, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Members and Elections) Bill: Evidence session with the Local Democracy and Boundary Commission for Wales
I can see the patterns in terms of you having your peaks and troughs in work, and that's how that's been fed into the budget, but are these figures enough? Are they realistic? Because presumably, in my experience as an accountant in the past, you would…
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Members and Elections) Bill: Evidence session with the Local Democracy and Boundary Commission for Wales
When I looked at the costs associated with the commission in the explanatory memorandum—. Can you tell us to what extent did those costs change over time, as you discussed them with the Welsh Government, Shereen?
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Members and Elections) Bill: Evidence session with the Local Democracy and Boundary Commission for Wales
Can I just go back to this issue of the electoral management board, if I can? When we met with your Scottish counterparts, they did make it clear that they felt that there ought to be this arm's-length arrangement and that it worked well in Scotland…
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Members and Elections) Bill: Evidence session with the Local Democracy and Boundary Commission for Wales
So, effectively, the flexibility has not been doubled, it's been quadrupled, hasn't it, because of this 10 per cent variation that you're allowed to extend to, which does seem rather high and, obviously, inconsistent with elsewhere. But, you're saying that…
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Members and Elections) Bill: Evidence session with the Local Democracy and Boundary Commission for Wales
Just picking up on this issue of the threshold, given that the size of the constituency is going to, obviously, be roughly double the size of the Westminster constituencies, that also gives you greater flexibility, doesn't it, because you're dealing with much…
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Members and Elections) Bill: Evidence session with the Local Democracy and Boundary Commission for Wales
It's one renewable term.
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Members and Elections) Bill: Evidence session with the Local Democracy and Boundary Commission for Wales
It's reappointment once, isn't it?
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Members and Elections) Bill: Evidence session with the Local Democracy and Boundary Commission for Wales
Okay. I wasn't aware of that, but that's helpful to know. Thank you.
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Members and Elections) Bill: Evidence session with the Local Democracy and Boundary Commission for Wales
So, you've got an interface.
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Members and Elections) Bill: Evidence session with the Local Democracy and Boundary Commission for Wales
So, you've got the capacity there, with the existing experienced commissioners, effectively, to do this first coupling of constituencies job.
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Members and Elections) Bill: Evidence session with the Local Democracy and Boundary Commission for Wales
So, just in terms of the organisational memory, you currently have staggered appointments, effectively, over a period of time. So, when do current appointments come to an end?
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Members and Elections) Bill: Evidence session with the Local Democracy and Boundary Commission for Wales
Yes.
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Members and Elections) Bill: Evidence session with the Local Democracy and Boundary Commission for Wales
Okay. But could you have the capacity to do that?
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Members and Elections) Bill: Evidence session with the Local Democracy and Boundary Commission for Wales
And can I just ask you about the role and responsibilities, then, as well? As you say, you're taking on the responsibility for the remuneration side of things for local authority members. Have you considered whether it might be appropriate for you to take on…
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Members and Elections) Bill: Evidence session with the Local Democracy and Boundary Commission for Wales
Did you want to add anything, Shereen?
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Members and Elections) Bill: Evidence session with the Local Democracy and Boundary Commission for Wales
And in terms of the scope of your work, so, again, when we met with the people from Scotland recently, they were talking about the relationship between the commission and the electoral management board in Scotland, which is quite a different one because…
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Members and Elections) Bill: Evidence session with the Local Democracy and Boundary Commission for Wales
So, you think seven is about right, as opposed to five. Just in terms of the length of the terms for commissioners, it's four-year renewable terms, as I understand it, that you have. And in terms of the current commissioners, where are they in the cycle, as…
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Members and Elections) Bill: Evidence session with the Local Democracy and Boundary Commission for Wales
It's not too top heavy? We had some evidence from Scotland last week that suggested that they were getting on quite fine with five members, I think.
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Members and Elections) Bill: Evidence session with the Local Democracy and Boundary Commission for Wales
And are you happy with the number of commissioners that are proposed to be appointed: at least one but no more than seven members?
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Members and Elections) Bill: Evidence session with the Local Democracy and Boundary Commission for Wales
It says what it does on the tin, basically.
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Members and Elections) Bill: Evidence session with the Local Democracy and Boundary Commission for Wales
Yes. Good to see you both this morning. I just wanted to ask whether the commission had a view on the new title that is being conferred upon you should this Bill be successful. Are you happy with the proposed title?
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Members and Elections) Bill: Evidence session with the Electoral Commission
Okay.
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Members and Elections) Bill: Evidence session with the Electoral Commission
And can I just pick up on the point that you made there, Rhydian, about the people that you engage in the production of your post-election reviews? Should there be a list of the key stakeholders on the Bill that the Senedd committee must engage with in its…
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Members and Elections) Bill: Evidence session with the Electoral Commission
So, just picking up on that—[Interruption.]. Pardon me, Elan. Yes.
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Members and Elections) Bill: Evidence session with the Electoral Commission
Would it not be better to take this clause about the 'extent to which the elements of a healthy democracy are present in Wales', because of the lack of definition of what that means, and the very broad nature of it—would it not be just better to take that out…
