Lee Waters MS

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...

The transcript of  Episode 4 of 'Y Pumed Llawr - The Fifth Floor   Welcome to the Fifth Floor. This is where Ministers in the Welsh Government are based. As soon as you take your oath of office you are in the spotlight, and under scrutiny. In a democracy it is the quid pro quo for power - You get to make decisions but you have to account for them. The Parliament, the press and the public are all watching what do you, and what you don’t do. But the elevator to the top of Ty Hywel in Cardiff Bay doesn’t just take you to a different floor, but a different world - a different branch of the constitution. From the Parliament to the Executive. It may not seem much, but it is a paradigm shift. A Senedd Member who makes the shift is no longer charged with holding the Government to account, but is now themselves accountable - to the Senedd through questioning and debate, and to the people of Wales, via the media and directly. As well as being central to the way we do Parliamentary democ...