, Plenary
Questions to the First Minister
Good afternoon, First Minister. I also wanted to follow up on the issue of PCSOs, understanding totally the budget restrictions that the Welsh Government has, and to talk about the responsibilities of the police and crime commissioners and how they…
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Members and Elections) Bill: Ministerial evidence session
Thank you. Thank you, Chair.
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Members and Elections) Bill: Ministerial evidence session
Yes, indeed. That, again, comes back to the issue of diversity and having a better gender balance, given that we don't have a gender quota Bill coming up. I just wonder if there is an option for us to put forward that in the light of, potentially, the gender…
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Members and Elections) Bill: Ministerial evidence session
So, it's a 'no', you're not open to looking at it in this Senedd—
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Members and Elections) Bill: Ministerial evidence session
One final question, also in Welsh. Just on the issue of job sharing, we've heard evidence on job sharing and also the intention that a committee should be established to consider the issue in the next Senedd. Would you be open to that committee to actually…
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Members and Elections) Bill: Ministerial evidence session
Thank you, Chair. I'm very grateful. Diolch.
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Members and Elections) Bill: Ministerial evidence session
If I may, Chair, I've got one issue to cover, but if I may, the closed list system is such a big issue, and I still am unclear of the benefits. So, if I may, through the Chair—I don't know if this is possible—ask you to submit a paper to the committee…
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Members and Elections) Bill: Ministerial evidence session
I'm still a little bit unclear about the benefits, the democratic benefits, of a closed list system. Dispense with first-past-the-post—we're not entertaining that at all. What are, given what we've said about gender diversity and other requirements, the…
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Members and Elections) Bill: Ministerial evidence session
But without the gender balance quota Bill, which we understand—and I hear what you're saying about not being responsible for it—without that, then it places no expectation on political parties who are there to decide who the candidates are and the list that…
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Members and Elections) Bill: Ministerial evidence session
It was about how the closed list system—I'm going to stay with this for a bit, I'm afraid—how the closed list system promotes diversity and gender representation.
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Members and Elections) Bill: Ministerial evidence session
So, looking at the gender reform Bill, and we're staying still with the closed list system—we understand that the gender quotas Bill is not going to go ahead, or, particularly, not going to go ahead in the imminent future—how do closed lists help gender…
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Members and Elections) Bill: Ministerial evidence session
May I, through you, ask if my colleague—
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Members and Elections) Bill: Ministerial evidence session
I do apologise, Chair. May I, through you—
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Members and Elections) Bill: Ministerial evidence session
I don't know if my colleague Darren Millar would like to come in, who was also part of that special purpose committee—
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Members and Elections) Bill: Ministerial evidence session
So, you, as the Minister who is responsible, were not part of the position that the special purpose committee was placed in, which was that we were faced with a total deal, and that was what we had to accept. So, you weren't part of that.
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Members and Elections) Bill: Ministerial evidence session
So, you will have heard—and, obviously, we've had a letter from the First Minister, and I believe that was written with the leadership of Plaid Cymru as well—you will have heard that the special purpose committee was presented with a fait accompli. Can I ask…
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Members and Elections) Bill: Ministerial evidence session
That's fine. So, we've never heard evidence of the current system being maintained, and this is not what this committee is about, so let's dispense with that. We've heard no evidence in favour of the closed list system. We've heard evidence that we should be…
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Members and Elections) Bill: Ministerial evidence session
No, no, no, that's fine.
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Members and Elections) Bill: Ministerial evidence session
May I cut across you, because we are into our last half an hour? And I'm going to ask the questions in English now, so just to make it quicker.
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Members and Elections) Bill: Ministerial evidence session
Can I move on to the system of voting? Thank you. Okay. There are many things that we're looking at, but just to move on to the voting system. I think it's fair to say that to this committee, in terms of the witnesses that we've heard from, there has been no…
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Members and Elections) Bill: Ministerial evidence session
Thank you very much. There have been occasions in the Senedd when there have been vacancies and, as I understand it, the next on the list steps up then. You're talking about the closed list. That's what you're addressing in your answer. I do want to move on…
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Members and Elections) Bill: Ministerial evidence session
—I want to look at vacancies, if I may. I will ask my question in Welsh. We heard conflicting evidence as to how we should fill vacancies. So, what's your view? How can we ensure that vacancies are filled?
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Members and Elections) Bill: Ministerial evidence session
So, thank you, and thank you for your time this morning—very grateful. I'm just going to ask about empty seats—
, Plenary
Debate on a Member's Legislative Proposal: A Bill on the regulation of debt collectors
Jack, you are a champion of this particular issue, and I do pay tribute to you. You are raising this with us on a constant basis, and it's really important. I wholeheartedly support your approach to this, but I just want to say that people who are poor, who…
, Plenary
Questions to the Counsel General and Minister for the Constitution
I find myself being on the same side as Tom Giffard here, because the question is actually about Senedd elections and Senedd reform; it is not about, as I understand it, election expenses in Westminster. Counsel General, you'll know that I'm going to be…
