The Agricultural Advisory Panel for Wales (Establishment) Order 2016

EXPLANATORY NOTE

(This note is not part of the Order)

This Order establishes the Agricultural Advisory Panel for Wales (“the Panel”). The Panel is an independent advisory body to the Welsh Ministers. The Panel’s functions are to promote careers in agriculture, to prepare agricultural wages orders in draft, consult on such orders and submit them to the Welsh Ministers and to advise the Welsh Ministers on such other matters relating to the agricultural sector in Wales.

Article 3 prescribes the date on which the Panel will be established.

Article 4 sets out how the Welsh Ministers will appoint a person to be the chair of the Panel.

Article 5 sets the number of Panel members at seven and prescribes how they will be appointed. In addition to the chair, there will be two independent members and four other members. Two of the four other members will be selected from within UNITE and the remaining two other members will be selected from within each of the Farmers’ Union of Wales and the National Farmers Union respectively.

Article 6 imposes a duty on the Welsh Ministers and the organisations set out in article 5 to appoint or select their respective first members of the Panel in advance of the date on which the Panel is established.

Article 7 provides that the members of the Panel will hold office for a term of four years and explains how the Welsh Ministers may remove any member of the Panel. No member of the Panel may hold office for longer than a total of eight years.

Article 8 specifies that the chair of the Panel may only resign by providing at least two months’ notice in writing to the Welsh Ministers. Any other member of the Panel may resign as a member of the Panel by providing at least two months’ notice in writing to the chair of the Panel.

Article 9 prescribes that where any vacancy arises in the membership of the Panel, it must be filled as soon as is reasonably practicable by an appointment in accordance with Article 5 by either the Welsh Ministers or the relevant organisation.

Article 10 imposes a duty on the chair of the Panel to convene the Panel’s first meeting as soon as practicable, and no later than 80 days after the establishment date.

Article 11 deals with the proceedings of the Panel, its sub-committees and sets the quorum of Panel. Another member of the Panel may act as chair in the event that the chair of the Panel is unable to attend a meeting.

Article 12 imposes a duty on the Panel to meet at least three times each financial year and sets out how members will be informed of upcoming meetings along with how any meeting should be recorded.

Article 13 provides the Panel with the power to create sub-committees, refer matters to such sub-committees and request advice from them.

Article 14 creates a duty on the Panel to establish a permanent “Skills, Development and Training Sub-committee” to advise the Panel, amongst other things, on skills development, training and career progression opportunities for agricultural workers and any other related matters. The Wales Federation of Young Farmers’ Clubs and the skills training organisation LANTRA will each select one representative each to sit as members of the Skills Development and Training Sub-committee together with, as a minimum, the independent members.

Article 15 permits the Panel to obtain advice from individuals or organisations in order to assist them in the exercise of their functions, subject to seeking approval from the Welsh Ministers should there be any costs associated in obtaining the advice.

Article 16 enables the Welsh Ministers to pay remuneration to the chair of the Panel and independent members. Any member of the Panel may be paid allowances in connection with carrying out their duties as a Panel member, such as travel and subsistence.

Article 17 sets out the Panel’s first financial year and each financial year thereafter.

Article 18 imposes a duty on the chair of the Panel to produce an annual report to include a summary of the work of the Panel for the previous financial year. The report must be submitted to the Welsh Ministers who will then publish it.

The Regulatory Impact Assessment applicable to this Order is obtainable from the Department of Natural Resources, Welsh Government, Cathays Park, Cardiff, CF10 3NQ and on the Welsh Government website at www.gov.wales.