, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Electoral Candidate Lists) Bill: Evidence session with the Electoral Commission's Welsh Parliament Parties Panel
And in terms of support for personal costs for some of the people facing those barriers, you feel that's better dealt with from outside the party system, do you, Geraint?
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Electoral Candidate Lists) Bill: Evidence session with the Electoral Commission's Welsh Parliament Parties Panel
Yes. Can I just turn to the matter of costs and preparation for the introduction of any changes that might be introduced as a result of this Bill? So, obviously, we know that each of the political parties has done work on trying to promote diversity, but…
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Electoral Candidate Lists) Bill: Evidence session with the Electoral Commission's Welsh Parliament Parties Panel
With clarity.
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Electoral Candidate Lists) Bill: Evidence session with the Electoral Commission's Welsh Parliament Parties Panel
If the timescale is tight already, which is what Jo has just indicated, then, surely, winding the clock back by six months is going to make it a nigh on impossible challenge, is it not?
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Electoral Candidate Lists) Bill: Evidence session with the Electoral Commission's Welsh Parliament Parties Panel
Can I ask a supplementary question, if I may, Chair? So, one of the things that changed in the other Senedd reform Bill, which is on its way through the Senedd at the moment, is that the prospect of the introduction of Senedd reform has moved back…
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Electoral Candidate Lists) Bill: Evidence session with electoral reform organisations
I think these questions have really been answered, Chair. It seems to me that the collection of diversity data is something that is very important, needs to be done, and should be put on a statutory basis. That's effectively the messages that you've both…
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Electoral Candidate Lists) Bill: Evidence session with electoral reform organisations
Okay. Thank you very much.
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Electoral Candidate Lists) Bill: Evidence session with electoral reform organisations
Okay. Thank you. And you, Hannah?
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Electoral Candidate Lists) Bill: Evidence session with electoral reform organisations
Thank you for that. Can I just ask you a little bit more about the electoral system, if I can? So, obviously, the Bill focuses on people having to declare, at the point that they become candidates, whether they are a woman or not a woman, and there's no…
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Electoral Candidate Lists) Bill: Evidence session with electoral reform organisations
And so transport, ICT, childcare or any other caring responsibilities that someone might have, income forgone if they're having to take time off work in order to campaign—they're the sorts of costs you think that, because they're barriers, we could try to…
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Electoral Candidate Lists) Bill: Evidence session with electoral reform organisations
Okay, and—
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Electoral Candidate Lists) Bill: Evidence session with electoral reform organisations
I mean, as you both indicated, I think, in the evidence you've sent in, both written and the oral evidence today, many of those barriers are barriers for people who are not white male middle-class as well. I came from a working-class background, and many…
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Electoral Candidate Lists) Bill: Evidence session with electoral reform organisations
You mentioned earlier on, I think, Hannah, just about the fact that your organisation works with women all the way through the process, from them expressing an interest in politics to joining a party and perhaps considering becoming a candidate et cetera…
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Electoral Candidate Lists) Bill: Evidence session with the Expert Panel on Assembly Electoral Reform
I appreciate that. I think the Welsh Government does have some funding that it made available to support disabled candidates, so the Welsh Government is already active in this area of trying to promote diversity by resourcing; I think that was more resourcing…
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Electoral Candidate Lists) Bill: Evidence session with the Expert Panel on Assembly Electoral Reform
In terms of trying to recruit, I know my own party, for example, works very hard to try and encourage women candidates to take an interest in politics, to come forward, and to apply to be candidates in different seats, but we've only had limited success. I…
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Electoral Candidate Lists) Bill: Evidence session with the Expert Panel on Assembly Electoral Reform
Well, I think she said she didn't have the answers. Perhaps if anybody else has some, I'll be happy to listen.
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Electoral Candidate Lists) Bill: Evidence session with the Expert Panel on Assembly Electoral Reform
Thank you. Obviously, gender quotas are one way to address the imbalance in terms of the gender in a Parliament, but what other barriers and action might be taken in order to address the gender imbalance? And particularly, what support could be offered to…
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Electoral Candidate Lists) Bill: Evidence session with the Expert Panel on Assembly Electoral Reform
Okay, thank you.
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Electoral Candidate Lists) Bill: Evidence session with the Expert Panel on Assembly Electoral Reform
I see. So, it's more about position on the list. So, we all need to change our names to something beginning with 'A'.
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Electoral Candidate Lists) Bill: Evidence session with the Expert Panel on Assembly Electoral Reform
Right.
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Electoral Candidate Lists) Bill: Evidence session with the Expert Panel on Assembly Electoral Reform
And just one final question, if I may, Chair. It is in relation to the provisions in the Bill. You asked a question earlier on about open and flexible lists, and I already know your views on that. But can I just ask, if there were to be no gender zipping…
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Electoral Candidate Lists) Bill: Evidence session with the Expert Panel on Assembly Electoral Reform
So, you could have slightly different arrangements for the first election under the system versus the second, for example if there was a historical imbalance that needed to be addressed by the larger political parties in the first one, couldn't you? That…
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Electoral Candidate Lists) Bill: Evidence session with the Expert Panel on Assembly Electoral Reform
And if we're looking for parity, isn't it better to have a requirement for actual zipping, rather than this alternative requirement, which isn't complete zipping, is it, which could lead to that imbalance? Isn't it better to just safeguard it and say, 'Right…
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Electoral Candidate Lists) Bill: Evidence session with the Expert Panel on Assembly Electoral Reform
So, just on the basis of that, you would rather see a requirement that was for absolute zipping. That was what you recommended in the report, of course—your own report.
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Electoral Candidate Lists) Bill: Evidence session with the Expert Panel on Assembly Electoral Reform
Yes, can I just go back to the quota system that's proposed? I heard what you all said in terms of the desirability of the zipping and of the horizontal zipping, as it were—vertical and horizontal. This Bill of course does not just allow for zipping, it…
