Gender quota plans may miss next Senedd election

The Welsh government is looking at delaying its plans to introduce gender quotas for elections to the Welsh Parliament.

Plans to boost the representation of women in the Senedd were meant to be in place by the next election in 2026.

But concerns have been raised that legal challenges to the law could potentially disrupt the result.

As a result the Welsh government is considering whether 2030 "may be a more prudent timetable for implementation".

Plaid Cymru said Labour ministers should press ahead with getting the law passed by 2026, while the Welsh Conservatives said the bill should be ditched altogether.

Under the plans, political parties would be required to have at least 50% women as candidates.

But the Llywydd, or Presiding Officer, Elin Jones has warned that the Senedd does not have the power to pass the law.

Concerns about its legality has led to the Senedd's Reform Bill Committee calling for "urgent action" to be taken to avoid "endangering the 2026 election".

Government business minister Jane Hutt said that she takes these concerns "seriously" and as a result will give "further consideration to whether, in the circumstances, the 2030 election may be a more prudent timetable for implementation".

She told the Senedd she remains "committed to making the Senedd more effective by making it more representative of the gender make-up of Wales".

Ms Hutt added that ministers will look at introducing "voluntary guidance" for 2026 if the bill is not passed in time for the election.

Plaid Cymru's Heledd Fychan has called on the government "to continue with the aim of introducing the bill by 2026 and demand the right to do so from the next UK government".

The Senedd had been expected to debate and vote on the general principles of the bill on 18 June, that has now been delayed until the 16 July.

The Welsh Conservatives' Darren Millar said: “This bill shouldn't just be postponed, it should be ditched altogether. Candidates should be elected on merit, not because of their gender, or any other protected characteristic."