Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer, and I move the motion on the order paper.

In July, I issued a statement on behalf of the Assembly Commission outlining our proposed two-phased legislative strategy in relation to National Assembly electoral reform. The first step would be to legislate to change the name of the National Assembly, to extend the franchise for Assembly elections, to amend the law relating to disqualification, and to make other associated changes to electoral and internal arrangements. The second phase would be to legislate during this Assembly term in relation to the size of the Welsh Parliament and the method used to elect its Members—subject, of course, to a consensus forming on these matters.

The purpose of today’s debate is to seek the agreement of Members to allow the Commission to introduce that first piece of legislation. We do so with the confidence that we have consulted widely and publicly on these proposals and held many conversations with key stakeholders.

Should you agree to allow the Commission to introduce the Bill, then we’ll have an opportunity to discuss and debate the policy detail in full as the Bill passes through the legislative scrutiny process of this Assembly. However, as I've stated previously, the proposals will only be taken forward if there is a broad consensus in favour. A supermajority of 40 Members would be required to vote in favour of a future Bill before it could reach the statute books, and it would be subject to rigorous scrutiny, consultation and debate, both within and outside the Assembly.

In my written statement of 2 October, I outlined the key objectives of the Welsh Parliament and Elections (Wales) Bill. The first objective is to change the name of the Assembly to Senedd Cymru/Welsh Parliament, which was the preferred title for those who responded to the public consultation on this matter. The respondents also preferred the descriptor Aelodau Senedd Cymru/Members of the Welsh Parliament, which would bring us into line with the descriptors used by legislatures elsewhere in the UK. Despite reaching an initial conclusion with regard to the descriptor, the Commissioners decided to give it further consideration and discuss it again with their party groups. These discussions are ongoing, but I urge parties and Members to try to reach a consensus at the earliest possible opportunity.

The Commission proposes that the name of the institution should take legal effect in May 2020 to ensure that the term Senedd Cymru/Welsh Parliament becomes familiar to the people of Wales before the 2021 Assembly—Senedd Cymru/Welsh Parliament—election. We will ensure that the cost of the change is kept to a minimum, and there will be no wholesale change to the Assembly’s logo. The explanatory memorandum that will be published alongside the Bill on introduction will of course include the best estimates of the potential costs and savings to which the legislation could give rise.

The second objective of the Bill will be to lower the minimum voting age to 16, with effect from the 2021 election. I know that Members will want to be reassured that significant efforts will be made to inform young people of this change and to encourage the highest level of participation. We agree, and during this legislative process, the Commission will outline what action will be taken, both by this institution and our partners on this issue.

The third objective is to implement the recommendations for legislative change made by the Constitutional and Legislative Affairs Committee of the fourth Assembly for the clarification and reform of the legislative framework relating to the disqualifying of individuals from being Assembly Members. These changes would provide clarity about the eligibility of people to stand for election, would reduce the barriers that currently require many people to take the risk of resigning from their roles before becoming a candidate, and would, from the next Assembly election, disqualify Members of the House of Lords from becoming Members of the Welsh Parliament unless they take a leave of absence from Westminster.

Finally, the fourth aim would be to ensure that there are provisions in place that would make it possible for us to consider implementation in Wales in the event that the Law Commission makes recommendations to rationalise the legislation relating to elections. Welsh Ministers could bring forward such proposals through subordinate legislation, which would be subject to an affirmative procedure in this Chamber.

The Bill would also extend the deadline for the first meeting of the Assembly after an election from seven—as it is at present—to 14 days, in line with the arrangements in the Scottish Parliament, and would also rectify a current legislative ambiguity, by clarifying that the Assembly Commission has the power to charge for the provision of services not related to its functions.

As I stated earlier, Members will have the opportunity to discuss the detail of these reforms during the scrutiny process. And should you agree this motion today, I’m sincerely looking forward to working with you in order to create a robust piece of legislation of which we, and the people of Wales, can be proud.