24 Ebrill 2024 , Reform Bill Committee
Bil Senedd Cymru (Rhestrau Ymgeiswyr Etholiadol): Sesiwn dystiolaeth gyda Chawcws Menywod y Senedd
Thank you. In terms of legislative gender quotas—I appreciate there's a diversity of opinion, so feel free to let me know if you want to come in—do you think that the voluntary actions that have already been taken by political parties are sufficient? Your…
24 Ebrill 2024 , Reform Bill Committee
Bil Senedd Cymru (Rhestrau Ymgeiswyr Etholiadol): Sesiwn dystiolaeth gyda Chawcws Menywod y Senedd
And can you just tell us, perhaps—? I don't know whether there is, but I'm assuming that there's diversity of opinion within the caucus on the provisions in the Bill. Or is there a caucus position on the Bill and its provisions?
24 Ebrill 2024 , Reform Bill Committee
Bil Senedd Cymru (Rhestrau Ymgeiswyr Etholiadol): Sesiwn dystiolaeth gyda Chawcws Menywod y Senedd
So, it's about encouraging women to get involved in the life of the Senedd and to put themselves forward as candidates of the Senedd, and to assist women getting political positions within the Senedd, yes?
24 Ebrill 2024 , Reform Bill Committee
Bil Senedd Cymru (Rhestrau Ymgeiswyr Etholiadol): Sesiwn dystiolaeth gyda Chawcws Menywod y Senedd
Thank you. I'll put this question to Joyce, if that's okay? Welcome to you all. Can you just tell us a little bit more about the role of the Senedd women's caucus and the sort of activities that you undertake?
24 Ebrill 2024 , Reform Bill Committee
Bil Senedd Cymru (Rhestrau Ymgeiswyr Etholiadol): Sesiwn dystiolaeth gyda'r Rhwydwaith Hawliau Menywod
Okay. Thank you.
24 Ebrill 2024 , Reform Bill Committee
Bil Senedd Cymru (Rhestrau Ymgeiswyr Etholiadol): Sesiwn dystiolaeth gyda'r Rhwydwaith Hawliau Menywod
No, I think—. Look, I'll be blunt with you. I don't think my party has done enough on the diversity agenda. It's taken some positive steps. We have some of the things in place that the Labour Party has, for example, but there are other things, probably, that…
24 Ebrill 2024 , Reform Bill Committee
Bil Senedd Cymru (Rhestrau Ymgeiswyr Etholiadol): Sesiwn dystiolaeth gyda'r Rhwydwaith Hawliau Menywod
Yes, just one final question. I asked the previous panel this as well. Do you think that there ought to be, that the one step forward that could be taken would be a statutory requirement for every political party to produce a diversity action plan of sorts…
24 Ebrill 2024 , Reform Bill Committee
Bil Senedd Cymru (Rhestrau Ymgeiswyr Etholiadol): Sesiwn dystiolaeth gyda'r Rhwydwaith Hawliau Menywod
Thank you.
24 Ebrill 2024 , Reform Bill Committee
Bil Senedd Cymru (Rhestrau Ymgeiswyr Etholiadol): Sesiwn dystiolaeth gyda'r Rhwydwaith Hawliau Menywod
Which would be the corrupt practices sort of legislation, so added to the schedule of corrupt practices for the purposes of elections. Okay. Thank you very much.
24 Ebrill 2024 , Reform Bill Committee
Bil Senedd Cymru (Rhestrau Ymgeiswyr Etholiadol): Sesiwn dystiolaeth gyda'r Rhwydwaith Hawliau Menywod
But you believe that there are insufficient sanctions at the moment on the Bill for those who choose to make a false statement.
24 Ebrill 2024 , Reform Bill Committee
Bil Senedd Cymru (Rhestrau Ymgeiswyr Etholiadol): Sesiwn dystiolaeth gyda'r Rhwydwaith Hawliau Menywod
Yes. Just in terms of sanctions now, if I may, so you're quite—. You rightly identify that the Bill does not make it a corrupt practice to make a false statement in relation to whether someone's a woman or not a woman at the point that they submit their…
24 Ebrill 2024 , Reform Bill Committee
Bil Senedd Cymru (Rhestrau Ymgeiswyr Etholiadol): Sesiwn dystiolaeth gyda'r Rhwydwaith Hawliau Menywod
And just to be clear, you believe that, if this Bill is to proceed, it needs to be clear that, for the purposes of the legislation, 'woman' means 'female of any age'.
