, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Electoral Candidate Lists) Bill: Evidence session with electoral reform organisations
Okay. Thank you very much.
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Electoral Candidate Lists) Bill: Evidence session with electoral reform organisations
Okay. Thank you. And you, Hannah?
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Electoral Candidate Lists) Bill: Evidence session with electoral reform organisations
Thank you for that. Can I just ask you a little bit more about the electoral system, if I can? So, obviously, the Bill focuses on people having to declare, at the point that they become candidates, whether they are a woman or not a woman, and there's no…
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Electoral Candidate Lists) Bill: Evidence session with electoral reform organisations
And so transport, ICT, childcare or any other caring responsibilities that someone might have, income forgone if they're having to take time off work in order to campaign—they're the sorts of costs you think that, because they're barriers, we could try to…
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Electoral Candidate Lists) Bill: Evidence session with electoral reform organisations
Okay, and—
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Electoral Candidate Lists) Bill: Evidence session with electoral reform organisations
I mean, as you both indicated, I think, in the evidence you've sent in, both written and the oral evidence today, many of those barriers are barriers for people who are not white male middle-class as well. I came from a working-class background, and many…
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Electoral Candidate Lists) Bill: Evidence session with electoral reform organisations
You mentioned earlier on, I think, Hannah, just about the fact that your organisation works with women all the way through the process, from them expressing an interest in politics to joining a party and perhaps considering becoming a candidate et cetera…
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Electoral Candidate Lists) Bill: Evidence session with the Expert Panel on Assembly Electoral Reform
I appreciate that. I think the Welsh Government does have some funding that it made available to support disabled candidates, so the Welsh Government is already active in this area of trying to promote diversity by resourcing; I think that was more resourcing…
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Electoral Candidate Lists) Bill: Evidence session with the Expert Panel on Assembly Electoral Reform
In terms of trying to recruit, I know my own party, for example, works very hard to try and encourage women candidates to take an interest in politics, to come forward, and to apply to be candidates in different seats, but we've only had limited success. I…
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Electoral Candidate Lists) Bill: Evidence session with the Expert Panel on Assembly Electoral Reform
Well, I think she said she didn't have the answers. Perhaps if anybody else has some, I'll be happy to listen.
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Electoral Candidate Lists) Bill: Evidence session with the Expert Panel on Assembly Electoral Reform
Thank you. Obviously, gender quotas are one way to address the imbalance in terms of the gender in a Parliament, but what other barriers and action might be taken in order to address the gender imbalance? And particularly, what support could be offered to…
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Electoral Candidate Lists) Bill: Evidence session with the Expert Panel on Assembly Electoral Reform
Okay, thank you.
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Electoral Candidate Lists) Bill: Evidence session with the Expert Panel on Assembly Electoral Reform
I see. So, it's more about position on the list. So, we all need to change our names to something beginning with 'A'.
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Electoral Candidate Lists) Bill: Evidence session with the Expert Panel on Assembly Electoral Reform
Right.
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Electoral Candidate Lists) Bill: Evidence session with the Expert Panel on Assembly Electoral Reform
And just one final question, if I may, Chair. It is in relation to the provisions in the Bill. You asked a question earlier on about open and flexible lists, and I already know your views on that. But can I just ask, if there were to be no gender zipping…
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Electoral Candidate Lists) Bill: Evidence session with the Expert Panel on Assembly Electoral Reform
So, you could have slightly different arrangements for the first election under the system versus the second, for example if there was a historical imbalance that needed to be addressed by the larger political parties in the first one, couldn't you? That…
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Electoral Candidate Lists) Bill: Evidence session with the Expert Panel on Assembly Electoral Reform
And if we're looking for parity, isn't it better to have a requirement for actual zipping, rather than this alternative requirement, which isn't complete zipping, is it, which could lead to that imbalance? Isn't it better to just safeguard it and say, 'Right…
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Electoral Candidate Lists) Bill: Evidence session with the Expert Panel on Assembly Electoral Reform
So, just on the basis of that, you would rather see a requirement that was for absolute zipping. That was what you recommended in the report, of course—your own report.
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Electoral Candidate Lists) Bill: Evidence session with the Expert Panel on Assembly Electoral Reform
Yes, can I just go back to the quota system that's proposed? I heard what you all said in terms of the desirability of the zipping and of the horizontal zipping, as it were—vertical and horizontal. This Bill of course does not just allow for zipping, it…
, Plenary
Welsh Conservatives Debate: Transport
Transport has been devolved for a long time. Forget rail transport, for a second, what about roads? What about roads? Why haven't we got a better road connecting north and south Wales? Our roads are absolutely dreadful and your former leader, Ieuan Wyn Jones…
, Plenary
Welsh Conservatives Debate: Transport
Will you take an intervention?
, Plenary
Welsh Conservatives Debate: Public Services Ombudsman for Wales
Well, I'm saying it now. In terms of their support with individual cases, which all of us in this Chamber have had to engage with them about, and of course it has been refreshing to see the speed at which there has been action. Clearly, there are issues with…
, Plenary
Welsh Conservatives Debate: Public Services Ombudsman for Wales
I wouldn't disagree with you about the hard work of the ombudsman's office, in particular—
, Plenary
Welsh Conservatives Debate: Public Services Ombudsman for Wales
Would you take an intervention?
, Plenary
Welsh Conservatives Debate: Public Services Ombudsman for Wales
I appreciate the point that you make about the independence of the role, but surely it is the duty of every elected representative in this Senedd to challenge the ombudsman when they make blatantly wrong decisions, as was the case with the appointment of the…
