National Assembly for Wales - Home Home Home Management of marine protected areas in Wales ​We want to know your views on caring for Welsh seas, how we can better protect them and how often you visit your local coastline and seas around Wales. Have your say here Loneliness and isolation ​A new inquiry will look at the impact of loneliness and isolation, particularly on older people in Wales and what can be done to tackle the issue. Should the National Assembly for Wales change its name? assembly.wales/name What type of youth service does Wales want? A radical approach is needed to address the alarming decline in youth services, says the Children, Young People and Education Committee. What's on at the Assembly News and Blog Posts Focus Content Box ‭[1]‬ Find out about our committees Committees carry out many functions, including scrutinising the expenditure and policies of the Welsh Government, holding them to account and examining proposed legislation. Focus Content Box ‭[2]‬ Jobs at the Assembly We employ people with a range of skills in departments across the organisation including: Facilities, Visitor Relations, Communications, Finance, ICT, Research, Security and Translation. Stay up to date with what’s happening at the Assembly We have a number of social media channels you can follow...

​The Presiding Officer is an Assembly Member who chairs Plenary meetings. Read more Assembly Members The National Assembly for Wales is made up of 60 Assembly Members. Read more Consultations View a list of the issues that Assembly committees are currently consulting on. Read more Research The Research Service provides research support to the Assembly's committees and to all Members. Read more The Assembly in your area We encourage participation from individuals and organisations. Read more Assembly Members Assembly Members Header content The National Assembly for Wales is made up of 60 Assembly Members. 40 Assembly Members represent the constituencies of Wales - your local area - and 20 Assembly Members represent the five regions: North Wales, Mid and West Wales, South Wales West, South Wales East and South Wales Central. Assembly Members carry out the work of the National Assembly for Wales; they represent the interests of Wales and its people, make laws for Wales and hold the Welsh Government to account. Assembly Members Region list intro ​Each person in Wales is represented by five Assembly Members: one for your constituency – local area – and four for your region, either North Wales, Mid and West Wales, South Wales West, South Wales East or South Wales Central. WriteToThem - Who should I write to?

Who should I write to? As a UK citizen, you have many representatives, at several levels of government. Each of them has a different set of responsibilities, and it is worth making sure that your message goes to the person who is best placed to help you. When should I contact a Greater London Assembly Member? When should I contact my MP? You’ll often hear people say, "I’m going to write to my MP" when something upsets them. It’s a wide-held belief that MPs are there to solve every type of problem. In fact, Parliament and central government are only responsible for certain matters. Those are the issues with which your MP can help. If your problem does not fall within one of the following areas, then you should consider contacting one of your other representatives. MPs can help you with matters such as: Tax problems involving HM Revenue & Customs (but not issues with, for example, the council tax, which is administered by your local authority). Problems with hospitals and the NHS, if you are in England. The Scottish Parliament and the Welsh Assembly are responsible for health matters in Scotland and Wales respectively. Problems with benefits, pensions and national insurance (but not problems with the social services department of your local authority).

Issues dealt with by the Home Office, such as immigration. In England, matters such as school closures and grants (but not day to day problems involving schools, which are overseen by their governors and your local education authority). In Scotland and Wales the devolved Parliament and Assembly respectively are responsible for education issues. Your MP cannot help you in private disputes with other individuals or with companies who have sold you faulty goods, nor, for example, can they interfere with decisions made by courts. You and Your MP [PDF], a factsheet produced by Parliament, has more information about what your MP can do for you. When should I contact a councillor? Councillors have differing responsibilities depending on which council you live in. Because of these variations we are only able to give you ‘rule-of-thumb’ guidance here. Firstly, in England you may have two levels of council: County and District, in which case their responsibilities are divided as follows: District Councillors: If you have one or more District Councillor, they tend to deal with issues around council housing, planning, rubbish collection, the local environment, and the administration of elections.

