Questions Without Notice from Party Spokespeople

Part of 1. Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Local Government and Public Services – in the Senedd at 1:53 pm on 28 February 2018.

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Photo of Gareth Bennett Gareth Bennett UKIP 1:53, 28 February 2018

Diolch, Llywydd. Good afternoon, Minister. I wanted to ask a couple of questions, if I may, relating to your recent statement on reforming local government electoral arrangements in Wales. One of your proposed reforms is to extend the vote to 16 and 17-year-olds. One of the arguments that has been used recently in support of that move is the principle of no taxation without representation, but I note that 16 and 17-year-olds aren't actually supposed to pay council tax, and figures from HMRC for 2014-15 suggest that only around 15 per cent of 16 and 17-year-olds pay any income tax. So, I think it's a laudable aim to extend the vote, but I wonder: is there an argument that perhaps we could extend the vote to some 16 and 17-year-olds but perhaps it might be extended to those who are actually paying tax?