6. Statement by the Minister for Finance and Local Government: Diversity in Democracy — Survey Results

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 5:46 pm on 10 January 2023.

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Photo of Sarah Murphy Sarah Murphy Labour 5:46, 10 January 2023

Thank you, Minister, for the update today. I want to start by giving a shout out to our excellent Bridgend youth council, who also, like councillors, do an awful lot of work in their own time. They actually posted today their code of conduct that they've created, which includes being non-judgmental, respecting other's values, as well as no colourful language or vaping. Another wonderful young person that I'd like to highlight is Tyler from Cornelly, who, during the local government elections last year, took part in the pilot on voting from his school, Cynffig comp, in Pyle, as a 16-year-old first-time voter, and encouraged many, many more of his fellow students to do the same.

I wanted to raise just one quick point. Last year, I sponsored the Chwarae Teg leadership mentoring scheme, where many young women came and were mentored by many of us here today. And one of the mentees, Seren, who's from Porthcawl, has gone on to produce a petition calling for more representation here in the Senedd and wider. As she puts it, she wants people making decisions for the people of Wales to be reflective of the people of Wales, and I would ask that everyone takes a look at what she is campaigning for.

And then, finally, I just wanted to raise some concerns that I've had from Welsh Youth Parliament Members, who have done some tremendous work since they were first elected in December 2018. But I know, from speaking to some of them, that it can be frustrating when recommendations continue to stay the same because they have not been actioned. So, for example, the 'Young Minds Matter' mental health report summary, which came out at the end of last year, has almost identical recommendations to the 2020 report. This can be very deflating for our Youth Parliament Members, who are, hopefully, going to go on to want to become advocates for others, councillors and Members of the Senedd in the future. So, my question, really, Minister, is: how are we going to ensure that these results from this survey and the work that's being done is actually making meaningful, visible change that reassures our young people in particular that Welsh Government is active and listening? There are many young people who are trying to engage with these systems and the structures that are in place, but they need to really see that things are being done.