Lee Waters MS

  When I was asked to set a reading list for students studying for a Masters Degree in Welsh Politics at Cardiff University it became obvious that very little has been written about how decisions get made and how the institutions of government work. Six months after handing in my Ministerial pass for WG HQ in Cathays Park and the Fifth Floor of Ty Hywel in Cardiff Bay I sat down with a dozen people I'd worked with in Welsh Government, but who were now longer bound by the codes of secrecy, and had long-form conversations to try and explore some of the inner workings to provide some material for students to understand. The full set of transcripts of these 'Cathays Conversations' have been published by Cardiff University.  With the help of an iPhone and a simple audio editing software package I set about turning this raw material into a radio documentary series which thanks to the wonders of podcasting I would easily share with students and those with a general interest in how...

The transcript of Episode 8 of 'Y Pumed Llawr - The Fifth Floor Civil servants can’t answer back. They can’t respond to criticism. So it’s not fair to criticse them. But once a year, the top civil servant in Wales, does get the microphone. The Senedd’s Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee holds an annual public hearing with the Welsh Government’s Permanent Secretary so that they can be scruitised on the annual accounts. And as we discussed in the second episode the accountability of the civil service in Wales is a fuzzy concept.  The Permanent Secretary is both the CEO of the Welsh Government and the principal policy adviser to the First Minister. As part of the UK senior Civil Service Sir Andrew Goodall is answerable to the Head of the UK Civil Service, the Cabinet Secretary, for “the leadership of the departments”. But is answerable to the First Minister for the delivery of the Welsh Government’s priorities. And in his role as the Principal Accounting Officer the P...

The transcript of Episode 7 of 'Y Pumed Llawr - The Fifth Floor They say that “Laws are like sausages, it is better not to see them being made”. This messy process is one of headaches Ministers face on the Fifth Floor of Ty Hywel My name is Lee Waters and for five years I was a member of the Welsh Government. And for this series I’ve spoken with fellow former Ministers, advisers, and civil servants to try and explain the pressures faced by those working on the Fifth Floor in getting things done. In previous episodes I’ve focused on the themes former colleagues raised the when I asked them ‘what frustrated you most?’ The range of responsibilities, the pace of the civil service in delivering change, the relationship with local government, the weakness of scrutiny, the management of political pressures. These were all on the list. But the one consistent answer, the headache common to all, was making legislation. [Tom Woodward] I mean, the bills take such a long time, they generally st...

The transcript of Episode 6 of 'Y Pumed Llawr - The Fifth Floor You’re listening to the Fifth Floor, a look inside the Welsh Government to reveal the pressures faced by Ministers in getting things done. My name is Lee Waters, and for 5 years I was a Minister in the Welsh Government. I’ve been speaking with former Special Advisers, civil servants and Ministers to try and explain the inner workings of politics and government in Wales to help students get a richer understanding of how the machine works. The full set of transcripts have been published by Cardiff University and you can find the link in the notes. I recorded these free-flowing conversations, and many of the people you’ll hear, are speaking on the record for the first time. Each episode considers a major pressure that confronts you when you step out of the lift at the top of Ty Hywel. _____________ So here you are, a Government Minister, sitting in your office on the Fifth Floor, trying to address a problem. Let's ass...

The transcript of Episode 5 of 'Y Pumed Llawr - The Fifth Floor When you step out of the elevator onto the Fifth Floor as a Minister the system does its best to make you feel powerful: Funding to allocate; recommendations to agree, speeches to make, new initiatives to trigger. Very busy. Much in demand. Very important. But you soon learn the limitations of your powers [Kirsty Williams] There is not a lot that happens in Welsh Government that does not impinge on the sphere of influence of local authorities. And quite understandably, they constantly remind you of that. Constantly remind you of that. Kirsty Williams was Minister for Education for 5 years, and had a clear idea of the changes she wanted to make. But when she tried to pull the levers of reform she quickly realised that she wasn’t entirely in charge of the wiring. [KW} You know, so much of what Welsh Government is about actually is then handed over to local government to do. So they can make or break stuff - even if you g...