Lesley Griffiths AM, Minister for Communities and Tackling Poverty
This was published under the 2011 to 2016 administration of the Welsh Government
Today I am launching a Call for Evidence seeking views and supporting evidence in terms of increasing the representation of women and other under-represented groups on Public Sector Boards in Wales.
Increasing diversity on Public Sector Boards is a key commitment for the Welsh Government. I firmly believe, having better diversity on Boards leads to better decisions. We will all do better, and achieve more, if we use all of the talent available to us.
With determined and continued action, we can drive a change for greater diversity on our Public Sector Boards to ensure they better reflect the communities they represent.
This Call for Evidence will provide us with the strong evidence base we would need for future action including any legislative proposals.
It will focus on the challenges and barriers in increasing the number of women and other under-represented groups on Public Sector Boards and explore whether aspirational targets and quotas could have the effect of tackling the inequality which exists.
By taking action on this issue, we are making Wales a fairer place, ensuring no-one is held back because of their gender and/or background and ensuring public bodies more fairly reflect society as a whole.
I am keen to hear the views of our stakeholders. I am encouraging organisations and individuals to take part in this exercise to inform our understanding and build our evidence base.
The Call for Evidence is attached to this statement and provides more detail on our proposals and how to respond and can be accessed on the Welsh Government website
The Call for Evidence will run for 8 weeks until the 27th November 2015.
I will keep Assembly Members informed of this work and will provide a statement on progress in early 2016 setting out the findings of the exercise.