, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Electoral Candidate Lists) Bill: Evidence session with academics
Thank you. Professor Kenny, do you have any views on this matter?
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Electoral Candidate Lists) Bill: Evidence session with academics
I saw your comments, actually, that you think that some sort of ID should be attached to the candidate registration process, so the candidate is required to present ID. Do you think it would be more straightforward and easier, therefore, to have 'I'm either a…
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Electoral Candidate Lists) Bill: Evidence session with academics
Thank you. Can I thank you for the written evidence, which was very, very interesting from all three of you? As you know, this Bill is going to allow people to effectively self-identify their gender for the purposes of being a candidate. You've already made…
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Electoral Candidate Lists) Bill: Evidence session with the Electoral Commission's Welsh Parliament Parties Panel
Great, thank you.
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Electoral Candidate Lists) Bill: Evidence session with the Electoral Commission's Welsh Parliament Parties Panel
And presumably, you'd be the same, Joanna, in the Labour Party.
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Electoral Candidate Lists) Bill: Evidence session with the Electoral Commission's Welsh Parliament Parties Panel
So, it's not going to stop you filling all your slots—that's the question, I suppose is a better way of phrasing it.
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Electoral Candidate Lists) Bill: Evidence session with the Electoral Commission's Welsh Parliament Parties Panel
And just one final question, if I may, and that is: do you think that the Bill, as it's currently written, would influence the number of candidates that your political parties might stand in an election, at all?
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Electoral Candidate Lists) Bill: Evidence session with the Electoral Commission's Welsh Parliament Parties Panel
Well, we've got the Bill as it is. Would you welcome any guidance, Geraint, Tom?
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Electoral Candidate Lists) Bill: Evidence session with the Electoral Commission's Welsh Parliament Parties Panel
But would you like some clear guidance as to the questions you can and can't ask of candidates, and whether you should accept something on face value or not? Those sorts of things.
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Electoral Candidate Lists) Bill: Evidence session with the Electoral Commission's Welsh Parliament Parties Panel
And, presumably, you'd welcome some guidance on some of these things, would you, statutory guidance that you can use to help you comply with any new arrangements that might emerge as a result of the new law in this area? Joanna.
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Electoral Candidate Lists) Bill: Evidence session with the Electoral Commission's Welsh Parliament Parties Panel
Yes. And Joanna.
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Electoral Candidate Lists) Bill: Evidence session with the Electoral Commission's Welsh Parliament Parties Panel
Yes, but for the purposes of those lists at the moment, do you allow people to self-identify as women, so non-biological women—
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Electoral Candidate Lists) Bill: Evidence session with the Electoral Commission's Welsh Parliament Parties Panel
Can I ask this question? I'll come to you in a second, Joanna, and you can pick this up in response to the same question, if you like. What about this issue of self-identification as a woman? Do you keep a record, as parties, of those people who are male…
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Electoral Candidate Lists) Bill: Evidence session with the Electoral Commission's Welsh Parliament Parties Panel
I see.
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Electoral Candidate Lists) Bill: Evidence session with the Electoral Commission's Welsh Parliament Parties Panel
Yes. And any new checks that you might need to introduce, Geraint?
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Electoral Candidate Lists) Bill: Evidence session with the Electoral Commission's Welsh Parliament Parties Panel
Thanks. And, obviously, I'm more familiar with the process in my own party in terms of checks that are done on candidates before they are selected, but presumably those checks, in the Conservative Party, anyway, wouldn't change too much, Tom, although you'd…
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Electoral Candidate Lists) Bill: Evidence session with the Electoral Commission's Welsh Parliament Parties Panel
Yes. And Joanna.
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Electoral Candidate Lists) Bill: Evidence session with the Electoral Commission's Welsh Parliament Parties Panel
And what about resourcing to help parties with outreach to under-represented groups? Is that something that might be helpful?
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Electoral Candidate Lists) Bill: Evidence session with the Electoral Commission's Welsh Parliament Parties Panel
Okay. Thanks, Geraint. Tom.
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Electoral Candidate Lists) Bill: Evidence session with the Electoral Commission's Welsh Parliament Parties Panel
And in terms of support for personal costs for some of the people facing those barriers, you feel that's better dealt with from outside the party system, do you, Geraint?
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Electoral Candidate Lists) Bill: Evidence session with the Electoral Commission's Welsh Parliament Parties Panel
Yes. Can I just turn to the matter of costs and preparation for the introduction of any changes that might be introduced as a result of this Bill? So, obviously, we know that each of the political parties has done work on trying to promote diversity, but…
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Electoral Candidate Lists) Bill: Evidence session with the Electoral Commission's Welsh Parliament Parties Panel
With clarity.
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Electoral Candidate Lists) Bill: Evidence session with the Electoral Commission's Welsh Parliament Parties Panel
If the timescale is tight already, which is what Jo has just indicated, then, surely, winding the clock back by six months is going to make it a nigh on impossible challenge, is it not?
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Electoral Candidate Lists) Bill: Evidence session with the Electoral Commission's Welsh Parliament Parties Panel
Can I ask a supplementary question, if I may, Chair? So, one of the things that changed in the other Senedd reform Bill, which is on its way through the Senedd at the moment, is that the prospect of the introduction of Senedd reform has moved back…
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Electoral Candidate Lists) Bill: Evidence session with electoral reform organisations
I think these questions have really been answered, Chair. It seems to me that the collection of diversity data is something that is very important, needs to be done, and should be put on a statutory basis. That's effectively the messages that you've both…
