5 March 2024 , Committee of the Whole Senedd
Group 13: Democracy and Boundary Commission Cymru: appointment and disqualification of members, chief executive and assistant commissioners (Amendments 5, 6, 7, 8, 70, 41, 42, 71, 43, 72, 44, 45, 46, 73, 47, 48, 74)
Move.
5 March 2024 , Committee of the Whole Senedd
Group 13: Democracy and Boundary Commission Cymru: appointment and disqualification of members, chief executive and assistant commissioners (Amendments 5, 6, 7, 8, 70, 41, 42, 71, 43, 72, 44, 45, 46, 73, 47, 48, 74)
Only that I apologise for not referring to that point, and certainly that's something I'm happy to discuss further with you.
5 March 2024 , Committee of the Whole Senedd
Group 13: Democracy and Boundary Commission Cymru: appointment and disqualification of members, chief executive and assistant commissioners (Amendments 5, 6, 7, 8, 70, 41, 42, 71, 43, 72, 44, 45, 46, 73, 47, 48, 74)
Diolch, Llywydd. I would ask Members to support amendments 70 to 74, tabled in my name. These amendments are made in response to recommendation 23 of the reform committee's Stage 1 report. These amendments expand the list of persons who may not be appointed…
5 March 2024 , Committee of the Whole Senedd
Group 12: Part 3 of the Senedd Cymru (Members and Elections) Bill: minor and consequential amendments (Amendments 68, 69, 89)
Moved.
5 March 2024 , Committee of the Whole Senedd
Group 12: Part 3 of the Senedd Cymru (Members and Elections) Bill: minor and consequential amendments (Amendments 68, 69, 89)
Diolch, Llywydd. Amendment 89 is required as it inserts a new Schedule into the Bill to set out consequential changes required due to the renaming of both the Local Government (Democracy) (Wales) Act 2013 and the Local Democracy and Boundary Commission for…
5 March 2024 , Committee of the Whole Senedd
Group 11: Recall of Members of the Senedd (Amendments 124, 125)
Diolch, Llywydd. I will not be supporting Darren Millar's amendments 124 and 125, which insert a recall protocol into the Bill. I can certainly see that there would be merit in exploring such a system for Members of the Senedd. However, as the size of the…
5 March 2024 , Committee of the Whole Senedd
Group 10: 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) (Amendments 64, 65, 66, 67)
Moved.
5 March 2024 , Committee of the Whole Senedd
Group 10: 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) (Amendments 64, 65, 66, 67)
Moved.
5 March 2024 , Committee of the Whole Senedd
Group 10: 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) (Amendments 64, 65, 66, 67)
I move.
5 March 2024 , Committee of the Whole Senedd
Group 10: 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) (Amendments 64, 65, 66, 67)
Diolch, Llywydd. This is a group of four technical amendments that provide for consequential amendments to a range of existing legislation on the statute book that are associated with the change in the electoral system. Amendment 64, for example, omits…
5 March 2024 , Committee of the Whole Senedd
Group 9: Vacant seats that cannot be filled in accordance with new section 11 of the Government of Wales Act 2006 (to be inserted by section 9 of the Senedd Cymru (Members and Elections) Bill) (Amendments 29, 30, 33, 34, 118, 119, 120, 121, 122, 123)
I think, if you had a situation of such magnitude, there would be an emergency piece of legislation that would be brought in, if ever there were to be such a tragedy on such a scale. I don't think the point you raised actually deals with the reasons that have…
5 March 2024 , Committee of the Whole Senedd
Group 9: Vacant seats that cannot be filled in accordance with new section 11 of the Government of Wales Act 2006 (to be inserted by section 9 of the Senedd Cymru (Members and Elections) Bill) (Amendments 29, 30, 33, 34, 118, 119, 120, 121, 122, 123)
You have to form a view as to how balanced politics has always been in this place, will still be, I think, even with the reforms in question, and how one seat could have a significant or overbalanced effect, as well as distorting the entire system, and having…
5 March 2024 , Committee of the Whole Senedd
Group 9: Vacant seats that cannot be filled in accordance with new section 11 of the Government of Wales Act 2006 (to be inserted by section 9 of the Senedd Cymru (Members and Elections) Bill) (Amendments 29, 30, 33, 34, 118, 119, 120, 121, 122, 123)
