Cross-Party Group Women

Annual Report and Financial Statement 2023 - 2024

October 2024

Overview

The Cross-Party Group on Women exits to promote stronger protection of women’s rights. Siân Gwenllian MS chairs of the group. WEN Wales offers secretarial support. In 2024, the group has convened four times: 19 January 2024 (jointly with the Cross-Party Group on Violence against Women and Children), 19 April 2024, 12 July 2024 and 27 September 2024 (AGM). All meetings were held online via Zoom.

The group has used these meetings to focus on a number of issues, including: women’s experience in the criminal justice system, gender quotas and Senedd reform, transforming early childhood education and care and party diversity and inclusion strategies. The group also worked closely with the Women in Europe (Wales) network, which became part of the Cross-Party Group on Women from July 2019 and continue to provide regular updates to the group.

Attendance at the meetings over the year has been made up of political representatives, third sector organisations working to end discrimination against women, individuals and academics interested in gender equality and members of Senedd support staff.

1. Group membership and office holders

Office holders:

• Siân Gwenllian MS (Chair)

• Jessica Laimann, WEN Wales (Secretary)

Additional members:

• Jane Dodds MS

• Heledd Fychan MS

• Delyth Jewell MS

· Llyr Gruffydd MS

• Rt. Hon. Elin Jones MS

• Sarah Murphy MS

• Carolyn Thomas MS

• Joyce Watson MS

• Sioned Williams MS

• Jenny Ramsay, Office of Paul Davies MS

• Jess Blair - Electoral Reform Society Cymru

• Ele Hicks - Diverse Cymru

• Sara Kirkpatrick - Welsh Women’s Aid

• Stephanie Grimshaw – Welsh Women’s Aid

• Nancy Lidubwi- Bawso

• Dr Rachel Minto - Cardiff University

• Debbie Shaffer - Fair Treatment for the Women of Wales

• Abi Thomas - Plaid Cymru

• Megan Thomas - Disability Wales

• Hade Turkmen – Oxfam Cymru

• Hannah Griffiths, Wales Women’s Budget Group

• Dr Alison Parken  - Cardiff University

• Jane-Fenton May- Wales Assembly of Women

• Johanna Robinson- National VAWDASV Advisor

• Davina-Louise Green - Stonewall Cymru

• Tanya Harrington - Stonewall Cymru

• Kirsty Rees- Camlas

• Rhianydd Williams- Wales TUC

• Sarah Thomas- NFWI

• Nkechi Dawson – Race Council Cymru

• Victoria Vasey- WEN Wales

• Jessica Laimann- WEN Wales

• Catherine Chatham- WEN Wales

2. Previous Group Meetings

Meeting 1

Topic: Women and the justice system (jointly with the Cross-Party Group on Violence against Women and Children)

Date: 19 January 2024

Attendees:

Siân Gwenllian MS, Sioned Williams MS, Jessica Laimann, WEN Jennifer Mills, Welsh Women’s Aid, Leah Reed, Cardiff University, Victoria Vasey, WEN, Maddie Darlington, WEN, Alisa Stevens, Andrea Cooper, Older People’s Commissioner, Sarah Thomas, NFWI-Wales, Prof Jackie Jones, Women in Europe (Wales) Group, Megan Evans, WEN, Stephanie Grimshaw, WWA, R Roberts, Evelyn James, WEN, Helen Churcher, Patience Bentu, Future Generations Commissioner, Race Equality First, Steve Williams, Sport Wales, Shivangi, Jane Fenton-May, Wales Assembly of Women, Rob Jones, Alison Parken, Cardiff University, Abigail Rees, Barnardos, Andrew Belcher, Stori Cymru, Bryn Hall, Clinks, Johanna Robinson, National VAWDASV Advisor, Tina Fahm, Bawso, Megan Thomas, Disability Wales, Hade Turkmen, Oxfam Cymru, Victoria Pledger, Kate Williams, USW, Alison Parken, Cardiff University

Summary of issues discussed: Leah Reed, PhD Researcher, Cardiff University School of Social Sciences discussed her work on the experience of Welsh women in the prison system, including the comparatively high imprisonment rates, the impact of women being placed far from home due to the absence of a women’s prison in Wales and the lack of disaggregated data.

