, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Electoral Candidate Lists) Bill: Evidence session with the Women's Rights Network
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…
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Electoral Candidate Lists) Bill: Evidence session with the Women's Rights Network
Thank you.
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Electoral Candidate Lists) Bill: Evidence session with the Women's Rights Network
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.
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Electoral Candidate Lists) Bill: Evidence session with the Women's Rights Network
But you believe that there are insufficient sanctions at the moment on the Bill for those who choose to make a false statement.
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Electoral Candidate Lists) Bill: Evidence session with the Women's Rights Network
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…
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Electoral Candidate Lists) Bill: Evidence session with the Women's Rights Network
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'.
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Electoral Candidate Lists) Bill: Evidence session with the Women's Rights Network
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…
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Electoral Candidate Lists) Bill: Evidence session with the Women's Rights Network
So, it's obviously a gift to lawyers, isn't it? Can I just come on to this issue about—
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Electoral Candidate Lists) Bill: Evidence session with the Women's Rights Network
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…
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Electoral Candidate Lists) Bill: Evidence session with the Women's Rights Network
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?
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Electoral Candidate Lists) Bill: Evidence session with the Women's Rights Network
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.
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Electoral Candidate Lists) Bill: Evidence session with the Women's Rights Network
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…
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Electoral Candidate Lists) Bill: Evidence session with the Women's Rights Network
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—
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Electoral Candidate Lists) Bill: Evidence session with the Women's Rights Network
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…
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Electoral Candidate Lists) Bill: Evidence session with the Women's Rights Network
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…
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Electoral Candidate Lists) Bill: Evidence session with Diverse5050
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.
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Electoral Candidate Lists) Bill: Evidence session with Diverse5050
Nkechi. I'm so sorry. I can't see the words on the screen.
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Electoral Candidate Lists) Bill: Evidence session with Diverse5050
Yes. Whoever wants to come in. Nkebhi, then?
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Electoral Candidate Lists) Bill: Evidence session with Diverse5050
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…
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Electoral Candidate Lists) Bill: Evidence session with Diverse5050
But you appreciate that that's a significant risk, isn't it, that it could end up in the Supreme Court, and that the whole election of a whole new Senedd could be declared null and void because of the challenge to the system. It's a risk, right?
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Electoral Candidate Lists) Bill: Evidence session with Diverse5050
—you'll be able to share that the committee when it's available. Okay. Thank you very much.
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Electoral Candidate Lists) Bill: Evidence session with Diverse5050
And just to be clear as well, that legal advice was based on the recommendation in the expert panel report, wasn't it, your previous legal advice, which was about gender zipping and male-female gender zipping, rather than any extension of the definition of a…
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Electoral Candidate Lists) Bill: Evidence session with Diverse5050
Can I just touch on the issue of competence, then, if I may? This committee, through its legal advisors, has had very clear legal advice that the Bill is not within the competence of the Senedd. The Llywydd has also written to the committee, stating her view…
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Electoral Candidate Lists) Bill: Evidence session with Diverse5050
The Minister seemed to suggest, and I don't think it was a satisfactory response, that the only way to resolve this is by going to court. So, if somebody identifies themselves as a woman at the time that they become a candidate, even though they might be…
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Electoral Candidate Lists) Bill: Evidence session with Diverse5050
Jess, do you want to respond to this question about whether this is actually really advancing women's rights, or whether it's giving men more rights behind the back door, as it were?