24 Ebrill 2024 , Reform Bill Committee
Bil Senedd Cymru (Rhestrau Ymgeiswyr Etholiadol): Sesiwn dystiolaeth gyda'r Rhwydwaith Hawliau Menywod
Can I just come on to this issue of data protection? So, you make reference in your evidence to the fact that you don't believe that there is a sensitivity around these statements, and that they ought to be publicly available to people to be able to probe. In…
24 Ebrill 2024 , Reform Bill Committee
Bil Senedd Cymru (Rhestrau Ymgeiswyr Etholiadol): Sesiwn dystiolaeth gyda'r Rhwydwaith Hawliau Menywod
So, it's obviously a gift to lawyers, isn't it? Can I just come on to this issue about—
24 Ebrill 2024 , Reform Bill Committee
Bil Senedd Cymru (Rhestrau Ymgeiswyr Etholiadol): Sesiwn dystiolaeth gyda'r Rhwydwaith Hawliau Menywod
The Minister seemed to be adamant that the Welsh Government had no intention of wanting to define what a women is for the purpose of the legislation, and that that ought to be a matter for the courts to decide if a challenge was made. What she also didn't…
24 Ebrill 2024 , Reform Bill Committee
Bil Senedd Cymru (Rhestrau Ymgeiswyr Etholiadol): Sesiwn dystiolaeth gyda'r Rhwydwaith Hawliau Menywod
The Minister has suggested that the way to resolve situations like that would be in the courts, in her first evidence session with us. Do you think that's a sensible thing?
24 Ebrill 2024 , Reform Bill Committee
Bil Senedd Cymru (Rhestrau Ymgeiswyr Etholiadol): Sesiwn dystiolaeth gyda'r Rhwydwaith Hawliau Menywod
So, you're talking there about someone who might make a false statement or claim to be a woman at the time that they become a candidate, and then choose to live their life as a man thereafter, yes, as they were previously.
24 Ebrill 2024 , Reform Bill Committee
Bil Senedd Cymru (Rhestrau Ymgeiswyr Etholiadol): Sesiwn dystiolaeth gyda'r Rhwydwaith Hawliau Menywod
And presumably, given that you're a women's rights network, you're alarmed at the suggestion that this Bill could effectively give rights to men who claim to be women, who are trans women. Tell us your views on this gender statement requirement that…
24 Ebrill 2024 , Reform Bill Committee
Bil Senedd Cymru (Rhestrau Ymgeiswyr Etholiadol): Sesiwn dystiolaeth gyda'r Rhwydwaith Hawliau Menywod
So, you have a position on this Bill as drafted, but you don't have a wider position on gender quotas per se, because of the diversity of opinion within—
24 Ebrill 2024 , Reform Bill Committee
Bil Senedd Cymru (Rhestrau Ymgeiswyr Etholiadol): Sesiwn dystiolaeth gyda'r Rhwydwaith Hawliau Menywod
So that's why you feel it could be disproportionate. But again—I just go back to this issue—if it were to be clear on the face of the Bill that a woman was what is stated in the Equality Act, 'a female of any age', would you then be content? So, if the Bill…
24 Ebrill 2024 , Reform Bill Committee
Bil Senedd Cymru (Rhestrau Ymgeiswyr Etholiadol): Sesiwn dystiolaeth gyda'r Rhwydwaith Hawliau Menywod
I'm very interested in the point you made about gender quotas being potentially disproportionate if they were applied in this way, because, potentially, in theory, it could lead to 100 per cent women represented in the Senedd, and no men, and that would be…
24 Ebrill 2024 , Reform Bill Committee
Bil Senedd Cymru (Rhestrau Ymgeiswyr Etholiadol): Sesiwn dystiolaeth gyda 5050Amrywiol
Perhaps it's easier to ask if there's anybody who doesn't think that we should have statutory diversity plans as a requirement, because, if you all support that principle, that's something that we can discuss with others. Thank you.
24 Ebrill 2024 , Reform Bill Committee
Bil Senedd Cymru (Rhestrau Ymgeiswyr Etholiadol): Sesiwn dystiolaeth gyda 5050Amrywiol
Nkechi. I'm so sorry. I can't see the words on the screen.
24 Ebrill 2024 , Reform Bill Committee
Bil Senedd Cymru (Rhestrau Ymgeiswyr Etholiadol): Sesiwn dystiolaeth gyda 5050Amrywiol
Yes. Whoever wants to come in. Nkebhi, then?
24 Ebrill 2024 , Reform Bill Committee
Bil Senedd Cymru (Rhestrau Ymgeiswyr Etholiadol): Sesiwn dystiolaeth gyda 5050Amrywiol
Yes. Just one final question, if I can, and it's on whether there should be statutory requirements for diversity plans from each individual party in order to encourage them to promote diversity? At the moment, there's nothing on the face of the Bill about…
