Alan Renwick gives oral evidence to the Senedd Reform Bill Committee

The Deputy Director of the Constitution Unit, Professor Alan Renwick, gave oral evidence to the Senedd Reform Bill Committee on 26 October. He did so in his capacity as a member of the 2017 Expert Panel on Electoral Reform and appeared alongside the panel’s chair, Professor Laura McAllister.

The Reform Bill Committee is currently scrutinising the Welsh government’s Senedd Cymru (Members and Elections) Bill, which, if passed, will expand the Senedd's membership and change its electoral system.

Professor Renwick previously gave written evidence to the committee welcoming most aspects of the bill and he spoke in favour of increasing the number of Senedd members from 60 to 96. The expert panel reported in 2017 in favour of enlarging the chamber. He also said that it would be appropriate to increase the number of ministers: the bill proposes to raise the limit from 14 to 19.

However, he also expressed concern over a proposal that the cap on ministers could be further increased to 21 through secondary rather than primary legislation. He argued it was an important matter of principle that ministers should not have undue power in this area.

Professor Renwick also warned that moving to a closed-list electoral system and thereby removing the ability of voters to choose among individual candidates could significantly harm public confidence in the Senedd. He cited findings from the Unit's Democracy in the UK after Brexit project that voters value accountability. In 2017, the expert panel recommended a single transferable vote (STV) electoral system.

He welcomed proposals that the renamed Democracy and Boundary Commission Cymru should draw up boundaries for Senedd constituencies and that its recommendations should be implemented automatically, as now occurs for Westminster constituencies. But he added that greater protections are needed to ensure the Commission is not subject to undue ministerial interference, citing the Unit’s Constituency Boundary Reviews project. He recommended further attention to appointment processes, and the adoption of non-renewable terms.

A full recording of Professor Renwick and Professor McAllister’s appearance before the Senedd Reform Bill Committee can be found below.

YouTube Widget Placeholderhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bAllYj7yVm4

Useful links:

• A transcript from the session
• Professor Renwick’s written evidence
• The Expert Panel on Electoral Reform
• The Unit’s Democracy in the UK after Brexit project
• The Unit’s Constituency Boundary Reviews project