County Councillors: If you have one or more county councillors, they tend to deal with education, transport and roads, fire and social services plus libraries. Otherwise, you will have only one council, whose responsibilities differ depending on exactly where you live. We describe these on the page which lists your councillors. Don’t worry if you’re not absolutely sure who to pick! Whoever you write to should forward your letter to the most appropriate person, if you haven’t got it quite right. When should I contact an MEP? If you have a question about proposed European directives (laws), the European Parliament, Commission or Union, your MEPs may be able to help. Once passed, EU laws become the responsibility of national governments and parliaments to implement, so you may wish to contact your MP about them in that case. In addition, and for all EU matters, the European Commission and Parliament also have specific Information Offices within the UK – and ec.europa.eu/unitedkingdom . If you have an enquiry, rather than a problem, they are a good place to start. Note that MEPs cannot help raise an issue with the European Court of Human Rights. The Convention is incorporated into UK law, so any challenge must start in the UK legal system.

When should I contact an MSP? MSPs deal with any issues for which the Scottish Parliament is responsible. They include: health tourism, economic development and financial assistance to industry some aspects of transport, including the Scottish road network, bus policy and ports and harbours law and home affairs, including most aspects of criminal and civil law, the prosecution system and the courts police and fire services Devolution of powers to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland - GOV.UK GOV.UK Devolution of powers to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland From: First published: 18 February 2013 Explaining the background to devolution and how the legislatures and administrations of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland work. Contents Relations between administrations Overview Devolution is a process of decentralisation, and puts power closer to the citizen so that local factors are better recognised in decision-making. This guide summarises how the political and administrative powers of the devolved legislatures - Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland - have changed as a result of devolution.

A more detailed breakdown of the changes in each territory is given in the following guides: Northern Ireland Background to devolution In September 1997, referendums were held in Scotland and Wales, and a majority of voters chose to establish a Scottish Parliament and a National Assembly for Wales. In Northern Ireland, devolution was a key part of the Agreement, sometimes referred to as the Good Friday Agreement or the Belfast Agreement, supported by voters in a referendum in May 1998. Following this public endorsement, Parliament passed 3 devolution Acts: the Scotland Act 1998; the Northern Ireland Act 1998; and the Government of Wales Act 1998 (which was later effectively superseded by the Government of Wales Act 2006). These acts established the 3 devolved legislatures, which were given some power previously held at Westminster. Parliament remains sovereign, and retains the power to amend the devolution Acts or to legislate on anything that has been devolved. That said, the government has made clear it will not normally legislate on a devolved matter without the consent of the devolved legislature, which requires a Legislative Consent Motion.

Devolved legislatures One of the main differences between Parliament and the devolved legislatures is in the way members are elected. Whilst all Members of Parliament are elected using first-past-the-post, elections to the devolved legislatures involve an element of proportional representation: Members of the Scottish Parliament and the National Assembly for Wales are elected to represent either a constituency using first-past-the-post, or a region on the additional member system, which uses the d’Hondt model of proportional representation. Members elected in different ways have equal roles in these 2 legislatures. All members of the Northern Ireland Assembly are elected on the single transferable vote form of proportional representation. Devolved administrations In a similar way to how the government is formed from members from the 2 Houses of Parliament, members of the devolved legislatures nominate ministers from among themselves to comprise an executive, known as the devolved administrations, as follows: the Scottish government is a working majority government comprised of the Scottish National Party. the Welsh government is a minority government formed by the Labour Party.

the Northern Ireland Executive is a five-party power-sharing executive comprising the largest parties in the Assembly: the Alliance Party of Northern Ireland the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) Sinn Féin the Social Democratic Labour Party (SDLP) the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) Officials in the devolved administrations do not serve the same ministers as HM government – ie, they do not work to the Prime Minister or to Secretaries of State who form the Cabinet, but to their own ministers with their own political priorities and mandates. Territorial offices Within HM government, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are each represented in cabinet by a territorial secretary of state, who ensures the smooth running of the devolution settlements and acts as the lynchpin of the relationship between the devolved administration and HM government. The responsibilities of the territorial secretaries of state are: handling legislation as it affects the territory representing the territory’s interests in the cabinet and cabinet committees responding to parliamentary interests in territorial affairs transmitting the block grant to the devolved administration supporting collaboration between HM government and the devolved administration promoting the interests of the territory Each devolved territory has its own department, responsible for liaising between the UK government and the relevant territory.

