Thank you, Chair. I'd like to thank the committee and the Chair of the committee for presenting this important report, which has helped to maintain the momentum of the debate regarding the future work of the Senedd. As Members know, the committee's remit covered a range of topics identified in the report of the expert panel on Assembly electoral reform, which I established in February 2017.

As the Member in charge of the Senedd and Elections (Wales) Act 2020, I'm pleased with the progress that we've made thus far in extending the electoral franchise, but at the time of the Act's assent, I expressed my personal disappointment at the lack of consensus in favour of legislating on the size of the Senedd and the voting system used to elect its Members. Therefore, I welcome today the committee's conclusion that

'there is clear and compelling evidence that the Senedd is currently undersized'.

The Senedd itself has also expressed this view more than once through votes in favour of increasing the number of Members.

Many have already referred to the COVID-19 crisis, and it's true to say that that has changed the way that we work here. It has taught us how difficult it is to anticipate what challenges we will face in the future and has reminded us of the need for a Senedd that is more flexible and more robust. The pandemic has also made the debate on work-life balance even clearer, and here in the Senedd, as in wider society, we're asking Members to do more in less time. In my view, increased responsibility without increased capacity leaves us vulnerable to a decline in the quality of scrutiny, which is our primary role as a Parliament. For this reason, I welcome the recommendation that legislation be introduced early in the next Senedd term to elect between 20 and 30 additional Members to the Senedd in 2026.

I also welcome the recommendation that measures to alleviate capacity pressures should be implemented in the sixth Senedd, and many have referred to the need to do that as well as we start the work on the sixth Senedd. In my view, we should continue to consider all possible measures to alleviate the pressures facing the 60 current Members; those of us who are here at present and those who will be here following the next election.

In my role as Chair of the Business Committee and Chair of the Senedd Commission, I will seek to ensure that a review of the measures taken in this Senedd to address capacity pressures is part of our legacy work and ready to be implemented in the sixth Senedd. This will include consideration of the committee's other comments on ways of working, such as those outlined in recent correspondence from the committee Chair, Dawn Bowden, to me, and I'm grateful to her for those comments and recommendations.

Turning to the other recommendations made to the Senedd Commission, as a body, we will give careful consideration to how we monitor the impact of public information and education campaigns and the possibility of developing a systematic and proactive approach to assessing the impact of the scrutiny and oversight work of the Senedd. For my part, I will ensure that the Commission fulfils its role in this regard so that we can provide a Senedd that scrutinises Government and serves the people of Wales to the best of its ability.