Social Partnership and Public Procurement (Wales) Bill

The Equality and Social Justice Committee is undertaking Stage 1 scrutiny into the general principles of the Social Partnership and Public Procurement (Wales) Bill (the Bill). In order to help inform its scrutiny, the Committee asked for views on the general principles of the Bill and the need for legislation to deliver the stated policy intention. Those contributing to the consultation were invited to consider the Bill’s key provisions, which are:

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>>>   the establishment of a Social Partnership Council;

>>>   a statutory duty on certain public bodies to seek consensus or compromise with their recognised trade unions (or where there is no recognised trade union) other representatives of their staff, when setting their well-being objectives and delivering on those objectives under section 3(2) of the WFG Act 2015;

>>>   a statutory duty on Welsh Ministers to consult social partners, employers and worker representatives through the Social Partnership Council when delivering on their well-being objectives under section 3(2)(b) of the WFG Act 2015 ;

>>>   amendment of section 4 of the WFG Act 2015 by substituting ‘fair work’ for ‘decent work’ within the existing  “A prosperous Wales” goal;

>>>   a statutory duty on certain public bodies to consider socially responsible public procurement when carrying out procurement, to set objectives in relation to well-being goals, and to publish a procurement strategy

>>>   certain public bodies to carry out contract management duties to ensure that socially responsible outcomes are pursued through supply chains.

>>>   reporting duties to be imposed on the public bodies and Welsh Ministers in relation to the Social Partnership Duty and Procurement duty.

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Contributors were also invited to consider:

Any potential barriers to the implementation of the Bill’s provisions and whether the Bill takes account of them;

The appropriateness of the powers in the Bill for Welsh Ministers to make subordinate legislation (as set out in Chapter 5 of Part 1 of the Explanatory Memorandum);

Whether there are any unintended consequences arising from the Bill; and

The financial implications of the Bill (as set out in Part 2 of the Explanatory Memorandum).

The consultation ran until Friday 22 July 2022.