For further details of duties and activities, see the respective web pages for: Northern Ireland Office Memorandum of Understanding The Memorandum of Understanding ( MOU ) between the UK government and the devolved administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland was agreed in September 2012. It sets out the principles which support relations between these administrations. The MOU lays emphasis on the principles of good communication, consultation and co-operation. Attached to the MOU is an agreement on the Joint Ministerial Committee, including a protocol on the avoidance and resolution of disputes, and concordats on the coordination of European Union Policy Issues, Financial Assistance to Industry, and International Relations. (See the section on the JMC below.) Funding the devolved administrations The devolved administrations’ budgets are normally determined within a Comprehensive Spending Review alongside departments of the UK and in accordance with the policies set out in the Statement of Funding Policy (pdf) published by HM Treasury. Funding is provided to the devolved administrations from the government as a block grant.

This means once the money is received by the devolved administration, it can be spent on any devolved responsibility as the administration sees fit and with the approval of the devolved legislature (in the same way Parliament at Westminster approves HM government’s budget). Changes in the devolved administrations’ budgets are normally determined by the Barnett formula, which provides them with a population-based share of changes in comparable spending by HM government departments. This is set out in the Statement of Funding policy and largely removes the need for detailed negotiations directly the allocation between Treasury ministers, secretaries of state and ministers of the devolved administrations. This example shows what would happen if the government gave the Department for Transport ( DFT ) an additional £100 million: 3.43% £3.22 million These consequentials (adjustments of funding) are provided in addition to the DFT ’s £100 million, so while £100 million is provided to the UK department, HM Treasury will actually be giving out £116.43 million. This means any in-year increases in departmental budgets may mean additional funds will be given to the devolved administrations, which HM Treasury need to take account of.

It is also important to note that these consequentials can also be negative – if DFT ’s budget is reduced by £100 million, the Scottish government’s budget will be reduced by £9.22 million, the Welsh government’s by £3.99 million and the Northern Ireland Executive’s by £3.22 million. There are some small variations to this in Scotland and Northern Ireland: the Scottish Parliament can vary the basic rate of income tax by 3 pence (with the increased yield arising from an increase in the rate going to the Scottish government to spend, and the opposite occurring if the rate is lowered) - this power has never been used the Northern Ireland Executive has a borrowing power, whereas the Scottish and Welsh governments do not by 2016 provisions of the Scotland Act 2012 will provide the Scottish Parliament with new borrowing powers and create a Scottish variable rate of income tax Relations between administrations Relations between Whitehall and the three devolved administrations are based on extra-statutory principles and arrangements. The main elements are set out in a Memorandum of Understanding (‘the MOU ’) between the UK government and the devolved administrations.

The MOU lays emphasis on the principles of good communication, consultation and co-operation. Concordats between the government and the devolved administrations recognised the interest of the latter in aspects of international and EU relations, matters which remained the responsibility of Whitehall, and set out working arrangements to deal with them. A large number of further concordats were agreed between UK departments and the devolved administrations. There is further provision about working practices in the comprehensive guidance on working with the devolved administrations. The MOU also sets out the agreement between the UK government and the devolved administrations on the procedure for avoiding and resolving disputes. Like the MOU itself, this agreement is a statement of intent, creating no legal obligations between the parties and binding in honour only. Most contact between administrations would be on a bilateral or multilateral basis, but to provide central coordination of the overall relationship a Joint Ministerial Committee was established by the Memorandum of Understanding. Much the greater part of the finance for the devolved administrations is provided by the UK Parliament, which is however in the form of a block grant which the administrations are free to spend as they wish. The Statement of Funding policy (pdf) published by HM Treasury sets out how these arrangements operate.

Joint Ministerial Committee The JMC is established by the Memorandum of Understanding between the UK government and the devolved administrations in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. Its purpose is to provide central coordination of the overall relationship between the administrations. Its terms of reference are: to consider non-devolved matters which impinge on devolved responsibilities, and devolved matters which impinge on non-devolved responsibilities where the UK government and the devolved administrations so agree, to consider devolved matters if it is beneficial to discuss their respective treatment in different parts of the UK to keep the arrangements for liaison between the UK government and the devolved administrations under review to consider disputes between the administrations. The MOU makes clear JMC is a consultative, rather than an executive body. The JMC may meet in a range of formats, including plenary meetings chaired by the Prime Minister or his representative. You can see details of the most recent meeting on the No 10 website.

