Diolch, Llywydd. I welcome this opportunity to explain the background for this legislative consent motion. I'm grateful to the Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee for considering the LCM, and for the report that it's produced. The committee considers there is no impediment to the Senedd agreeing to the legislative consent motion.

The UK Government introduced the Non-Domestic Rating (Public Lavatories) Bill on 18 March. A similar Bill was introduced in June 2019, and the legislative consent motion for that Bill was agreed in Plenary in July last year. That Bill fell when Parliament was prorogued. The new Bill is a short, single-purpose Bill, which will reduce the rates liability for stand-alone public lavatories to zero, from 1 April 2020. Due to the timing of the Bill, the changes it introduced will be applied retrospectively.

The provisions apply to all stand-alone public lavatories made available for public use, irrespective of who owns or operates the facilities. The Bill will also provide public health benefits, by reducing running costs and therefore reducing the risk of public toilets being closed. Closures could adversely affect groups such as older people, disabled people and people with young children. As this will contribute to our public health objectives in Wales, provisions for Wales were included in the Bill on introduction.

I believe these provisions fall within the legislative competence of the Senedd. However, as no suitable legislative vehicle is available to make these changes in Wales for implementation from April 2020, I'm content that these provisions should be made in a Bill covering England and Wales. I therefore move the motion and ask the Senedd to approve it.