, Plenary
Questions to the Counsel General and Minister for the Constitution
The Welsh Government has repeatedly expressed concerns about women who had their state pension age raised without effective or sufficient notification. We continue to make representations on behalf of these women who have suffered such injustice.
, Plenary
Questions to the Counsel General and Minister for the Constitution
I certainly agree with the concerns that the Member has raised. Those concerns include, I think, the undermining of individual rights, potential loss of, for example, engagement with things like the EU adequacy, which have a significant commercial effect, and…
, Plenary
Questions to the Counsel General and Minister for the Constitution
Welsh Ministers have assessed the legal implications for Wales as the Bill has progressed through the UK Parliament. The First Minister has laid three legislative consent memoranda on devolved matters.
, Plenary
Questions to the Counsel General and Minister for the Constitution
I think any things that we can do within legislation and within competence that enable us to minimise the impact of attempts at misinformation are things that are well worth considering. The issue of digital controls and digital management is in a fairly…
, Plenary
Questions to the Counsel General and Minister for the Constitution
Well, thank you for, I think, what is an incredibly important issue, one that we have seen developing over the past years, and that is the way in which artificial intelligence and digital technology can be used to undermine democracy. And if that is being…
, Plenary
Questions to the Counsel General and Minister for the Constitution
Well, can I, firstly, correct the Member? Firstly, no Bill has been withdrawn. In order for a Bill to be withdrawn, it actually has to be tabled. The Senedd Cymru (Electoral Candidate Lists) Bill was scheduled to be introduced on 4 December. However, further…
, Plenary
Questions to the Counsel General and Minister for the Constitution
As far as the Scottish judgement is concerned, what the court did uphold was that the legislation passed in Scotland was in competence. That was agreed by the UK Government. The issue was whether it impacted on the Equality Act and modified it, and that was…
, Plenary
Questions to the Counsel General and Minister for the Constitution
Firstly, the legal issues that we have, I think, quite rightly raised in terms of our devolved settlement—our statutory rights as a devolved Government, as opposed to the internal market Act—have not been determined one way or the other. Our position has…
, Plenary
Questions to the Counsel General and Minister for the Constitution
Thank you for your comments. You raise a very important point that arises in the way in which data is now a global asset—it's important to trade, and so many areas of activity, of research, and so on. There has been engagement, and, of course, there are…
, Plenary
Questions to the Counsel General and Minister for the Constitution
Thank you. The Welsh Government is keen for Welsh businesses to benefit from convenient and secure data sharing arrangements with other territories. At the same time, we are clear that citizens should be entitled to expect their data to be protected and used…
, Plenary
Questions to the Counsel General and Minister for the Constitution
She has an opinion, and I disagree with that opinion. I'll first of all say that the system that is being incorporated within the legislation is a proposal that's come from a special purpose committee, and has already received the support of a two-thirds…
, Plenary
Questions to the Counsel General and Minister for the Constitution
Can I just say that the practice of the Labour Party is that we always adopt a democratic process in respect of the selection of our candidates? Can I also say that, in terms of Senedd reform, I do not consider that the fulfillment of manifesto promises can…
, Plenary
Questions to the Counsel General and Minister for the Constitution
Can I thank the Member for that supplementary? You raise a number of very important points. Changes to donations and campaign expenses at UK parliamentary elections have been described by the Electoral Commission as 'dangerous'. This is exactly what the…
, Plenary
Questions to the Counsel General and Minister for the Constitution
Thank you for your question. There are a number of elements of an electoral system that influence its perceived fairness. Through our programme of Senedd reform, we are strengthening some of these, for example, by removing the disproportional…
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Elections and Elected Bodies (Wales) Bill: Evidence from the Counsel General and Minister for the Constitution
Thank you very much.
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Elections and Elected Bodies (Wales) Bill: Evidence from the Counsel General and Minister for the Constitution
Well, I think there's already existing provision. If it's, for example, local government you're talking about, there's already provision as to who can call an election when a vacancy actually occurs. So, those provisions would remain there, and of course…
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Elections and Elected Bodies (Wales) Bill: Evidence from the Counsel General and Minister for the Constitution
I'm not sure the evidence is there for that. I think most people, when they stand for election, whether it be Parliament or the Senedd and so on, and they know the things that have to be done, or that you have to stand down from et cetera, it does actually…
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Elections and Elected Bodies (Wales) Bill: Evidence from the Counsel General and Minister for the Constitution
It's an interesting point, isn't it? If someone posted on there a libellous statement, and they went on there, is it the candidate—? Well, obviously the candidate would have liability, the person who has actually posted it there, but, of course, the agencies…
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Elections and Elected Bodies (Wales) Bill: Evidence from the Counsel General and Minister for the Constitution
Yes. Angharad, do you want to—?
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Elections and Elected Bodies (Wales) Bill: Evidence from the Counsel General and Minister for the Constitution
Sorry, Angharad.
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Elections and Elected Bodies (Wales) Bill: Evidence from the Counsel General and Minister for the Constitution
Well, there are, obviously, a number of challenges. One of the big challenges is the information provided by the candidates themselves, the framework within which that happens, the responsibility, in fact, for the—. Obviously, you don't want registration…
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Elections and Elected Bodies (Wales) Bill: Evidence from the Counsel General and Minister for the Constitution
Well, the intention is for the electoral management board to host it. That isn't a guarantee always for the future, if there were better mechanisms that developed and so on that were considered appropriate. But certainly, the electoral management board, I…
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Elections and Elected Bodies (Wales) Bill: Evidence from the Counsel General and Minister for the Constitution
Firstly, it's important to make people aware that the platform is there. I think, during the local government elections, the systems that were in there, which are really voluntary arrangements, non-statutory, had quite substantial hits themselves. I think…
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Elections and Elected Bodies (Wales) Bill: Evidence from the Counsel General and Minister for the Constitution
Firstly, the point about it is that the legislation, I think, makes it very clear that there does need to be such a platform. I think, in the past, there have been almost voluntary arrangements happening, through things like the Democracy Club, local…
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Elections and Elected Bodies (Wales) Bill: Evidence from the Counsel General and Minister for the Constitution
Well, I don't think you should take the two as separate, because I think the provision of services there has a very broad base to it there: reducing inequalities of outcome, socioeconomic disadvantage, and having regard to 'to promote diversity in the…
