Diolch, Llywydd. I'm grateful for the opportunity to explain the background to this legislative consent motion in relation to the Ivory Bill.

The aim of the UK Bill is to help conserve elephant populations, specifically by reducing poaching through significantly limiting the legal market for ivory in the UK. This is intended to reduce demand for ivory both within the UK and overseas, which should help bring an end to the killing of elephants. I think everyone will agree the welfare and protection of these animals is paramount, and the introduction of this Bill will help achieve this.

Between 2013-17, 602 items of ivory or containing ivory were seized by the UK Border Force. Over the five-year period, this equates to 466 kg of ivory and items containing ivory being seized, making them the fourth-most-seized product. I believe the Bill provisions that prohibit and regulate commercial dealings in ivory within Wales fall within the legislative competence of the Assembly for the purposes of promoting animal welfare.

Late amendments to the Bill were tabled by the UK Government on 17 October in the House of Lords. These amendments provide powers for Welsh Ministers in the Bill in relation to Wales that were previously drafted as wholly for the Secretary of State to exercise. The proposed amendments to the Bill require the Secretary of State to seek Welsh Ministers' consent before exercising any functions under the Bill that could fall within the legislative competence of the Assembly. These amendments provide Welsh Ministers with specific powers, including, for example: to make regulations specifying what matters may be taken into account in considering whether an item is of artistic, cultural or historical value; to make regulations to amend the definition of 'ivory' to include ivory from an animal or species not currently covered by the Bill; and require the Secretary of State to seek Welsh Ministers' consent to any regulation-making provision that applies in Wales.

With the Bill nearing its final stages in Parliament, these late amendments have not allowed the time we would have wished for full committee scrutiny, but I hope Members will support this LCM on this very important Bill, and I move the motion.