Commentary on Sections Sections 8 and 9 – The Welsh Ministers’ well-being objectives and other public bodies’ well-being objectives
38.Section 8 requires the Welsh Ministers to publish well-being objectives, as required under sections 3 and 7 of the Act, no later than six months after the date of each general election of the Assembly. ‘General election’ refers to either an ordinary or extraordinary election of the Assembly as defined in sections 3 or 5 of the Government of Wales Act 2006.
39.The well-being objectives of the Welsh Ministers must be set for their term of government, which is until the scheduled date of the next ordinary Assembly election, as defined in section 3 of the Government of Wales Act 2006.
40.Section 9(2) provides that other public bodies, namely those listed in section 6 but excluding the Welsh Ministers, must initially set and publish their well-being objectives before the start of the financial year that follows the commencement of section 9 of the Act. Each public body must then set and publish subsequent well-being objectives at such time as they consider appropriate. Each public body must always have well-being objectives in place which contribute to the achievement of the well-being goals.
41.The Welsh Ministers and the other public bodies must, under sections 8(3) and 9(3) respectively, review their well-being objectives should the well-being goals be amended. This is intended to ensure the well-being objectives remain aligned with the current well-being goals.
42.If following a review, the Welsh Ministers and/or a public body determine that a well-being objective is no longer appropriate, they must revise the objective. For example, an objective could be considered no longer appropriate if the well-being goal(s) to which the objective contributes has been amended or the matter the well-being objective is addressing has changed (the objective is no longer relevant) or the well-being objective is not achieving the anticipated improvement in relation to the well-being goal(s) (the well-being objective is no longer effective).
43.The Welsh Ministers or the other public bodies may review and revise their well-being objectives at any time they consider appropriate under sections 8(5) and 9(5) respectively. Revised well-being objectives must be published as soon is reasonably practicable.
44.Section 8(6) provides that any well-being objectives revised by the Welsh Ministers must be set for the remainder of their term of government.
45.Sections 8(8) and 9(7) respectively require the Welsh Ministers and the other public bodies to have regard to the latest Future Generations Report, as prepared by the Commissioner under the provisions of section 23 of the Act, when setting or revising their well-being objectives. The Future Generations Report may help public bodies in understanding what improvements they could make in order to set and achieve their well-being objectives in accordance with the sustainable development principle.