6. Debate on the Report of the Special Purpose Committee on Senedd Reform — Reforming our Senedd: A stronger voice for the people of Wales

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 5:30 pm on 8 June 2022.

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Photo of John Griffiths John Griffiths Labour 5:30, 8 June 2022

I would like to start by paying tribute, as others have, to the committee, to Huw and his colleagues, to Mark Drakeford for his leadership and the way he's driven this forward, working in partnership with Adam Price and Plaid Cymru, but also to pay tribute to all of those who campaigned for a parliament for Wales for so many years—generations who had that as an objective, as an ideal, because they wanted the people of Wales to have that strong voice and they wanted the people of Wales to be served by a strong parliament to represent their interests and look after those interests. There is such a long history, and for people like me who've come to it more recently with the campaign 'Yes for Wales' that preceded the Assembly, which I was so privileged to become a Member of at that first election, as did others who are here in the Chamber today—we were privileged, and we've been privileged to see this institution grow and develop. And we've done that, we have grown, and the depth and the breadth of powers of the Assembly, now a Parliament, has been very impressive over that period of devolution. But it hasn't been matched by an increase in capacity and resource to enable that job, that bigger job, to be done as effectively as it needs to be done, and that is the point, isn't it? It's about powers for a purpose, not powers for the sake of having those powers, but powers to deliver better for the people of Wales.

And I would like to say as well, Dirprwy Lywydd, that I do believe, from a Labour and Welsh Labour point of view, that we do deserve some credit—I would say that, wouldn't I—but, actually, the Labour Party and Welsh Labour have moved a long way on devolution, and the people of Wales, I think, have come along on that journey as well. And it is Labour that had the opportunity and the power to deliver and I'm so proud to say that that challenge was accepted and that delivery did take place, and I think we've got a very positive story to tell. And as I say, we have developed within Wales on that journey, as a political party, as a Labour movement.

We're trying to deliver on the powers that we currently have, those increased and developed powers that I've described, with fewer Members than some county councils. It's just not tenable, is it, to scrutinise legislation and policy properly, to have a big enough pool of talent, really, for Ministers, for backbenchers, for committee Chairs. We all know that the more you widen the pool and the more diverse it is, then the better the delivery, the better the performance that will result. It's not to criticise anybody here—of course it's not—it's just recognising the reality, and we do need that diversity. And it is, I must say, so demoralising, really, I would say, from a Welsh Conservative point of view, to see how they will continue to be left behind by history, by modern history in Wales. Wales is developing, Wales is moving on; the Welsh Conservatives are left behind. And look at the benches over there—you know, to oppose measures to improve representation of women, for example, over half of the population of this country—. And we look at the benches over there—. It's great to see Natasha here, but there is obviously a dearth of representation, a dearth of diversity. [Interruption.] Andrew.