The JMC also currently meets in the following ‘functional’ formats: JMC (Domestic), which is chaired by the Deputy Prime Minister and meets 2 to 3 times per year JMC (Europe), chaired by the Foreign Secretary, which meets approximately quarterly to discuss matters bearing on devolved responsibilities that are under discussion within the EU Member with designatory letters - The IET Contacts Member with designatory letters Individuals working in the science, engineering or technology industry can apply to become a Member with designatory letters TMIET or MIET. See also Use of designatory letters IET designatory letters To join the IET as a Member with designatory letters you must have achieved a standard of knowledge and understanding and be engaged in an activity relevant to the science, engineering or technology community. The IET awards two categories of Member with designatory letters: TMIET (Technician Member of the Institution of Engineering and Technology) which can be adopted by professional technicians; MIET (Member of the Institution of Engineering and Technology) which can be adopted by professional engineers.

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Join online or download and post a completed application form to: Member Assessment Team Welsh Government | Education and skills Education and skills Justice Legislative programme » The Welsh Governmentâs legislative priorities for the coming year are outlined in an annual statement by the First Minister. The scheme will support local community and environmental projects in areas affected by the disposal of waste to landfill. Final Budget 2017-18 » The amount of funding allocated to Welsh Government Main Expenditure Groups (MEGs) for 2017-18 is Â£15bn. Home > Topics > Education and skills Education and skills A new curriculum for Wales will be developed with education professionals across Wales with the aim of it being available to settings and schools by September 2018. In this topic What we do Our responsibilities We are responsible for education and skills in Wales. We are working to raise the standards of education and training provision, attainment and infrastructure across Wales so that everyone can reach their potential; delivering a suitably skilled workforce with high-quality opportunities for all learners; supporting individuals, families, communities and businesses in improving economic and social well-being and reduce inequality through education and training.

Kirsty Williams Cabinet Secretary for Education Alun DaviesÂ Minister for Lifelong Learning and Welsh Language Abigail Adams Biography :: National First Ladies' Library Date: 1744, November 11 Father: William Smith, 1706, January 29, Charlestown, Massachusetts, died 1783, September, Weymouth, Massachusetts. He was a Congregationalist minister. Mother: Elizabeth Quincy, born 1721, Braintree, Massachusetts, died 1775, Weymouth, Massachusetts; married in 1740. She was the daughter of John Quincy, a member of the colonial Governor's council and colonel of the militia. Mr. Quincy was also Speaker of the Massachusetts Assembly, a post he held for 40 years until his death at age 77. He died in 1767; three years into his granddaughter Abigail Smith's marriage to John Adams, and his interest in government and his career in public service influenced her.

Ancestry: English, Welsh; Abigail Adams' paternal great-grandfather, Thomas Smith, was born 1645, May 10, and immigrated to Charleston, Massachusetts from Dartmouth, England. One of her great-great-great-great grandmothers came from a Welsh family. Her well-researched ancestral roots precede her birth some six centuries and are traced back to royal lines in France, Germany, Belgium, Hungary, Holland, Spain, Italy, Ireland and Switzerland. Birth Order and Siblings: Second born; one brother, three sisters, Mary Smith Cranch (1741-1811), William Smith (1746-1787), Elizabeth Smith Shaw Peabody (1750-1815) Physical Appearance: 5' 1", brown hair, brown eyes Religious Affiliation: Congregationalist; she was buried in the Unitarian faith of her husband. Education: Although Abigail Adams was later known for advocating an education in the public schools for girls that was equal to that given to boys, she herself had no formal education.

She was taught to read and write at home, and given access to the extensive libraries of her father and maternal grandfather, taking a special interest in philosophy, theology, Shakespeare, the classics, ancient history, government and law. Occupation before Marriage: No documentation exists to suggest any involvement of Abigail Adams as a young woman in her father's parsonage activities. She recalled that in her earliest years, she was often in poor health. Reading and corresponding with family and friends occupied most of her time as a young woman. She did not play cards, sing or dance. Marriage: 19 years old, married 1764, October 25 to John Adams, lawyer (1735-1826), in Smith family home, Weymouth, Massachusetts, wed in matrimony by her father, the Reverend Smith. After the ceremony, they drove in a horse and carriage to a cottage that stood beside the one where John Adams had been born and raised. This became their first home. They moved to Boston in a series of rented homes before buying a large farm, "Peacefield," in 1787, while John Adams was Minister to Great Britain.

