Commentary on Sections Part 1 Electoral Administration and Registration Chapter 4: Accessibility and Diversity: Welsh Elections Section 28 – Financial assistance schemes to promote diversity in persons seeking elected office
91.Subsection (1) enables the Welsh Ministers to provide by regulations for schemes of financial assistance to help candidates standing for election for membership of Senedd Cymru or the council of a county, county borough or community in Wales who have specified circumstances or specified characteristics overcome any barriers to their participation in the election connected to those characteristics or circumstances. “Specified” means specified in the regulations (see subsection (13)).
92.Subsection (2) requires the Welsh Ministers make regulations to put in place a scheme of financial assistance to help disabled candidates in such elections overcome any barrier to their participation in the election connected to their disability.
93.Subsection (7) requires that the financial assistance schemes provided for by regulations under this section must not be directly operated by excluded persons. The excluded persons are set out in section 29, and the list of excluded persons includes the Welsh Ministers (as members of the Welsh Government), Ministers of the Crown, local authorities and others.