Newport AM Rosemary Butler shortlisted for a top award (From South Wales Argus)

Newport AM Rosemary Butler shortlisted for a top award

10:03am Thursday 7th February 2013 in News

Newport AM Rosemary Butler shortlisted for a top award

WELSH Assembly presiding officer Rosemary Butler, pictured, has been shortlisted for a top award.

The Newport West Assembly Member joins two other leading UK female politicians up for the Devolved Parliament or Assembly Member of the Year, in the Parliamentary Companion Dods’ Women in Public Life Awards.

Mrs Butler was chosen following her election as the first female presiding officer of a devolved institution in the UK – and in particular, for her work putting the issue of barriers to women entering public life at the top of the agenda. She said it was a “great honour”.

Since being elected to the post in May 2011, Mrs Butler has led a series of changes to Assembly business to make scrutiny more effective and to create more opportunities for members to raise matters of relevance to the electorate.

These include allowing more opportunity for opposition party leaders to scrutinise the first minister and restructuring the committee system to make it more responsive to the issues coming before the Assembly.

Her time in office has also seen the Assembly named in the top ten family-friendly places to work by Top Employers for Working Families, as one of the top gay-friendly places to work in the UK by Stonewall, and accredited as Living Wage employer after introducing a minimum of £7.45 per hour.