, Local Government and Housing Committee
Group 17: Disqualification from being a Member of Senedd Cymru or local government (Amendments 112, 113, 10, 114, 125, 126, 128, 129)
Yes.
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Group 17: Disqualification from being a Member of Senedd Cymru or local government (Amendments 112, 113, 10, 114, 125, 126, 128, 129)
The point I'm making is that the most effective way to deliver good legislation and effective legislation is not via this amendment, which I think has inherently a whole series of potential flaws, but is actually through the appropriate committee in any…
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Group 17: Disqualification from being a Member of Senedd Cymru or local government (Amendments 112, 113, 10, 114, 125, 126, 128, 129)
Honesty is an overarching principle in the code of conduct for Members, and the truthfulness of Members sits at the heart of the standards by which we must be held. Trust is fundamental to the proper functioning of democracy in Wales. At the same time, we…
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Group 17: Disqualification from being a Member of Senedd Cymru or local government (Amendments 112, 113, 10, 114, 125, 126, 128, 129)
Thank you, Chair. I've listened carefully, and of course we've had quite a number of discussions over the period of time. I'll deal with a number of other issues first of all. I do not support amendments 112, 113 and 114 tabled by Peter Fox. Amendment 112…
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Group 17: Disqualification from being a Member of Senedd Cymru or local government (Amendments 112, 113, 10, 114, 125, 126, 128, 129)
Back to Kyiv. [Laughter.]
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Group 16: Abolition of the Independent Remuneration Board of the Senedd (Amendment 6)
Thank you, Chair. Well, this issue was indeed discussed during Stage 1, and there were strong arguments made in favour of looking again at the Senedd's remuneration arrangements. I will not, as I think Members will understand, be supporting amendment 6, which…
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Group 15: Democracy and Boundary Commission Cymru - membership (Amendments 46, 41, 42)
No. I'm happy to move to a vote.
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Group 15: Democracy and Boundary Commission Cymru - membership (Amendments 46, 41, 42)
Diolch, Cadeirydd. Amendment 41 adds exclusions to the Democracy and Boundary Commission Cymru so as to ensure impartiality in relation to the new independent remuneration panel functions that have been provided to the DBCC via this Bill. These exclusions are…
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Group 14: Democracy and Boundary Commission Cymru – functions relating to remuneration of elected Members (Amendments 40, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 96, 97)
Thank you for those comments. I'm not sure I can give a very full answer to the point that was raised in terms of the reviews, although it seems to me there is a primary function in respect of the Senedd Commission and Commissioners themselves in respect of…
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Group 14: Democracy and Boundary Commission Cymru – functions relating to remuneration of elected Members (Amendments 40, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 96, 97)
Diolch yn fawr, Cadeirydd. I welcome the opportunity to open the debate on this group of amendments, which are concerned with the Democracy and Boundary Commission Cymru functions relating to renumeration. The first amendment, amendment 40, is tabled in my…
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Group 13: Publication of contact details for community councils (Amendment 123)
Diolch, Chair. I'm not going to be supporting amendment 123 requiring a principal council to detail communities and community councils in its area. Section 54(2) of the Bill requires each principal council to publish and maintain on its website an up-to-date…
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Group 12: Electoral arrangements reviews (Amendments 122, 37, 38, 39)
Thank you, Chair. I thank Adam Price for opening this debate on this particular group. Can I just say that I'm not going to be supporting the amendment, but again I'd just make the point that I'm open to further exploration? I think that the steps that were…
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Group 11: Campaign finance (Amendments 33, 34, 35, 36, 47, 48)
Yes, of course. Basically, it's a concessionary amendment that's made in response to recommendation 15 of the Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee report at Stage 1 scrutiny.
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Group 11: Campaign finance (Amendments 33, 34, 35, 36, 47, 48)
Diolch yn fawr, Cadeirydd. The amendments in this group are all tabled in my name. Amendments 33 to 35 are about campaign finance and are in response to the Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee recommendation 15 during Stage 1 scrutiny and are…
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Group 10: Welsh language requirements for returning officers (Amendments 4, 5)
Well, can I firstly thank the Member for the amendments and for all the comments that he has made? I'm not going to be supporting amendments 4 and 5. I'll explain perhaps a little bit more about the reasoning behind that, and what I would hope is that there…
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Group 9: Financial assistance scheme – operation (Amendments 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31)
No, Chair.
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Group 9: Financial assistance scheme – operation (Amendments 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31)
Diolch yn fawr, Chair—Cadeirydd. These are a set of amendments to clarify matters related to persons excluded from operating a financial assistance scheme. Amendment 25 clarifies that excluded persons are excluded for the duration of the scheme, not just on…
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Group 8: Welsh elections information platform (Amendments 108, 109, 49, 50, 51, 118, 119, 120)
Well, thank you, Chair. Thank you, Peter Fox, and also Adam, because it is a very important area that you've raised. Peter Fox's amendment 108 would remove the duty on the Welsh Ministers to provide an elections information platform, and we've made a…
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Group 7: Diversity in persons seeking elected office (Amendments 107, 24, 52, 53, 110, 32, 43)
Diolch, Chair. Again, thank you to Peter Fox for opening the debate, and for the contributions that you've made on this, Adam. Can I speak first to amendment 107? This amendment would require candidate surveys to include questions about candidates' experience…
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Group 6: Assistance for voters with disabilities (Amendments 9, 111)
Thank you, Chair. Diolch, Chair. If I speak first of all—. Thank you for the contributions. It's an important matter that you raise; I will address that towards the end of some of the responses. Speaking first to amendment 9, amendment 9 places a duty on…
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Group 5: Electoral reform regulations (Amendments 105, 106, 21, 22, 23)
Diolch, Chair. I won't be supporting amendments 105 and 106 on electoral reform regulations. The amendments are overly restrictive. Electoral law already specifies numerous offences in various situations, so to essentially exclude these entirely from all…
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Group 4: Welsh elections piloting powers and regulations (Amendments 7, 101, 17, 18, 117, 8, 102, 103, 104, 19, 20)
I think it's just that the drafting of it I don't think incorporates something that will involve a civic duty that would enable something then that would have to create a criminal offence in terms of that penalty. That's, I think, the mechanical part of the…
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Group 4: Welsh elections piloting powers and regulations (Amendments 7, 101, 17, 18, 117, 8, 102, 103, 104, 19, 20)
I can't support the amendments, because they would allow Ministers to pilot fundamental changes to the electoral system using secondary legislation, and we don't think it's appropriate that the rights and duties of citizens can be changed in this way through…
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Group 4: Welsh elections piloting powers and regulations (Amendments 7, 101, 17, 18, 117, 8, 102, 103, 104, 19, 20)
Well, again, diolch, Chair, and, again, thank you to Adam and Peter for their contributions, but also for to the additional contributions, because I think they show that this is an area where there's a wide range of thoughts and commitment and understanding…
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Group 3: Electoral registration (Amendments 99, 2, 3, 16, 100, 127, 44, 45)
Diolch, Chair. Firstly, I thank Peter Fox and Adam Price for the constructive contributions. I'm not going to be asking Members to support these amendments. Amendment 2 sets two different requirements for anonymous registration between devolved and reserved…
