, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Electoral Candidate Lists) Bill: Evidence session with the Trefnydd and Chief Whip
I'd still like to know. We have time, Chair. I'd like to know why there's a reluctance, that's all.
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Electoral Candidate Lists) Bill: Evidence session with the Trefnydd and Chief Whip
I think the reason that there haven't been more legal challenges in other countries, though, Minister, with respect, is because they've defined what a woman is. It's a biological issue. It's not an issue that is defined by an individual being able to present…
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Electoral Candidate Lists) Bill: Evidence session with the Trefnydd and Chief Whip
Yes, but most of them define—
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Electoral Candidate Lists) Bill: Evidence session with the Trefnydd and Chief Whip
Well, perhaps she'd like to define what a woman is today. I think that might be helpful. Are you able to define a woman, for the Welsh Government's purposes?
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Electoral Candidate Lists) Bill: Evidence session with the Trefnydd and Chief Whip
As we understand it, the other quota examples that you refer to, when they refer to 'women', it means biological sex—you know, female—rather than people being able to self-identify. And in fact, where they have been able to self-identify as women, we…
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Electoral Candidate Lists) Bill: Evidence session with the Trefnydd and Chief Whip
Let's be straight about this: to most people, 'woman' means a female human being. When we come to gender, that's a completely different matter, isn't it? Because people can describe themselves as 'gender fluid', regardless of their biological sex. So, it…
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Electoral Candidate Lists) Bill: Evidence session with the Trefnydd and Chief Whip
So, why are you reluctant to use the word 'gender' on the face of the Bill, then, just as a matter of interest, if it's not a problematic term?
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Electoral Candidate Lists) Bill: Evidence session with the Trefnydd and Chief Whip
We all accept, don't we, that the term 'gender' may have had a different meaning 20 years ago to most people, where it would have been interchangeable with 'sex'. That's clearly not the case now, and therefore wouldn't it be helpful to put a definition of…
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Electoral Candidate Lists) Bill: Evidence session with the Trefnydd and Chief Whip
You said it's had detailed scrutiny, but you've curtailed the scrutiny, haven't you? We've got a shorter period to scrutinise. There was a suggestion that the reason this had been delayed was to improve the scrutiny process, but that's clearly not been the…
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Electoral Candidate Lists) Bill: Evidence session with the Trefnydd and Chief Whip
But you already recognise the risk as a Welsh Government; that's why you've hived off this part of the reform package into a separate Bill. So, why wouldn't you make provision? Any person in an organisation or within their family, if they knew there was…
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Electoral Candidate Lists) Bill: Evidence session with the Trefnydd and Chief Whip
And obviously, given the likelihood of legal challenges, either from a UK Government or individuals who may want to challenge the competency issues and take the matter to the Supreme Court, why haven't you included any costs in respect of a potential Supreme…
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Electoral Candidate Lists) Bill: Evidence session with the Trefnydd and Chief Whip
We all know that there's potential risk of this Bill not being within the Senedd's competence, and you've already alluded to the fact that this can be introduced by Order at a later date perhaps than the other package of reforms. If it were not to be…
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Electoral Candidate Lists) Bill: Evidence session with the Trefnydd and Chief Whip
So, you pay them whatever they claim back, effectively, regardless of the costs. Is that right?
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Electoral Candidate Lists) Bill: Evidence session with the Trefnydd and Chief Whip
So, you're allowing for an increased cost and you'll be publishing a revised addendum to the explanatory memorandum. I'm grateful for that. And in terms of costs to local authorities, you're content that there are no additional costs to local authorities as a…
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Electoral Candidate Lists) Bill: Evidence session with the Trefnydd and Chief Whip
Not amongst the population there's not a lot of strong support for it, including women, who by 2:1 disagree that there should be gender quotas. But if I can just move on to costs, Minister, you obviously have an indication of costs, which you’ve set out in…
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Electoral Candidate Lists) Bill: Evidence session with the Trefnydd and Chief Whip
I'm not disputing that evidence, Minister, but I'm just asking you about—
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Electoral Candidate Lists) Bill: Evidence session with the Trefnydd and Chief Whip
But you're not taking the public with you, are you?
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Electoral Candidate Lists) Bill: Evidence session with the Trefnydd and Chief Whip
But, just to be clear, regardless of the public's position at present—and I appreciate things can change in terms of public attitudes, but—regardless of the public position being 3:1 against gender quotas, you're going to press ahead anyway.
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Electoral Candidate Lists) Bill: Evidence session with the Trefnydd and Chief Whip
Before I come on to costs, if I may, Minister, I just wondered what consideration the Welsh Government has given to public attitudes towards gender quotas. There was some YouGov polling undertaken on behalf of the committee, and it suggested that support for…
, Plenary
Welsh Conservatives Debate: Leadership campaign donations and the ministerial code
One of the things that was not in the public domain at the time that the previous First Minister undertook his review as to whether there had been a breach of the ministerial code was the fact that a £200,000 donation had been made by a company that had…
, Plenary
Welsh Conservatives Debate: Leadership campaign donations and the ministerial code
Will you take an intervention?
, Plenary
Welsh Conservatives Debate: Leadership campaign donations and the ministerial code
No, I haven't.
, Plenary
Welsh Conservatives Debate: Leadership campaign donations and the ministerial code
I'm just asking you; it's a genuine question.
, Plenary
Welsh Conservatives Debate: Leadership campaign donations and the ministerial code
Well, not all of the information was in the public domain, available for public scrutiny, prior to the previous First Minister investigating matters, including the convictions related to this company and the links to the taxi firm—
, Plenary
Welsh Conservatives Debate: Leadership campaign donations and the ministerial code
I’m grateful to you for taking the intervention. I’m just querying: did you say that this matter has been investigated by the previous First Minister?