Meeting 2

Topic: Gender quotas and Senedd reform

Date: 19 April 2024

Attendees: Siân Gwenllian MS (Chair), Sioned Williams MS, Carolyn Thomas MS, Joyce Watson MS, Jennifer Piscopo, Royal Holloway University of London (Speaker), Hannah Griffiths, WWBG, Alison Parken, Cardiff University, Beth Vaughan, Brandon Renard, Office of Sarah Murphy MS, Bronwen Davies, Catherine Larkman, Debbie Shaffer, FTWW, Ele Hicks, Diverse Cymru, Jainaba Conteh, EYST, Jane-Fenton May, Wales Assembly of Women, Jenny Ramsay, Office of Paul Davies MS, Johanna Robinson, Kirsty Rees, Dr Rachel Minto, Cardiff University, Rhianydd Williams, Wales TUC, Sarah Thomas, NFWI, Bethan Sayed, Stephanie Grimshaw, Welsh Women’s Aid, Dr Jessica Laimann, WEN Wales, Megan Evans, WEN Wales, Evelyn James, WEN Wales

Summary of issues discussed: Professor Jennifer Piscopo from the Royal Holloway University of London, a leading expert on the international use of electoral gender quotas, gave a presentation on the global lessons learnt from the adoption and implementation of gender quotas.

Meeting 3

Topic: Transforming Early Childhood Education and Care: Learning from Different Systems

Date: 12 July 2024

Attendees: Siân Gwenllian MS (Chair), Sioned Williams MS, Jane Hutt MS, Eva Lloyd OBE (Speaker), Hannah Griffiths, WWBG, Alison Parken, Cardiff University, Debbie Shaffer, FTWW, Jane-Fenton May, Wales Assembly of Women, Johanna Robinson, National Adviser for Violence Against Women, Gender Based Violence, Domestic Abuse and Sexual Violence (VAWDASV), Tanya Harrington, Stonewall Cymru, Kirsty Rees, Camlas, Hugh Russell, Children in Wales, Rhianydd Williams, Wales TUC, Sarah Thomas, NFWI, Sarah Witcombe-Hayes, NSPCC, Bronwen Davies, Catherine Larkman, Women’s Rights Network, Nancy Lidubwi, Bawso, Rhian Smith, Roberts R, Victoria Vasey, WEN Wales, Jessica Laimann, WEN Wales, Catherine Chatham, WEN Wales, Megan Evans, WEN Wales, Evelyn James, WEN Wales, Shannon Gossage, WEN Wales

Summary of issues discussed: Eva Lloyd OBE, emeritus professor of early childhood in the school of Education and Communities at the University of East London and Visiting Professor at University College London, presented on international lessons on transforming ECEC, including the differentiation between for-profit and not-for-profit systems, the emergence of public funding and recommended principles for ECEC system reform, drawing on examples from Germany, Canada, England and Ireland.

Meeting 4

Topic: Gender quotas and political party diversity and inclusion strategies and AGM

Date: 27 September 2024

Attendees: Siân Gwenllian MS (Chair), Jane Hutt MS (Speaker), Sioned Williams MS, Carolyn Thomas MS, Alison Parken, Cardiff University, Debbie Shaffer, FTWW, Jane-Fenton May, Wales Assembly of Women, Johanna Robinson, National Adviser for Violence Against Women, Gender Based Violence, Domestic Abuse and Sexual Violence (VAWDASV), Rhys Morgan, Owain Evans, Welsh Government, Will Whiteley, Welsh Government, Emma Henwood, Sports Wales, Jane Croad, Wales Assembly of Women Catherine Larkman,, Women’s Rights Network, Jenny Ramsay, Office of Paul Davies MS, Victoria Vasey, WEN Wales, Jessica Laimann, WEN Wales

Summary of issues discussed: The CPG reappointed the Chair and Secretary. The Chair made a statement on the withdrawal of the Senedd Cymru (Electoral Candidate Lists) Bill, followed by a statement by the Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, Trefnydd and Chief Whip on diversity and inclusion guidance for political parties and a presentation by WEN Wales on Engender’s experience of using voluntary measures in Scotland.

3. Professional lobbyists, voluntary organisations and charities with whom the Group has met during the preceding year

As above.

4. Annual Financial Statement

Date: 4 November 2024

Cross Party Group on Women

Chair: Siân Gwenllian MS

Secretary:Jessica Laimann, WEN Wales

Group’s Expenses	None	£0.00
Costs of all goods	No goods purchased	£0.00
Benefits received by the group or individual Members from outside bodies.	No benefits received	£0.00
Any secretariat or other support	Contribution to speaker travel costs, who rearranged travel to attend meeting on 12 July	£70.05
Total cost		£70.05