Commentary on Sections Part 1 Electoral Administration and Registration Chapter 4: Accessibility and Diversity: Welsh Elections Section 30 – Guidance for political parties to promote diversity in persons seeking elected office
95.Subsection (1)(a) places a duty on the Welsh Ministers to issue guidance to encourage registered political parties to collect, collate and publish specified diversity information about their candidates for Senedd elections. The terms ‘diversity information’ and ‘specified’ are defined in subsection (3) of this section.
96.Subsection (1)(b) requires the Welsh Ministers to issue guidance to encourage registered political parties to develop, publish, implement and review strategies to promote the diversity of their candidates and to help candidates overcome barriers associated with specified characteristics or circumstances. Whereas the guidance in subsection (1)(a) is about candidates for Senedd elections, the guidance published under subsection (1)(b) is about candidates for all Welsh elections (which is defined in subsection (3)).
97.Subsection (2) provides that the Welsh Ministers must publish guidance under this section; and before 1 May 2025. Thereafter, the Welsh Ministers must review the published guidance from time to time, having regard to the cycle of elections relevant to subsections (1)(a) and (b).
98.Subsection (3) defines certain terms used in this section.