The Accessibility of the Senedd

Part of 3. Questions to the Assembly Commission – in the Senedd at 3:20 pm on 22 May 2019.

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Photo of Elin Jones Elin Jones Plaid Cymru 3:20, 22 May 2019

(Translated)

Thank you for the question, and I remember the event. Of course, some Members drew attention to the fact on the day that there were protesters who are also members of the public who were keen to access the Senedd during that debate and to be in the public gallery, and there was space in the public gallery for people to do so.

As I noted in the initial response, this is a matter of balance, of course, between security matters and the need to allow the people of Wales to be able to visit us in a safe manner and to listen to our proceedings here. There is a clear code of conduct for visitors, and one that also deals with protests. The code states that, in order to maintain security and safety, only six delegates from a protest group can be granted access to the inside of the building at any time. As a result, in this case, a delegation of six was given access to the estate, but access was not allowed to other members of the group, as you noted in your question.

On this occasion, during the proceedings, a strategic decision was taken to allow more protestors to enter the Neuadd, but, of course, that was as the afternoon was going on, with the debate having come to an end.

The problem that arose on that day—the fact that a number of Members drew our attention to what was happening, and now your question—. We have asked—I have asked for a review of the policy as it exists currently, and the Commission will look at that in due course. May I ask you, as Members in this Chamber, to draw the attention of the Commissioners from your parties to what you believe is the right balance to strike as we review this policy?

If I can assure you, Helen Mary Jones, we are doing so—we are doing our work in terms of security that treats everybody equally, and I would say, on the whole, we are quite successful in having that balance between security and access to all to visit our Senedd here. If we have got it wrong in the past, then we need to learn from that experience, and I look forward to discussing these issues further so that we can ensure that we are a safe location for people to visit, as well as being a safe place for us and our staff, but also that we're somewhere that’s open, and that our public gallery is as full as it can be on every possible occasion.