, Local Government and Housing Committee
Elections and Elected Bodies (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 3
Bye, then.
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Elections and Elected Bodies (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 3
Okay, Ruth. Thank you very much for that. Is there anything that any Member wants to raise in relation to Ruth's concluding remarks there? No. Okay. Well, thank you all very much. Thank you, Ruth, for giving evidence to committee today. You will be sent a…
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Elections and Elected Bodies (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 3
Okay, Ruth.
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Elections and Elected Bodies (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 3
Okay, Sam, thank you very much. Ruth, is there anything you want to say in response to Sam's final remarks or in general on any other aspect of the proposed legislation?
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Elections and Elected Bodies (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 3
Sam Rowlands.
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Elections and Elected Bodies (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 3
Thanks for that. And, finally from me, what's your view on how the Welsh Government should assess which financial schemes to introduce under section 29 of the Bill—that part that relates to Welsh Ministers making regulations to provide for schemes of…
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Elections and Elected Bodies (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 3
Okay. Ruth, I wonder if you might offer us any thoughts on the practicalities of promoting diversity in terms of socioeconomic characteristics, because it's quite difficult, isn't it, to define who sits where in socioeconomic terms. Is that something that the…
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Elections and Elected Bodies (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 3
Okay, thanks, Sam. Jayne Bryant.
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Elections and Elected Bodies (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 3
Okay, Joel. Sam.
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Elections and Elected Bodies (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 3
Okay, Carolyn? Joel James.
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Elections and Elected Bodies (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 3
Okay, Ruth, that's absolutely fine. We'll turn to other committee members, then, for those further questions, and, firstly, Carolyn Thomas.
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Elections and Elected Bodies (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 3
We've reached item 4 on our agenda today, then, our third evidence session on the Elections and Elected Bodies (Wales) Bill. I'm very pleased to welcome, joining us virtually, Ruth Coombs, head of Wales, Equality and Human Rights Commission. Thank you very…
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Elections and Elected Bodies (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 2
Okay. Committee will break briefly before our third and final evidence session for today.
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Elections and Elected Bodies (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 2
I see. Okay. Well, thank you very much for that. You will be sent a transcript to check for factual accuracy in the usual way. Thank you, all, very much for coming in to give evidence to committee today. Diolch yn fawr.
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Elections and Elected Bodies (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 2
Yes, I see. Okay. Just one further question from me before we conclude the session. It's just going back to the earlier points on the electoral management board, and the democracy and boundary commission being the right body to establish that electoral…
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Elections and Elected Bodies (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 2
Yes. Okay. And that needs to be bottomed out by the lawyers, then, really.
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Elections and Elected Bodies (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 2
Oh, I see. Okay. So, it's more a question of competence, really, in terms of what this legislation in Wales might be able to do or not?
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Elections and Elected Bodies (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 2
Okay, Carolyn. Thanks. If we could move on to campaign finance and notional expenditure. Jess, I think it's the society's view, isn't it, that bringing this legislation in line with the UK Government's Elections Act 2022 isn't sufficient, and that, in terms…
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Elections and Elected Bodies (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 2
Okay, that's very clear, Liz. Thank you very much. Carolyn. Carolyn Thomas.
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Elections and Elected Bodies (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 2
Okay, Carolyn. Jayne.
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Elections and Elected Bodies (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 2
I see. Okay. No other thoughts on that. Carolyn.
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Elections and Elected Bodies (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 2
Is that useful, do other panel members think?
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Elections and Elected Bodies (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 2
Could I just ask, Jayne, before you go on? Socioeconomic circumstance, I think, is interesting, isn't it, because actually it undercuts protected characteristics and cuts across many relatively under-represented groups in Wales. But defining what would be the…
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Elections and Elected Bodies (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 2
Okay. Anybody want to add to that? No. You're all content with that. Jayne.
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Elections and Elected Bodies (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 2
Okay, Joel. Diolch yn fawr. If we move on to diversity issues, perhaps I might ask you, Megan, initially, in terms of Disability Wales, whether you think that putting the current access to elected office fund on a statutory footing is the right way to…
