SCECLB377 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)?

Absolutely not needed. The Senedd has much more important issues to be tackling.

The UK has Equality Act 2010 which makes it illegal to discriminate on the grounds of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation.

The Welsh labour, propped up by Plaid Cymru government, are just adding unnecessary bureaucracy where UK Laws already exist. Laws which have been tested in courts.

What Wales requires in the best person for the position, irrespective of the sex of that person. The currently Senedd is made up of 29 women and 31 men. They are the only sexes. that is representative of the population of Wales which is approximately 51% male, 49% female.

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

This Law has been tested in the UK courts.

This proposal appears to myself to be discriminating against males. The Senedd, especially Welsh labour, Plaid Cymru and Welsh Liberal democrats need to understand there are only 2 sexes. Male and Female.

The best people for the roll needs to be on the ballot paper, not a exercise where constituencies would be negatively impacted by inferior candidates and inferior MS all because the best person for the role, could not stand due to this ludicrous proposal.

Also who governs the CRO and NNCO? The Senedd or Welsh government? Given the lack of transparency and accountably from the Welsh Labour government for the last few years, would in itself bring serious questions about impartiality.

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 Expert Panel who helped formulate the Explanatory Memorandum and Regulatory Impact Assessment also raises significant and very worrying concerns of this bill.

Also, that The Expert Panel is not itself representative of the population of Wales. That panel is pro-devolution. The Welsh electorate is not entirely pro-devolution nor it is The Expert Panel living in the same conditions in Wales as 99% of the population where the best person for the role matters, not if that person is female or on the LGBT spectrum.

Are any unintended consequences likely to arise from the Bill?

Discrimination against males.

Discrimination against females.

There are only 2 sexes.

The Senedd is made up of near enough representative split of the Senedd. There will be a influx of LGBT / 'self identifying' or 'I identify as' persons on to ballot papers, which is not a true representation of the population in Wales.

Also, the Welsh Government will end up in the courts at the earliest opportunity when there is discrimination as stated in the Equality Act 2010

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

1 penny of the Welsh Government funds is 1 penny too much on this bill.

The Welsh Labour Government are constantly crying out for 'more money', yet they can find extra money for another vanity project.

This can only be paid for by tax payers money. These taxes can be better spent on real Welsh issues.

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?

Welsh Labour and Plaid Cymru has repeatedly used the term 'power grab' in relation to Westminster making Laws which stay in to devolved areas. Subordinate Legislation is the stated in the bill is exactly the same.

Given how little scrutiny, accountability and trustworthiness shown by Welsh Labour Government and Ministers over the Covid-19 handing, any powers handed to Minister by Subordinate Legislation is entirely inappropriate.

Ministers should not have any powers over this bill given it has a direct implication on democratic elections with in Wales.

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

Given the Equality Act 2010 has been tested in the UK courts, why introduce a Welsh only bill that could and likely to end up in the courts, wasting more tax payer mon

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

This is a vanity project by Welsh Labour who are pandering to a minority of LGBT activists, who do not represent the views in the majority of population Wales. The Expert Panel does not represent the majority of population Wales.

The Expert Panel has raised serious concerns over this bill and it implementation.

This bill is alienate people from politics further in Wales, where political engagement is already very low.

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

My comments have been very clear.

Anything else?

This bill will end up in the courts.

This bill will enable discrimination against males.

This bill will enable discrimination against females.

The ability of Ministers to use Subordinate Legislation in relation to democratic elections, with out scrutiny, in the Senedd is extremely concerning.

There are many more pressing issues in Wales that could be tackled with the time and money that has and will be spent on this bill.

It would be more benefit to the majority of the Welsh population and representative of the issues that matter to the welsh population for the Welsh Government to tackle the increasing poverty levels, failing education levels, multiple NHS issues to name but a few, before this vanity project.