, Standards of Conduct Committee
Inquiry into Individual Member Accountability: Evidence session 6
Well, I think the reality is you have to go down the list. If someone has left the political party, I think, effectively, they've left their party list and would lose eligibility on that. But it is one of those things I think you just—. In legislating in this…
, Standards of Conduct Committee
Inquiry into Individual Member Accountability: Evidence session 6
I think—
, Standards of Conduct Committee
Inquiry into Individual Member Accountability: Evidence session 6
Well, on that question, the answer is, 'I think there are arguments both ways on it'; I think you're absolutely right on that. The argument in terms of simplicity and the fact that, I think, when people are elected to the Senedd as part of a list, there…
, Standards of Conduct Committee
Inquiry into Individual Member Accountability: Evidence session 6
I think probably that is the only option. I can't really see any way around that. We did look at that very, very carefully, didn't we, and we discussed it during the process of the Senedd Cymru (Members and Elections) Bill, and I think we left it, firstly…
, Standards of Conduct Committee
Inquiry into Individual Member Accountability: Evidence session 6
That, in my view, would be logical. I don't know whether there are reasonable arguments as to why that shouldn't apply, but it seems to me that, in removing someone, what you're not doing is initiating an event that changes the political nature or the balance…
, Standards of Conduct Committee
Inquiry into Individual Member Accountability: Evidence session 6
Well, we looked at this, didn't we, very much with the Senedd Cymru (Members and Elections) Bill about different voting systems. I think there is a difficulty when you have a particular system that achieves a certain balanced outcome, depending upon the…
, Standards of Conduct Committee
Inquiry into Individual Member Accountability: Evidence session 6
I think you'd have to do it across the board. That's my gut feeling on it. Obviously, it's a matter for the committee to explore, but I think having differentials in one area and another poses complications that shouldn't be there.
, Standards of Conduct Committee
Inquiry into Individual Member Accountability: Evidence session 6
No, I don't really have thoughts on that because I haven't really been able to consider the views of others in terms of what would be an appropriate threshold, just that I think it probably is important that there is some threshold. You wouldn't want…
, Standards of Conduct Committee
Inquiry into Individual Member Accountability: Evidence session 6
The answer is 'I don't know'. There's an argument that would say that it should be the same as happened with the Welsh election, with the original election that put the person in position. But, of course, as you know, one of the options to the Elections and…
, Standards of Conduct Committee
Inquiry into Individual Member Accountability: Evidence session 6
I think you would have to apply the same standards as you do for a normal Welsh election.
, Standards of Conduct Committee
Inquiry into Individual Member Accountability: Evidence session 6
I think the one question would be something along the lines of, 'Should So-and-so continue to represent you as a Member?'.
, Standards of Conduct Committee
Inquiry into Individual Member Accountability: Evidence session 6
I think there would have to be a threshold, and I think that's, obviously, a matter for the committee to consider. Thresholds are always difficult in votes, and we don't have a threshold in, for example, the police and crime commissioner elections, or any…
, Standards of Conduct Committee
Inquiry into Individual Member Accountability: Evidence session 6
Except that candidate wouldn't be participating, and that only takes effect if the person is removed. So, it's a decision by the public: do you want this person to stay as a Senedd Member, and, if you don't, they will be removed? The fact that there would be…
, Standards of Conduct Committee
Inquiry into Individual Member Accountability: Evidence session 6
The answer is that I've given quite a lot of thought to it, partly because that thinking triggered by the deception issue that's arisen within the Elections and Elected Bodies (Wales) Bill, and it always brings me back to the issue of standards and recall. I…
, Standards of Conduct Committee
Inquiry into Individual Member Accountability: Evidence session 6
Well, I think and I think most people would argue that any criminal offence that occurs is a criminal offence, et cetera, and probably needs to be looked at and addressed in some ways as to the impact it has on the perception of the Senedd and the role of…
, Standards of Conduct Committee
Inquiry into Individual Member Accountability: Evidence session 6
Well, it is an important point and, of course, we do know that there have been protests of conscience on a variety of issues, from the Welsh language to anti-apartheid campaigns to nuclear campaigns. I seem to remember, in the 1950s, there was the Committee…
, Standards of Conduct Committee
Inquiry into Individual Member Accountability: Evidence session 6
Well, I think that you're right on that, and I think also that also moves towards the view that the public expectation would be that if you've gone through the process where a report has been received by the committee, representations have been made by the…
, Standards of Conduct Committee
Inquiry into Individual Member Accountability: Evidence session 6
Yes—
, Standards of Conduct Committee
Inquiry into Individual Member Accountability: Evidence session 6
It's a very, very good question and I don't think there's an easy answer to it. My inclination, in terms of what public expectation would be, would be that there would be a simple majority. I suppose the concern would be if there was one party that had an…
, Standards of Conduct Committee
Inquiry into Individual Member Accountability: Evidence session 6
I think within the—. The process, as I see it, would be that a complaint is made, a report is made, in the usual way to the standards committee and the standards committee makes a recommendation, which has to be approved. But, before that happens, I think…
, Standards of Conduct Committee
Inquiry into Individual Member Accountability: Evidence session 6
There is room for it to be considered, but, of course, we did consider it, I think, within the Senedd Cymru (Members and Elections) Bill, and I think the approach we've taken there is that it is probably a step too far in terms of legislating to interfere in…
, Standards of Conduct Committee
Inquiry into Individual Member Accountability: Evidence session 6
Well, I think so, because I think, in many ways, what you're looking at are events that happen where action needs to be taken, or where the committee will want to consider making recommendations and how it does that, but also where there are other things that…
, Standards of Conduct Committee
Inquiry into Individual Member Accountability: Evidence session 6
No, I think that broadly is right. I know that, of course, the House of Commons are also looking at some of these issues and reviewing their, I think, 2015 Act. Of course, the trigger is really the key for so many reasons in which to legislate in this…
, Plenary
Questions to the Counsel General
I would hope that you'd be ashamed of the points that you started off with, which you know are not only untrue but are grossly—[Interruption.]—grossly misleading and misrepresentative. Can I say that, in that knowledge, how disappointing it is and unethical…
, Plenary
Questions to the Counsel General
Migration policy is not devolved, but Welsh Government does have responsibility for supporting migrant integration in Wales. So, we will continue to play a full, proportionate part in supporting asylum seekers, and we will aim to ensure they have access to…
