, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Members and Elections) Bill: Ministerial evidence session
Well, beyond—. The idea of a platform that is available to make information available is one aspect. The other one, of course, is the diversity support that I referred to yesterday in terms of those with disability and accessibility and so on, and the funding…
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Members and Elections) Bill: Ministerial evidence session
Well, the first thing I think you're raising is that, I think, clearly, there are going to be, in 2026, issues in terms of clarity of communication and so on. And that's going to be around a number of issues, and those things are going to have to be thought…
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Members and Elections) Bill: Ministerial evidence session
I think what I'm probably doing is looking ahead at that there is going to be further legislation in terms of gender quotas and so on. And I think if that legislation, again, is legislation that goes through, the list system here makes it easier in order to…
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Members and Elections) Bill: Ministerial evidence session
Okay. Well, listen, I actually don't think it is, actually, in reality that different to what we have at the moment. Let's be totally honest in terms of the way the party system—. The parties select who their candidates are, whether it's one candidate in a…
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Members and Elections) Bill: Ministerial evidence session
That's the point I'm making, that this legislation is put forward there and it doesn't go through unless there is that two-thirds majority.
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Members and Elections) Bill: Ministerial evidence session
Well, if the Senedd did not support the proposals within the Bill as it is, then it won't go through. My understanding, though, is that where you are—and it would be churlish not to recognise that there is the co-operation agreement—there are those…
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Members and Elections) Bill: Ministerial evidence session
Well, as I understand it, the committee did discuss those, but that it ultimately, though, decided that it was going to go for this particular option, and that's the option and the recommendation that's come to me. I think what you might be suggesting is that…
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Members and Elections) Bill: Ministerial evidence session
Well, I wasn't on the committee that considered this. As I say, my job is to convert what they recommended into legislation. You're right in terms of the various recommendations that come through committees at a particular time, but, clearly, the…
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Members and Elections) Bill: Ministerial evidence session
Well, what has changed is the recommendation that has come to me to convert into legislation is the system that we've incorporated within the Bill.
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Members and Elections) Bill: Ministerial evidence session
Well, it is feasible. It's up to the Senedd how quickly it completes that work and develops a policy that can be converted into legislation.
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Members and Elections) Bill: Ministerial evidence session
The Senedd can establish whatever committees it wishes to discuss matters et cetera. How those are then carried forward and converted into legislation obviously has other challenges, particularly bearing in mind where we are within the legislative programme…
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Members and Elections) Bill: Ministerial evidence session
I think it is an enormous piece of work. I think it's an incredibly complex piece of work. It has to be defined, but I think it raises a whole series of very fundamental constitutional issues in terms of the election of representatives, what their role is…
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Members and Elections) Bill: Ministerial evidence session
The committee that—. The Senedd has to table a motion. I think it will be for the Senedd, then, to decide what the format of that will be. I think that's right.
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Members and Elections) Bill: Ministerial evidence session
Well, firstly, I think this actually fulfills what's been asked for from the special purpose committee, because it's not determining—. This Bill doesn't determine the issue of job sharing; what it does is ensure that the desire for this to be considered is…
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Members and Elections) Bill: Ministerial evidence session
Well, it was a practical, operational decision made as to what are the criteria for people to be able to stand for candidacy within legislation like this, and clarity, simplicity and operationability and proportionality were the ones that were really the…
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Members and Elections) Bill: Ministerial evidence session
Can I go to—?
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Members and Elections) Bill: Ministerial evidence session
I think we’ve looked at a whole range of different ways of trying to achieve that, to achieve the residency, and I think, again, coming within the simplicity, the clarity and something that made operational sense is basically that to be a candidate, you need…
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Members and Elections) Bill: Ministerial evidence session
—and then legal challenges to whether you do, don't et cetera, and we can't really have that in an electoral system?
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Members and Elections) Bill: Ministerial evidence session
Can I just say that they all involve quite considerable amounts of discretion as well—
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Members and Elections) Bill: Ministerial evidence session
We certainly looked at all the issues around how you would actually look at proximity. I mean, for example, what happens if someone's in Wales and they have to move across the border to look after someone or whatever? The moment you start looking at those…
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Members and Elections) Bill: Ministerial evidence session
No, I don't think it’s odd at all. I think if you live in Wales, you're accountable to Wales. If you don't live in Wales, you’re accountable to the laws that apply in England, and vice versa. So, I don't really see that as being a difficulty. If you wanted to…
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Members and Elections) Bill: Ministerial evidence session
Looking at a residency requirement is really quite a complex area, and I think the area we've gone for is basically what I think is the clearest, the simplest and most understandable, and that is, if you want to stand to be a representative of the Welsh…
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Members and Elections) Bill: Ministerial evidence session
I have to say I have a very important meeting straight afterwards, which I've already told I'm going to be a little bit late for, so I'd hope not, but, see how we go.
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Members and Elections) Bill: Ministerial evidence session
Not in my lifetime, I hope. I think the figure of 96 is one that you want to futureproof; you do not want these sorts of discussions or need necessarily to have the sort of discussions and reforms on an ongoing basis. It's ultimately determined by the Senedd…
, Reform Bill Committee
Senedd Cymru (Members and Elections) Bill: Ministerial evidence session
The answer is 'no', because I think the electoral reform Bill, again, is one in terms of administration, organisation of elections, automatic registration, dealing with a whole series of issues around how our elections actually operate. The Senedd reform, I…
