Welsh Conservatives have voiced concerns over an internal Assembly Government report into the running of the Department for the Economy & Transport that identifies management weaknesses which exposed the department to “significant risk”.
Commenting on the report, Shadow Minister for the Economy & Transport David Melding AM said:
“This report makes for incredibly disturbing reading. The Assembly Government’s decision to refuse to release the full report under the Freedom of Information Act is unacceptable.
“I urge the Assembly Government to conduct a full and open investigation into the management failures in the department.
“It is only proper that it until this investigation is concluded, the Director of the department should stand aside temporarily.
“Furthermore, given that this report suggests major problems with the management and delivery within the department, I call on the Minister to halt the rollout of the Economic Renewal Programme and reconsider its implementation in the light of the investigation’s conclusion.”
Leader of the Opposition Nick Bourne AM added:
“While we have welcomed the announcement of the Economic Renewal Programme and acknowledge that the strategy itself is not wrong, we have obvious concerns about the ability of senior department management’s ability to deliver it.
“There are a number of areas within the Department that are a serious cause of concern.
“An investigation into the report’s findings must be held as a matter of urgency and the department’s management, including the Minister, must be held to account where serious shortcomings are found.
“The First Minister and his colleagues cannot not hide behind the Freedom of Information Act and have an obligation to the people of Wales to answer these very serious claims.”
