Dirprwy Lywydd, I'm pleased to respond on behalf of the Welsh Government. Can I say at the outset that the amendment tabled by the Welsh Conservatives is one that we support, given that it concurs with our view that this is principally a matter for the Assembly Commission and Standards of Conduct Committee to take forward at this stage, and I do thank Andrew R.T. Davies for his constructive contribution in this important debate.

If we look at part 1 of the motion, it is important that we take into account the findings of the cross-party Standards of Conduct Committee report on lobbying, which did find, as Jayne Bryant has said, a lack of clarity across the systems established in England and Scotland. The fact, as Jayne has said, that the Standards of Conduct Committee has committed to reviewing its recommendations next year, and this is, as I said—and, indeed, reflected in the Conservative amendment—a matter for the Assembly Commission to consider in the first instance—. But can I just back what Dai Lloyd said, that we must thank Jayne Bryant, who you elected across this Chamber as Chair of the standards committee, for the exemplary way she chairs that committee, and recognise that she is taking this seriously and taking this forward, taking on board the points that have been raised?

If we look at point 2, Ministers are already committed to providing transparency about their engagements and events. They are published on a quarterly basis on gov.wales. Again, I note the standards committee report that suggests, as we've heard, that Assembly Members should also consider the publication of their meetings. A pilot is currently being run by the committee, and that is for all of us to consider the implications of that. So, I think the pilot results will inform next steps for Members of this Chamber, and we welcome the work and look forward to the outcome.

In terms of point 3 of the motion and the proposal to consult, of course, as a matter of principle we don't believe that the Government should initiate legislation in this area, but it doesn't preclude us legislating at the request of the legislature, following a period of cross-party consideration, and the Government would welcome such collaboration. So, it's obviously not ruling it out in terms of our role to take this forward. It is important and clear that the Assembly Commission should play that major role in the operation of any system of registration, as is the case in Scotland. It's vital that the role of the legislature is fully engaged in such a discussion.

So, I'm glad to note that the final recommendation by the standards committee was for a committee of the Assembly to consider the relevant sections that apply to Wales of the Transparency of Lobbying, Non-Party Campaigning and Trade Union Administration Act 2014. And now that the Wales Act 2017 has been enacted, it would seem an opportune moment for an Assembly committee to consider taking this work forward, consulting, of course, with the public as necessary.

Now, we do recognise that the public affairs sector in Wales can and does play a legitimate role in raising understanding of devolved politics and government, and many public affairs companies represent charities, third sector organisations, and organise events on their behalf—events that we're all happy, I know, to attend, along with Members across this Chamber, to learn more about and highlight the excellent work that's being carried out across Wales.

I'm grateful, Deputy Presiding Officer, that you did hear the point of order earlier on from Huw Irranca-Davies, and I would remind the Brexit Party that David Rowlands, a former UKIP Member, as many of you are, was a member of the standards committee during its deliberations about lobbying and agreed its report at the time. So, it is important. I know that you see your role in taking this forward. But I am sad to finish on the point that has been raised by Huw Irranca-Davies—as a Member of Welsh Labour and of this Welsh Labour-led Government for the past 19 of our 20 years of devolution—and that we had that comment made by the Member in her opening remarks. I'm proud to have been part of that Government and proud to be part of this National Assembly for Wales, and I look forward to your consideration of this point. Diolch yn fawr.