Group 8: Religion, Values and Ethics (Amendments 13, 23, 14, 24, 25, 26, 15, 27, 16, 28, 29, 17, 18, 19)

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 7:20 pm on 2 March 2021.

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Photo of Siân Gwenllian Siân Gwenllian Plaid Cymru 7:20, 2 March 2021

(Translated)

We as a group agree with the Government that religion, values and ethics should be on the face of the Bill as a mandatory element in order to help to create an inclusive society that respects all views, cultures and religions. We will therefore not be supporting Darren Millar's amendments, which would undermine that, and neither will we be supporting Suzy Davies's group 8 amendments. This is a complex debate, as we've already heard, but we are highly aware that there has been a great deal of discussion on this issue, and I am aware that the Government has sought consensus on this already and we therefore support their view today.

Suzy's amendments did engender great debate within our group, and we did consider some deep spiritual issues on the role of faith in the lives of people in Wales today. Wales is an inclusive nation that celebrates diversity. Equipping our young people through education to understand diversity and to fully understand the nature of the different religions and cultures that provide huge wealth to our nation is crucial. That's how we can entrench values that respect cultural and religious diversity in modern Wales. Thank you, Llywydd.