Children: Three sons and two daughters; Abigail " Nabby " Amelia Adams Smith (1765–1813), John Quincy Adams (1767–1848), Susanna Adams (1768–1770), Charles Adams (1770–1800), Thomas Boylston Adams (1772–1832) Occupation after Marriage: Abigail Adams gave birth to her first child ten days shy of nine months after her marriage, thus working almost immediately as a mother. She also shared with her husband the management of the household finances and the farming of their property for sustenance, while he also practiced law in the nearby city of Boston. When John Adams went to Philadelphia in 1774 to serve as his colony's delegate to the First Continental Congress, Abigail Adams remained home. The separation prompted the start of a lifelong correspondence between them, forming not only a rich archive that reflected the evolution of a marriage of the Revolutionary and Federal eras, but a chronology of the public issues debated and confronted by the new nation's leaders.

The letters reflect not only Abigail Adams' reactive advice to the political contentions and questions that John posed to her, but also her own observant reporting of New England newspapers' and citizens' response to legislation and news events of the American Revolution. As the colonial fight for independence from the mother country ensued, Abigail Adams was appointed by the Massachusetts Colony General Court in 1775, along with Mercy Warren and the governor's wife Hannah Winthrop to question their fellow Massachusetts women who were charged by their word or action of remaining loyal to the British crown and working against the independence movement. "…you are now a politician and now elected into an important office, that of judges of Tory ladies, which will give you, naturally, an influence with your sex," her husband wrote her in response to the appointment. This was the first instance of a First Lady who held any quasi-official government position. As the Second Continental Congress drew up and debated the Declaration of Independence through 1776, Abigail Adams began to press the argument in letters to her husband that the creation of a new form of government was an opportunity to make equitable the legal status of women to that of men.

Despite her inability to convince him of this, the text of those letters became some of the earliest known writings calling for women's equal rights. Separated from her husband when he left for his diplomatic service as minister to France, and then to England in 1778, she kept him informed of domestic politics while he confided international affairs to her. She joined him in 1783, exploring France and England, received in the latter nation by the king. Upon their return, during John Adams' tenure as the first Vice President (1789-1797), Abigail Adams spent part of the year in the capital cities of New York and Philadelphia, while Congress was in session. Presidential Campaign and Inauguration: As much of her political role was conducted in correspondence, so too was Abigail Adams's active interest in her husband's two presidential campaigns, in 1796 and 1800, when his primary challenger was their close friend, anti-Federalist Thomas Jefferson. Caring for her husband's dying mother Abigail Adams was unable to attend his March 4, 1797 inaugural ceremony in Philadelphia.

She was highly conscious, however, of how their lives would change that day, with "a sense of the obligations, the important trusts, and numerous duties connected with it . " Although she relished a good political conversation, she increasing found it a profession beset by “envy, hatred, malice, and all uncharitableness" in all three branches of government. Her caution about their old friend Thomas Jefferson had grown to mistrust by this point, he having come in second in the presidential election campaign against her husband and, in the old system, was thus declared the new Vice President. She heard a rumor that Jefferson’s close friend James Madison had been appointed as Minister to France by outgoing President George Washington ( false rumor ) and said she thought Madison was a man of integrity when it came to his principals but questioned those principals. Knowing that her every word, be it written or spoken, would be examined, criticized, ridiculed and used against the new Administration, she caught herself in the middle of writing one political missive.“ My pen runs riot, ” Abigail Adams fearfully concluded the letter to her husband. “ I forget that it must grow cautious and prudent. I fear I shall make a dull business when such restrictions are laid upon it.

” Not long after Adams had been elected, Mrs. Adams even compared the prospect of becoming First Lady to being “fastened up hand and foot and tongue to be shot at as our Quincy lads do at the poor geese and turkies.” She elaborated further, in another letter at the time: “ I have been so used to freedom of sentiment that I know not how to place so many guards about me, as will be indispensable, to look at every word before I utter it, and to impose a silence upon myself, when I long to talk.” “ I expect to be vilified and abused, ” Mrs. Adams admitted in still another letter.

