The Powers of the National Assembly for Wales:
issues and questions for consultation

YR YMDDIRIEDOLAETH GENEDLAETHOL
THE NATIONAL TRUST

am Lefydd o Ddiddordeb Hanesyddol neu Brydferthwch Naturiol
for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty

Y GYFNEWIDFA LO, SGWAR MOUNT STUART, CAERDYDD CF10 5EB
THE COAL EXCHANGE, MOUNT STUART SQUARE, CARDIFF CF10 5EB

Ffôn/Tel: +44 (0)29 20462281· ·Ffacs/Fax: +44 (0)29 20662019 · Safle’r Wê/Website www.nationaltrust.org.uk
Richard Commission
Caradog House
1-6 Saint Andrews Place
Cardiff
CF10 3BE		 Ffôn/Tel    029 2066 2012
Efacs/Fax  029 2066 2019
E-Bost/ E-ruth.lovell@nationaltrust.org.uk
mail
Eich cyf/
your ref
Ein cyf/
Our ref
30 April 2003
Dear Sir or Madam

The Powers of the National Assembly for Wales:
issues and questions for consultation
The National Trust Wales welcomes the opportunity to respond to this consultation paper.

Background
The National Trust is a charity, independent of government, founded in 1895 to "promote the permanent preservation of places of historic interest or natural beauty for the benefit of the nation". The Trust is the largest conservation organisation in Europe, supported by 3 million members, 72,000 of whom live in Wales. As a charity it relies on membership subscription, gifts and other voluntary support to meet its £148m annual conservation and maintenance costs.
The National Trust Wales owns and cares for over 222 kilometres of coastline including many tourist beaches on Gower, Pembrokeshire, Llyn and Anglesey. It also owns 43,130 hectares of land in Wales much of it in Snowdonia and the Brecon Beacons. Over 200 tenants farm eighty percent of its land. Eighteen of The Trust properties in Wales are open at a charge including some of the principality’s finest castles and gardens. The properties have unique legal protection "inalienability" – they cannot ever be sold or mortgaged without permission of Parliament.
The National Trust Wales has a hundred years of experience in managing Wales’s heritage and landscape. The Trust is continually evolving its policies and practices, which requires careful integration of conservation and innovation. The Trust is determined to protect the environment of Wales, whilst supporting the people that work and live on our properties, and providing access for everyone to enjoy the Trust’s (i.e. the Nation’s) land and property.

Response
National Trust work and the Assembly’s powers
The National Trust stands at a critical moment in its development, with a long and successful track record. The context in which the Trust works and the challenges it faces are ever changing and the Trust has recently carried out an organisational review. This has enabled the Trust to build on existing work and to move forward and succeed in our charitable objectives in an ever more challenging environment. As part of the review the Trust has developed new structures and processes to ensure consistency with the outside world and as a response to devolution. As a consequence the Trust is now well placed to work even more closely with the National Assembly for Wales and it’s agencies for the mutual benefit of the people and places of Wales.
 The National Trust operates in a wide variety of areas in Wales, and many of these functions are covered by the powers currently delegated to the Assembly. These include:
Agriculture, forestry and food;
  • provision of support to farmers, including the administration of the Common Agricultural Policy, assistance for organic conversion and farm diversification.
  • the promotion of agri-environment schemes and support
  • the activities of the Forestry Commission in Wales
Industrial and Economic development;
  • the activities of the WDA and WTB
  • rural regeneration
  • the administration of European Structural Funds in Wales
  • tourism; promoting Wales as a destination and regulation of the Welsh tourism industry
Education and Training
  • the national curriculum in Wales
  • further and higher education and lifelong learning and the activities of ELWa
  • work based and vocational training in Wales
Environment, planning and transport
  • protection of ancient monuments and historic buildings in Wales, and their promotion as tourist attractions, including the activities of Cadw
  • activities of the Countryside Council for Wales
  • policy on and directions to the National Parks and areas of outstanding natural beauty in Wales
  • wildlife protection
and Arts, culture and the Welsh language
the activities of the National Museums and Galleries of Wales, the National Library of Wales, including their funding and direction
  Funding Streams
The above list covers many of the Trust’s interests, which are fully devolved to the Assembly, and we currently receive funding from Welsh Assembly Government derived sources including CCW, Cadw and Objective 1.
 The National Trust, although a charity is empowered by its own Acts of Parliament passed in 1907, 1937 and 1971 to hold and protect land on an inalienable basis. This unique legal protection means that some of the finest coastline, landscapes and other historic properties in Wales cannot ever be sold or mortgaged off without permission of Parliament and are therefore permanently secured for the benefit of the nation. The Review could provide an opportunity in Wales to examine and strengthen this unique power which lies at the heart of The National Trust’s existence. It is this factor which attracts the major support of the Trust and allows it to truly proclaim this it exists "for ever for everyone".
  

Yours sincerely

Iwan Huws

Director for Wales
The National Trust Wales