Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. And I am, indeed, ready to ask my question.

2. What steps are being taken to promote voting among young people ahead of the Senedd elections? OQ56436

Thank you for that question. The Vote 16 strand of the election campaign is being rolled out across Wales and includes paid advertising, social media promotion and events. We are running adverts on social media platforms like Instagram and YouTube, and holding a range of events for schools, colleges and youth groups, and this will continue throughout April. And we, of course, worked with a broad range of bodies during the last week of February for Vote 16 Week, which showcased events, including a school assembly, training for education professionals, and the mock election debate hosted by the BBC's Teleri Glyn Jones.

Diolch, Llywydd, and I really appreciate the work that you and the Senedd Commission are doing in terms of promoting the election for first-time and for younger voters, and, of course, this is going to be such a dramatic leap forward for 16 and 17-year-olds in Wales. It's a real leap forward for democracy. But it is, of course, crucial that first-time voters, younger voters, understand the power they have in the ballot box, as well as the practicalities of how to vote, that they have easily accessible information regarding candidates and party policies, and are at ease with the Senedd's hybrid electoral system, but also, I have to say, that they understand, like all of us should understand, that voting itself is a precious right and a privilege that is only made stronger by being exercised regularly. So, would you join me in commending the work of organisations like the Boys and Girls Clubs of Wales, the Urdd, Democracy Box, the Electoral Reform Society in Wales and others who are doing their very best, alongside the work you're doing, to encourage young and first-time voters to register to vote and to use their vote too? This is an exciting time, let's make sure all our younger voters have their voices heard.

It is most definitely an exciting time for our young people. Young people, of course, have been affected more than anyone, possibly, during this last year, and will rightly, hopefully, exercise their voice in the ballot box as 16 and 17-year-olds, and do that as the first 16 and 17-year-olds ever in Wales to do so. And you're exactly right as well: the work that the Commission does and Welsh Government does in promoting 16 and 17-year-old voting is indirect towards those young people; there are others who can work with us and on our behalf to work directly with the young people that they work with, and the young people, of course, trust those sources, whether that's in schools or in external organisations. So, we're very keen, have been keen, to support efforts made by third parties to support us in our endeavours to ensure that young people are educated about the new rights that they have, and motivated to do so. And all of us who are standing as candidates in the election in May, as well, have a responsibility, as political parties and as individual candidates, to ensure that our manifestos and our messaging and our means of communication are interesting enough to attract the interest of young people.

This is so very important, in encouraging young people to vote, but it's also important for the future generations. The children's commissioner is running an alternative election for young people between 11 and 15 years of age, and this gives everyone who'll be able to vote in the 2026 election a real experience of the voting experience. Eighty-five schools across the whole of Wales have signed up to be part of Project Vote already. So, would you join with me in encouraging every secondary school to participate in this innovative and crucial project?

I would be delighted in seeing more schools in Wales taking and using the leadership, resources and advice provided by the children's commissioner to hold those electoral events, the mock elections for that age group who don't yet have the right to vote in Senedd elections, but will in our next set of Senedd elections, and even possibly in local council elections next year.

Participating in a mock election in Lampeter school in 1983 was my first experience of elections and electioneering, and I remember that well to this day. I very much hope that this experience provided by the children's commissioner and her office to young people in secondary schools will engender the interest of those young people to vote and to participate in our democratic life for years to come. So, thank you very much to the children's commissioner and her office and everyone working on this programme in schools in promoting our democracy and the engagement of young people in that democratic debate.

Thank you. Question 3, which is also to be answered by the Llywydd, Vikki Howells.