“ When I come into this situation…” When her friend and fellow feminist Mercy Otis Warren wrote to Abigail Adams congratulating her on being thrust into “ this elevated position ” as the most politically prominent woman in the United States, the new First Lady responded on the day her husband became president that, “ I shall esteem myself peculiarly fortunate, if, at the close of my public life, I can retire esteemed, beloved and equally respected with my predecessor." First Lady: 1797, March 4 - 1801, March 4 52 years old Of the four years her husband served as President, Abigail Adams was actually present in the temporary capital of Philadelphia and then, finally, the permanent " Federal City, " of Washington, D.C. for a total of only eighteen months. She nonetheless made a strong impression on the press and public. Abigail Adams couldn’t help herself from writing in letters and saying in public exactly what she thought.

When she looked directly at Alexander Hamilton while speaking to him, for example, she declared that she had just" looked into the eyes of the devil himself." Highly conscious of her position as the president's wife, Abigail Adams saw her role largely as a hostess for the public and partisan symbol of the Federalist Party. Abigail Adams made no attempt to hide her contempt for the Anti-Federalists loyal to Jefferson who looked for any chance to publicly attack the Federalist followers of Adams. Almost immediately, the President’s Lady became a popular target of attack. The sarcastic Anti-Federalist Albert Gallatin widely spread the story about a friend who “ heard her majesty as she was asking the names of different members of Congress and then pointed out which were ‘our people. ’” Abigail Adams gave as good as she got, sarcastically calling him "the sly, the artful, the insidious Gallatin..." Gallatin shot back, dubbing her “Mrs. President, not of the United States but a faction.” However sharp, the nickname was accurate. It would stick with Abigail Adams for the rest of history. Wounded as she was, the remark did not make Abigail Adams recede in public.

She was unofficially titled " Lady Adams, " and encouraged such recognition by assuming a visible ceremonial role. She was flattered in welcoming a Native American Indian chief who had come to meet the President but felt his “duty was but in part fulfilled until he had also visited his mother.” She gave permission to a light infantry volunteer regiment to organize under the name of the “ Lady Adams Rangers. ” And when she was heading home, north to Massachusetts, she stopped to inspect a New Jersey federal army encampment and even reviewed the troops, reporting a bit sheepishly to the President that, “ I acted as your proxy. ” With such a high profile, it could therefore hardly have been a surprise to her that slipping out one night to the Chestnut Street Theater to hear a new and stirring march written to honor President Adams while " in-cog, " would be unsuccessful. The editor of the Aurora, an especially vicious anti-Adams newspaper immediately recognized Mrs. President and gleefully reported how “ the old lady ” was over-wrought and ridiculously wept at this rare showing of support for her husband. Often mentioned in the press, her opinions were even quoted at a New England town hall meeting.

Even the private letters exchanged between the presidential couple could be purloined and intercepted by political enemies in the chain of the postal system. It wasn’t long before one of President’s Lady’s stolen letters to the President was being waved about and quoted by a man at a public debate in Massachusetts. Abigail Adams was livid. She wrote: “ I could not believe that any gentleman would have so little delicacy or so small a sense of propriety as to have written a vague opinion and that of a lady, to be read in a publick assembly as an authority. That man must have lost his sense.... It will serve as a lesson to be to be upon my guard. ” She did, however, add the confession that,“ I cannot say that I did not utter the expression…but little did I think of having my name quoted. ” Mrs. Adams helped forward the interests of the Administration by writing editorial letters to family and acquaintances, encouraging the publication of the information and viewpoint presented in them. She was sarcastically attacked in the opposition press, her influence over presidential appointments questioned and there were printed suggestions that she was too aged to understand questions of the day.

Towards the end of the Adams Administration, there were even Anti-Federalist newspaper editorials which, in attacking President Adams for his choice of some foreign appointees said it was evidence that his more politically astute wife was clearly not in the capital at the time of his decision, but home in Quincy because, “ the President would not dare to make a nomination without her approbation [ approval ]. ” Indeed, Abigail Adams supported the sentiment behind her husband's Alien and Sedition Acts as a legal means of imprisoning those who criticized the President in public print. Fearful of French revolutionary influence on the fledgling United States, she was unsuccessful in her urging the President to declare war with France. She remained an adamant advocate of equal public education for women and emancipation of African-American slaves. Her entertainments were confined to a relatively small home in Philadelphia, turned into a hotel after the capital was moved from Philadelphia to Washington, D.C. Although she did host a dance for her son and his friends, she received visitors formally, seated like a royal figure as she had witnessed at Buckingham Palace. She also attempted to influence fashion, believing that the more revealing Napoleonic-style clothing then popular were too indecorous.