Diolch, Llywydd. I suppose the starting point is what everyone recognises, that it is something that is possibly never going to happen, is very unlikely or very remote, but is a possibility. I can say that in discussions I’ve had with Members I have given…
5 March 2024 , Committee of the Whole Senedd
Group 8: Voting system at Senedd general elections and allocation of seats (Amendments 21, 51, 22, 23, 117, 31, 32)
Can you accept one thing, then, which is that despite the disagreement that we have over the particular issue of closed as opposed to flexible lists, these proposals are a significant improvement in our electoral system and much more democratic than what we…
5 March 2024 , Committee of the Whole Senedd
Group 8: Voting system at Senedd general elections and allocation of seats (Amendments 21, 51, 22, 23, 117, 31, 32)
Well, the reason is quite simple, that we have very detailed discussions, we share a variety of different positions and disagreements over the way forward, the different systems that there might be, and we come to a collective position as to one that we feel…
5 March 2024 , Committee of the Whole Senedd
Group 8: Voting system at Senedd general elections and allocation of seats (Amendments 21, 51, 22, 23, 117, 31, 32)
Yes, I will.
5 March 2024 , Committee of the Whole Senedd
Group 8: Voting system at Senedd general elections and allocation of seats (Amendments 21, 51, 22, 23, 117, 31, 32)
I will not be supporting amendments 21, 22, 23, 117, 31 or 32, which would give effect to a flexible list system, and a mechanism for subsequently reviewing its associated threshold. It is my opinion that the closed list proportional representation system…
5 March 2024 , Committee of the Whole Senedd
Group 8: Voting system at Senedd general elections and allocation of seats (Amendments 21, 51, 22, 23, 117, 31, 32)
Some people will not sleep tonight well if they don't hear what I have to say. [Laughter.]
5 March 2024 , Committee of the Whole Senedd
Group 8: Voting system at Senedd general elections and allocation of seats (Amendments 21, 51, 22, 23, 117, 31, 32)
Diolch, Llywydd. I will not be supporting amendments 21, 22, 23, 117, 31 or 32. [Interruption.]
5 March 2024 , Committee of the Whole Senedd
Group 7: Review of possible job sharing of offices relating to the Senedd (Amendments 4, 62, 63)
Moved.
5 March 2024 , Committee of the Whole Senedd
Group 7: Review of possible job sharing of offices relating to the Senedd (Amendments 4, 62, 63)
Diolch, Llywydd. I will first speak to amendment 4, tabled by Darren Millar, which removes the provisions relating to job sharing. I will not be supporting this amendment. The provisions in section 7 are intended to provide a pathway for cross-party…
5 March 2024 , Committee of the Whole Senedd
Group 6: Disqualification from being a Member of the Senedd or a candidate: persons convicted of the offence of deception within the previous five years (Amendment 126)
Can I just say, right at the start, that the contributions have been made substantively, and I agree with nearly everything that has been said through those, and I think it's an important reflection of the thinking, I hope, within this Senedd? I'll perhaps…
5 March 2024 , Committee of the Whole Senedd
Group 5: Disqualification from being a Member of the Senedd or a candidate: persons not registered in electoral register at an address in Wales (Amendments 57, 38, 39, 40)
Diolch, Llywydd. I just remind Members, of course, that I have written to all Senedd Members in respect of amendments 38 and 39. I am unable to support the amendments in this group. In relation to amendment 57, I believe the registration requirement in the…
5 March 2024 , Committee of the Whole Senedd
Group 4: Increase in maximum number of Welsh Ministers by regulations (Amendments 1, 52, 3)
I'm happy to—[Inaudible.]
5 March 2024 , Committee of the Whole Senedd
Group 4: Increase in maximum number of Welsh Ministers by regulations (Amendments 1, 52, 3)
Diolch, Llywydd. I may have some good news for the Member opposite, because although I do not support amendment 1 in this group, and that is because it would remove the power to increase the legislative limit on Welsh Ministers through secondary legislation…
