5. Statement by the Llywydd: Update on the establishment of a Youth Parliament for Wales

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 4:07 pm on 23 May 2018.

Alert me about debates like this

Photo of Elin Jones Elin Jones Plaid Cymru 4:07, 23 May 2018

(Translated)

Well, I agree entirely with what was set out by Llyr, namely that what we want to achieve here is to empower young people to be able to state their voice clearly on any subject that’s of interest or priority to them. And, so, the question is: what will be the relationship between the youth parliament and our Parliament and the different committees in the Parliament? I think that it’s not me, or everyone here—we won’t have the answers for that, but the young people in the first youth parliament. And I think that, as a matter of principle, we should allow those young people to decide on how they want to influence our policies, how they want to influence our processes, and what kind of engagement work that they want to do with the different committees and the legislation that is going through this place. All I will say is that I hope that we, as Members and committees, and as a Government, will all be open to collaboration and to listening to our young people.

It is an interesting question about whether the younger people will be over-influenced by the older people. My experience from this place—the older Parliament, if I can call it that—is that the younger people aren’t drowned out by the older people in the older age range. I do sense that that won’t be true in the youth parliament as well. I do hope that everyone, from the outset, will be treated equally.