Since presidential families were responsible for covering the costs of their entertainments and the Adamses were enduring financial difficulties at the time of his presidency, Abigail Adams's receptions were somewhat spartan. The first First Lady to live in the White House, she resided there for four months, arriving in November 1800. During that time she famously hung her family's laundry in the unfinished East Room to dry. Post-Presidential Life: When Thomas Jefferson finally managed to defeat John Adams in his attempt to win a second term, Abigail Adams was ready to leave politics, writing shortly beforehand, she was “ Sick, sick, sick of public life.”In a November 13, 1800 letter to her son, she reflected: “ The consequence to us, personally, is, that we retire from public life. For myself…I have few regrets. At my age, and with my bodily infirmities, I shall be happier at Quincy. Neither my habits, nor my education, or inclinations have led me to an expensive style of living, so that on that score I have little to mourn over.

If I did not rise with dignity, I can at least fall with ease, which is the more difficult task…I feel not any resentment against those who are coming into power… ” While her central focus in retirement was on her home and raising her granddaughter Susanna Adams to maturity, Abigail Adams nevertheless remained interested in national political issues. Upon learning of Maria Jefferson Eppes' death, Abigail Adams wrote to the girl's father, President Jefferson, thus initiating a renewal of their contact and while she remained mistrustful of his politics, a new friendship through correspondence opened between Jefferson and John Adams. She corresponded upon at least one occasion with her successor Dolley Madison. Relieved at the return of her son John Quincy Adams from his diplomatic missions in Europe, Abigail Adams had an initially strained relationship with his English-born wife, Louisa Catherine Johnson. She did not live to see her son become President, which occurred six years after her death. When once approached for permission to publish some of her political letters, Abigail Adams refused, considering it improper for a woman's private correspondence to be publicly divulged.

However, one of her grandsons arranged for the publication of some of her famous letters in 1848, becoming the first published book pertaining to a First Lady. Death: BBC News - Devolution: A beginner's guide Printable version Devolution: A beginner's guide Since 1999, the way the United Kingdom is run has been transformed by devolution - a process designed to decentralise government and give more powers to the three nations which, together with England, make up the UK. The United Kingdom is made up of England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Devolution essentially means the transfer of powers from the UK parliament in London to assemblies in Cardiff and Belfast, and the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh. Advertisement Devolution: The view from Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland When did it begin? Public votes were held in 1997 in Scotland and Wales, and a year later in both parts of Ireland. This resulted in the creation of the Scottish Parliament, the National Assembly for Wales and the Northern Ireland Assembly. Devolution applied in different ways in each nation due to historical and administrative differences. What powers are devolved?

The table below gives an overview of the main powers given to the Northern Irish and Welsh assemblies, and the Scottish Parliament. MAJOR DEVOLVED POWERS Social security ** - specified as "nuclear energy & installations" + - Non-devolved powers in Wales are by implication all those not set out in the 2006 Government of Wales Act The Westminster Parliament is technically still able to pass laws for any part of the UK, but in practice only deals with devolved matters with the agreement of the devolved governments. Devolution in Northern Ireland The Northern Ireland Assembly sits at Stormont in Belfast Devolution here is slightly different to Scotland and Wales, with government powers divided into three categories: transferred, reserved and excepted. The power-sharing agreement between the Nationalist and Unionist communities in Northern Ireland is critical to the functioning of the assembly; devolution of powers has been suspended and reinstated several times since its inception in 1998. In addition to the main devolved powers shown in the table, the assembly can also legislate on culture, arts and leisure, learning and employment and regional and social development. In March 2010, an agreement was passed to transfer powers of justice and policing to Northern Ireland.

