, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Members and Elections) Bill: Ministerial evidence session
Yes. Obviously, as has already been said by Jane Dodds, the departure from being able to vote for an individual candidate is a huge shift, which people in Wales will not have experienced before in Senedd elections. And given that it's such a significant…
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Members and Elections) Bill: Ministerial evidence session
So, there was no consultation as such. It was just a political decision made and put into the—
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Members and Elections) Bill: Ministerial evidence session
And just one final question on this: so, what consultation did you undertake with anybody regarding this particular rule?
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Members and Elections) Bill: Ministerial evidence session
So, one of the things about the current disqualification list from being a Member of the Senedd is that, very often, the disqualification doesn't kick in until somebody is elected, yes? So, for example, if somebody is a member of a body that is sponsored by…
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Members and Elections) Bill: Ministerial evidence session
I understand.
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Members and Elections) Bill: Ministerial evidence session
But, of course, as you've already said, there are ways that that has been interpreted for legislative purposes in other areas. What about—
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Members and Elections) Bill: Ministerial evidence session
But we do have such laws already, don't we—for housing purposes, for example. So, someone needs to demonstrate a strong local connection to an area in order to be eligible for support from a local authority in terms of housing. I'm not saying I disagree with…
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Members and Elections) Bill: Ministerial evidence session
But you accept that those laws might be applicable to somebody who lives in a house over the border in England? Do you not think that proximity to a constituency perhaps is a better way to address whether someone should stand for election in that…
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Members and Elections) Bill: Ministerial evidence session
Obviously, there is a residency requirement for candidates that is in the Bill that could lead to someone, for example, on the south Wales coast standing for election in the north Wales coast, where somebody literally a house over the border in a neighbouring…
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Members and Elections) Bill: Ministerial evidence session
Did you consider merging the two into one Bill at all, as a Minister?
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Members and Elections) Bill: Ministerial evidence session
But there would have to be significant changes to the other Bill, wouldn't there, if this one fell?
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Members and Elections) Bill: Ministerial evidence session
Obviously, the other Bill does have references to the new body, which this Bill is going to create. Isn't that a risk—having two Bills running concurrently that are interdependent on one another? What consideration have you given to having to throw them both…
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Members and Elections) Bill: Ministerial evidence session
I appreciate that it might be some time off, but I don't recall there being any—. I haven't seen any evidence of consultation with local government over four-year terms at all. I mean, are you able to share with us—?
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Members and Elections) Bill: Ministerial evidence session
Did you ask local government?
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Members and Elections) Bill: Ministerial evidence session
Did you ask them?
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Members and Elections) Bill: Ministerial evidence session
Yes. Just in terms of the term length, I have no issue with a four-year term. I think it's perfectly appropriate, to be honest, and I think the more frequently you can go back to the people, the better, frankly. But there will now be an inconsistency with…
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Members and Elections) Bill: Ministerial evidence session
Two thirds of the Members who are instructed to vote for a proposal, whether they like it or not.
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Members and Elections) Bill: Ministerial evidence session
But you don't accept that this is simply a political agreement, rather than the considered views of a respected Senedd committee that was trying to do a difficult job of working through various options for reform that could then have a broader consensus…
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Members and Elections) Bill: Ministerial evidence session
You speak about the work of the special purpose committee. I was actually a member of that committee, Chair, and its work was completely stymied and overturned by a political agreement, frankly, between the First Minister and the former leader of Plaid Cymru…
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Members and Elections) Bill: Ministerial evidence session
None of the commissions that were established by the Senedd to consider this matter came up with any of the proposals on this particular list that you're now implementing. So, I ask you again: how can you demonstrate public support for the specifics in this…
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Members and Elections) Bill: Ministerial evidence session
But I don't recall reading in any political party's manifesto a commitment to 96 Members of the Senedd, elected on closed lists, with four-year terms. Frankly, there was none of the detail, was there, in anybody's manifesto? And if you ask most people on the…
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Members and Elections) Bill: Ministerial evidence session
Can I turn to the issue of public support for this Bill? How can you demonstrate that the public are behind the proposals in the Bill as published?
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Members and Elections) Bill: Ministerial evidence session
But you accept that one outcome could be that we have seven more Ministers eventually, with one extra committee in the Senedd—and you think that's satisfactory.
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Members and Elections) Bill: Ministerial evidence session
Can I just pick up on what the Chair was just saying there? The scenarios presented by the Commission, in terms of the costs that they've put down, are that there might just be one additional committee. They've done a range of between one and three additional…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Rural Affairs and North Wales, and Trefnydd
Look, I accept that operational responsibility lies with the north Wales fire authority, but you are the Welsh Government. You set the guidance. You set the guidelines for this organisation to function. You also are responsible for making sure that…
