly assessed resources for the children’s commissioner for
England in respect of their obligations to Wales, the DfES said it
did not intend to “ring-fence” the budget.