—that structural inequality, which we debated in this very Chamber yesterday, doesn't exist, although report after report points to the contrary, and the make-up of this Senedd proves it beyond a doubt. There are those who feel that we don't need statutory measures to ensure better representation. After all, we wore our early gender balance achievements as a badge of pride and patted ourselves on the back for leading the way. But when we look around this Siambr, we can see that voluntary party measures, or trusting to luck, so far have proven ineffective in maintaining balance or inspiring further diversity. Internationally, the impact of gender quotas is wide-ranging and often has positive, indirect, effects, with other under-represented groups becoming empowered to enter politics. This is why we need, as Women's Equality Network Wales puts it, to bake in gender equality into our electoral system through legislation. And the way in which any quota is legislated for is important. The Bill should state that at least 50 per cent of candidates must be women. The purpose of the quota is to put a floor below women's representation, a floor below which it shouldn't fall, rather than put a ceiling upon it.

And then there is, of course, as we've heard this afternoon, the 'best person for the job' argument against all forms of positive discrimination. Dirprwy Lywydd, quotas can help us advance towards a true meritocracy, rather than being an obstacle to it. There are societal biases and obstacles that prevent more women from becoming politicians, from being in the room where decisions about their lives are made that only leads to more structural inequality. This is also the case for disabled people, black, Asian and minority ethnic people, and people from the LGBTQ+ community.

It is true that gender quotas are not enough on their own to ensure the equal and diverse representation that could be achieved for our Senedd, and Plaid Cymru support the committee's recommendation that further work on diversity quotas, other than gender, be undertaken. This should be done swiftly, and I would have liked to have seen timescales attached to that recommendation. Reform of the mode of election, however, is only the start. To ensure the Senedd fully reflects the society it represents, the Senedd must be a workplace that works for women. Recommendations 13 and 14 of the report, which refer to the further work needed in order to enable job sharing, should be taken forward with urgency, because, as the committee says, job sharing

'could enable a greater diversity of candidates to stand for election, including those with family and caring responsibilities; those with disabilities; and those who are geographically based further away from the Senedd.'