SCECLB153 Individual

Senedd Cymru | Welsh Parliament

Y Pwyllgor Biliau Diwygio | Reform Bill Committee

Bil Senedd Cymru (Rhestrau Ymgeiswyr Etholiadol)| Senedd Cymru (Electoral Candidate Lists) Bill

Ymateb gan Unigolyn | Evidence from Individual

What are your views on the general principles of the Bill and the need for legislation to deliver the Welsh Government’s stated policy objective (to make the Senedd a more effective legislature by ensuring it is broadly representative of the gender make-up of the population)?

Gender is too plastic and much discussed in meaning. Every time it is used in hear documents it should be replaced with the word sex, or none of these documents are useful, accurate or reliable in terms of legislation

What are your views on the system of enforcement and potential sanctions for non-compliance proposed in the Bill?

If I say I am a banana, am I a banana? Should you just take my word for it? If a male says he is a woman (or a female say she is a man) how is this different from my banana declaration?

Are there any potential barriers to the implementation of the Bill’s provisions? If so, what are they, and are they adequately taken into account in the Bill and the accompanying Explanatory Memorandum and Regulatory Impact Assessment?

The barrier is the use of “gender” rather than “sex” throughout.

Are any unintended consequences likely to arise from the Bill?

Marginalisation of females from across the diaspora within Wales. Using ‘gender’ to determine between men and women is inaccurate. Sex is more accurate and will lead to improved monitoring.

What are your views on the Welsh Government’s assessment of the financial and other impacts of the Bill?

Useless unless it is accurate.

What are your views on the balance between the information contained on the face of the Bill and what is left to subordinate legislation? Are the powers for Welsh Ministers to make subordinate legislation appropriate?

All this means nothing unless “gender” is replaced by “sex”.

Do you have any views on matters relating to the legislative competence of the Senedd including compatibility with the European Convention on Human Rights?

Legislative competence relies upon accuracy. Utilising an open and much debated term as ‘gender’ is not accurate and therefore not acceptable within legislative boundaries where “sex” is wholly more accurate.

Do you have any views on matters related to the quality of the legislation, or to the constitutional or other implications of the Bill?

You are wasting our money and time taking this bill forward in its current form. It is not going to be fit for purpose. At all. All the ideas contained therein will come to naught as they will not fulfil the spirit of the bill. They will be open to abuse. It doesn’t matter what order mens and women’s names appear on a list for example, if the truth of it is: male (man), male (woman), male (man), male (woman) and male (man). I can not believe that people who are meant to be leading this country to a better way of governance can not see the confusion produced by one word throughout. Please replace “gender” with “sex”.

Are there any other issues that you would like to raise about the Bill and the accompanying Explanatory Memorandum or any related matters?

Other than the naivety embodied in the choice of words? None as pressing as the change from “gender to “sex”? Not at present.

Anything else?

Isn’t that enough? When it changes the meaning of the bill in it’s entirety it’s a pretty big thing.