6 March 2024 , Committee of the Whole Senedd
Group 16: Referendum on the Senedd Cymru (Members and Elections) Act 2024 (Amendments 36, 37)
Look, we are here to debate this call for a referendum—[Laughter.] We are here to discuss this call for a referendum. Can I go back to the contribution by the Member for Blaenau Gwent? He tells me, in a lecture, that I need to respect Welsh democracy, and…
6 March 2024 , Committee of the Whole Senedd
Group 16: Referendum on the Senedd Cymru (Members and Elections) Act 2024 (Amendments 36, 37)
Of course, of course.
6 March 2024 , Committee of the Whole Senedd
Group 16: Referendum on the Senedd Cymru (Members and Elections) Act 2024 (Amendments 36, 37)
And that commitment was made clear on the campaign trail, that what we would do is go back to first-past-the-post representation. Now, I maintain the position that the people of Wales want more doctors, dentists, nurses and teachers, not more politicians. If…
6 March 2024 , Committee of the Whole Senedd
Group 16: Referendum on the Senedd Cymru (Members and Elections) Act 2024 (Amendments 36, 37)
Yes, of course, of course.
6 March 2024 , Committee of the Whole Senedd
Group 16: Referendum on the Senedd Cymru (Members and Elections) Act 2024 (Amendments 36, 37)
Diolch, Llywydd. Pretty extraordinary contributions, if I may say so. Look, it doesn't surprise me that Plaid Cymru want a bigger Senedd. If they have their way, we'd end up like the People's Republic of China, with thousands of people who are politicians in…
6 March 2024 , Committee of the Whole Senedd
Group 16: Referendum on the Senedd Cymru (Members and Elections) Act 2024 (Amendments 36, 37)
Darren Millar to respond.
6 March 2024 , Committee of the Whole Senedd
Group 16: Referendum on the Senedd Cymru (Members and Elections) Act 2024 (Amendments 36, 37)
Unlike the vague manifesto commitment from your own party, Mike Hedges, there was a crystal-clear manifesto commitment to change those voting systems. And I'm talking, and I'm talking here—[Interruption.] And I am talking here very carefully about elections…
6 March 2024 , Committee of the Whole Senedd
Group 16: Referendum on the Senedd Cymru (Members and Elections) Act 2024 (Amendments 36, 37)
There was a clear manifesto commitment from the Conservatives. [Interruption.] A clear—[Interruption.] A crystal—[Interruption.] There was a crystal clear—[Interruption.] Unlike the manifesto—[Interruption.] Unlike the vague manifesto commitment of your own…
6 March 2024 , Committee of the Whole Senedd
Group 16: Referendum on the Senedd Cymru (Members and Elections) Act 2024 (Amendments 36, 37)
They claim that references to Senedd reform in their manifestos provide them with a clear mandate to introduce this package of measures. Like a used car salesman pointing to an exclusion clause buried in the small print of a long warranty document, they point…
6 March 2024 , Committee of the Whole Senedd
Group 16: Referendum on the Senedd Cymru (Members and Elections) Act 2024 (Amendments 36, 37)
Diolch, Llywydd. I move amendments 36 and 37, both of which have been tabled in my name. Now, as all of us in this Welsh Parliament know, if we're honest with ourselves, the overwhelming majority of the public do not support an increase in the size of the…
6 March 2024 , Committee of the Whole Senedd
Group 15: Senedd constituency boundary reviews: electoral quota (Amendment 14)
Moved.
6 March 2024 , Committee of the Whole Senedd
Group 15: Senedd constituency boundary reviews: electoral quota (Amendment 14)
Moved.
6 March 2024 , Committee of the Whole Senedd
Group 15: Senedd constituency boundary reviews: electoral quota (Amendment 14)
Moved.
6 March 2024 , Committee of the Whole Senedd
Group 15: Senedd constituency boundary reviews: electoral quota (Amendment 14)
Move.
6 March 2024 , Committee of the Whole Senedd
Group 15: Senedd constituency boundary reviews: electoral quota (Amendment 14)
Move.
6 March 2024 , Committee of the Whole Senedd
Group 15: Senedd constituency boundary reviews: electoral quota (Amendment 14)
Move.
6 March 2024 , Committee of the Whole Senedd
Group 15: Senedd constituency boundary reviews: electoral quota (Amendment 14)
Move.
6 March 2024 , Committee of the Whole Senedd
Group 15: Senedd constituency boundary reviews: electoral quota (Amendment 14)
Well, I'm disappointed to hear the response from the Counsel General and, indeed, Plaid Cymru on this matter. I think that having differences of up to 30,000 between one Senedd constituency and the next is, frankly, unacceptable. That's over half the size of…
6 March 2024 , Committee of the Whole Senedd
Group 15: Senedd constituency boundary reviews: electoral quota (Amendment 14)
Diolch, Llywydd. I move amendment 14, tabled in my name. The Bill before us today includes a clause that stipulates that when the Democracy and Boundary Commission Cymru undertakes a boundary review in advance of the Senedd elections currently scheduled for…
6 March 2024 , Committee of the Whole Senedd
Group 14: Names of Senedd constituencies, and the role of the Welsh Language Commissioner in their naming (Amendments 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 99, 101, 102, 103, 104, 106, 107, 109)
Diolch, Llywydd. I can confirm that the Welsh Conservatives will be supporting all of the amendments in this group. As the Counsel General has quite rightly said, there was a great deal of evidence at the Reform Bill Committee Stage 1 proceedings, which…
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)
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)
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)
And, obviously, I would be very happy to explore those things with you as well. Now, I do accept, actually, that the list of disqualifications, which you have added via amendment, there are some other bits that weren't on my list. So, for example, those…
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)
Thank you, Presiding Officer. Look, I think we all share the same objectives here, don't we? We want to make sure that this thing is completely depoliticised, and that there is no chance of any political party, of whatever colour, having any influence on what…