Reserved powers - which could be transferred in the future with cross-community consent - include prisons and civil defence. A third category - excepted powers - includes matters such as parliamentary and assembly elections, international relations and defence. These cannot be transferred without primary legislation from Westminster. Devolution in Scotland The Scottish parliament is based at Holyrood in Edinburgh Scotland has a "parliament" as opposed to an "assembly" - the crucial difference being that Holyrood is a legislation-making body, passing bills in various areas of its many devolved responsibilities. The Scottish parliament also has the power to raise or lower the basic rate of income tax by 3p in the pound - although this so-called "Tartan Tax" has never been used. In addition to the main devolved powers shown in the table, the parliament can legislate on tourism, economic development, planning, natural and built heritage, sport and the arts, as well as statistics, public registers and records. The primary powers retained by Westminster include foreign policy, defence and trade and industry.

Devolution in Wales The Welsh Assembly building is in Cardiff The Government of Wales Act of 2006 gives the Welsh assembly powers to make its own laws, but limits its scope to defined "fields"; a broad subject area such as education or health. Within these fields, the assembly is able to enact its own laws, known as measures. The major areas in which the assembly can legislate are listed in the table above. In addition, the assembly can make laws relating to ancient monuments and historic buildings, public administration, sport and recreation, tourism, town and country planning, flood defences, the assembly itself, and the Welsh language. By omission, anything not contained in the current list of measures remains under the control of the Parliament in Westminster. The assembly is split into executive and legislative branches: the Welsh assembly government controls day-to-day running of devolved policy areas within the country, while the National Assembly for Wales scrutinises and debates the assembly government's work. The assembly could increase its powers in the future and may one day evolve into a body similar to the Scottish Parliament. In February 2010, assembly members voted in favour of holding a referendum on devolving further powers from Westminster. This motion must now gain approval from both Houses of Parliament.

Why is there not an 'English parliament'? The UK government is responsible for all matters in England which have been devolved to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. However devolution has caused some tensions, particularly over public spending. The new powers of the Scottish Parliament have allowed it to abolish university tuition fees and prescription charges. These services are not free in England. However Scotland's public services are still paid for by all UK taxpayers under the terms of the Barnett formula, which allocates funding around different parts of the country. Some in England are increasingly unhappy, seeing this as English taxpayers subsidising free services in Scotland. A recent survey of 980 people by the left-leaning think tank the Institute for Public Policy Research suggested 40% of those questioned believe this situation unfair, compared with 22% in 2003. Delivering the report, Professor John Curtice said if the trends continued, politicians "may no longer be able to safely assume that England can be ignored in the devolution debate".

Bookmark with: Participation Cymru -- Youth Work Inquiry Youth Work Inquiry 1 August 2016 1 Aug 2016 The newly formed Children, Young People and Education Committee for the Fifth Assembly have decided on Youth Work to be their first Inquiry, and are actively seeking the views of young people and professionals over the summer Please find attached a letter from the Chair of the Committee , Lynne Neagle AM, which provides more information about the Inquiry, but the overall aim of this Inquiry is to review the effectiveness of Welsh Government’s strategy and policy in respect of youth work, yet the Committee are not seeking evidence on local and national youth participation structures, which the Committee regards as an important issue and which will require further consideration within its work programme at another time. How can professionals and young people get involved? Professionals: Please find attached an evidence pro-forma which you can complete . This must be returned to SeneddCYPE@assembly.wales or Sarah Bartlett, Deputy Clerk, Children, Young People and Education Committee, National Assembly for Wales, Cardiff Bay, CF99 1NA by 09 September 2016 – written submissions sent in after this date might not be considered.

Again, please read the letter from the Committee Chair about advice on how to correctly submit evidence. Young People: The Committee have created a short online survey for young people to complete which takes about 5 minutes to complete. The survey will be running until 30 September 2016. The Education and Youth Engagement Team will be happy to send any organisations paper copies of the survey if requested. Please send any requests for paper surveys to yourassembly@assembly.wales . Members from the Education and Youth Engagement Team are also happy to come out to deliver workshops over the summer about the Assembly and the Youth Work Inquiry. Do not hesitate to contact staff to arrange this. We will be heavily promoting the Inquiry on our social media channels, so any online support will be greatly received.

Question: Members of the Welsh Assembly have which two letters after their name?
Answer: AM