30 April 2024 , Plenary
Group 7: Democracy and Boundary Commission Cymru: appointment and disqualification of members, chief executive and assistant commissioners (Amendments 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
Moved.
30 April 2024 , Plenary
Group 7: Democracy and Boundary Commission Cymru: appointment and disqualification of members, chief executive and assistant commissioners (Amendments 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
Only to say that, obviously, maintaining the independence and the perceived independence and impartiality is vital, and I hope these amendments have actually achieved that to the satisfaction of the whole of the Senedd. Diolch.
30 April 2024 , Plenary
Group 7: Democracy and Boundary Commission Cymru: appointment and disqualification of members, chief executive and assistant commissioners (Amendments 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
Diolch, Llywydd. I'm pleased to open the debate on this group of amendments that relate to appointments and disqualifications from the Democracy and Boundary Commission Cymru. I'll be supporting all the amendments in this group. These amendments, by and…
30 April 2024 , Plenary
Group 6: Recall of Members of the Senedd (Amendments 40, 42)
I apologise for not commenting on that. I think that is really a matter for the committee and for the Senedd, and I'm sure that the urgency there is recognised and that those points are taken on board.
30 April 2024 , Plenary
Group 6: Recall of Members of the Senedd (Amendments 40, 42)
Will you take an intervention?
30 April 2024 , Plenary
Group 6: Recall of Members of the Senedd (Amendments 40, 42)
Diolch, Llywydd. I firstly thank Darren Millar for taking on board some of what was said in response to the similar amendment at Stage 2 and bringing forward a revised amendment that may fit more naturally within the electoral system proposed by the Bill…
30 April 2024 , Plenary
Group 5: Related amendments for the purposes of Part 2 of the Senedd Cymru (Members and Elections) Bill (voting system at Senedd general elections and allocation of seats) (Amendment 2)
Diolch, Llywydd. Amendment 2 will insert an additional amendment into section 10 of the Bill. This is a technical amendment to remove terms from the Senedd and Elections (Wales) Act 2020 that are redundant as a consequence of this Bill. The omission of…
30 April 2024 , Plenary
Group 4: Voting system at Senedd general elections and allocation of seats (Amendments 32, 33, 34, 39, 35, 36)
Well, in exactly the same way as, under the first-past-the-post system, candidates are selected by the parties. It is exactly the same, but this is a system that has far greater proportionality, and I think is far more democratic than anything we have at the…
30 April 2024 , Plenary
Group 4: Voting system at Senedd general elections and allocation of seats (Amendments 32, 33, 34, 39, 35, 36)
Certainly.
30 April 2024 , Plenary
Group 4: Voting system at Senedd general elections and allocation of seats (Amendments 32, 33, 34, 39, 35, 36)
Diolch, Llywydd. There is, I think, a genuine, a constructive, difference of views on this, but I can confirm I will not be supporting amendments 32, 33, 34, 35, 36 or 39, which would give effect to a flexible list system and a mechanism for subsequently…
30 April 2024 , Plenary
Group 3: Disqualification from being a Member of the Senedd or a candidate: persons convicted of the offence of deception within the previous four years (Amendment 43)
I think I'd finished there, Llywydd.
30 April 2024 , Plenary
Group 3: Disqualification from being a Member of the Senedd or a candidate: persons convicted of the offence of deception within the previous four years (Amendment 43)
Well, can I say the first thing is, I think, legislate at haste—? And this is a matter that does need very, very careful attention, and we do need to protect the privilege that exists in this Senedd, in terms of being able to speak freely and openly, so we…
30 April 2024 , Plenary
Group 3: Disqualification from being a Member of the Senedd or a candidate: persons convicted of the offence of deception within the previous four years (Amendment 43)
Certainly.
30 April 2024 , Plenary
Group 3: Disqualification from being a Member of the Senedd or a candidate: persons convicted of the offence of deception within the previous four years (Amendment 43)
Diolch, Llywydd. As I indicated at Stage 2, I support the general principle underpinning the proposals to increase the accountability of Members. Honesty is an overarching principle in the code of conduct for Members, and the truthfulness of Members sits at…
30 April 2024 , Plenary
Group 2: Senedd constituency boundary reviews: publications and implementation (Amendments 1, 24, 25, 26, 27, 30, 31)
Diolch yn fawr. I'm grateful to Members for their constructive contributions and I ask all Members to support all the amendments in this group. Diolch.
30 April 2024 , Plenary
Group 2: Senedd constituency boundary reviews: publications and implementation (Amendments 1, 24, 25, 26, 27, 30, 31)
Diolch, Llywydd. I'm pleased to open the debate on this group of amendments, which make technical changes to section 2, and Schedules 2 and 3 to the Bill, which relate to Senedd constituency boundary reviews. Amendment 1 clarifies that reference to ‘that…
30 April 2024 , Plenary
Group 1: Democracy and Boundary Commission Cymru: name of the Commission (Amendments 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 53, 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, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99, 100, 101, 102, 103, 104, 105, 106, 107, 108, 109, 110, 111, 112, 113, 114, 49, 50, 51, 115, 52)
Diolch, Llywydd. Can I—? Before speaking on the specific amendments, I’d like to thank both Darren, Jane Dodds and Adam Price and others, really, for the engagement, the constructive engagement? It’s clear there are areas where there are disagreements but it…
23 April 2024 , Plenary
Questions to the Counsel General
The issue of competence is obviously a fundamental part of our legislative process. It is certainly the case that this is one where there are different legal opinions in terms of competence. Competence is often an extremely complex and grey area. This…
23 April 2024 , Plenary
Questions to the Counsel General
Thank you for the question. The Bill has been through all the usual processes that all Government legislation introduced into the Senedd goes through. The Member in charge has set out the Government’s position in relation to the Bill in her oral statement and…
23 April 2024 , Plenary
Questions to the Counsel General
I don't give legal advice specifically on that last point. It is obviously important that all contractual arrangements that are entered into by public bodies are resilient. I know, for example, that the contract in respect of reclamation with Tower colliery…
23 April 2024 , Plenary
Questions to the Counsel General
Thank you for the question. Eleven major house builders have signed the Welsh Government’s developers contract. The contracts commit these developers to undertake works to rectify fire safety issues in buildings that they've developed over the past 30 years…
23 April 2024 , Plenary
Questions to the Counsel General
Well, listen, thank you for that response. I have to say that the Treaty of Montgomery is not something I've read recently, although I am aware of it. Certainly, this issue is a constitutional issue. There are strong and varying views on this. Just as we seek…
23 April 2024 , Plenary
Questions to the Counsel General
Thank you very much for the question. The immunity of the monarch from prosecution is a long-established principle. In accordance with that principle and convention, during the consent process on the Agriculture (Wales) Bill, as it was at the time, assurance…
23 April 2024 , Plenary
Questions to the Counsel General
Can I firstly thank you for continuing to raise this issue and the issue of the Hillsborough law? As you know, I met with some of the Hillsborough campaigners some while back, and have also been engaged with them. It is certainly the case that the—. Well, to…
23 April 2024 , Plenary
Questions to the Counsel General
Thank you for that question. I am working with Cabinet colleagues on the impacts of the Bill on their portfolios. We are engaging with the UK Government on several elements of the Bill. The Cabinet Secretary for Culture and Social Justice will lead a…
