We will now move to the election of the Deputy Presiding Officer. I would remind Members that, in accordance with Standing Order 6.12, nominations for a Deputy Presiding Officer will only be valid in the first instance if the nominee is from a different political group to me and from a group with an Executive role. I therefore invite nominations under Standing Order 6.6 for the role of Deputy Presiding Officer. Are there any nominations? Joyce Watson.

I'd like to nominate David Rees.

David Rees is nominated. Is there a Member from a different political group to second that nomination?

I second the nomination of David Rees, as a Member who has extensive experience of chairing committees in this Senedd and who has the personal characteristics to carry out the role very effectively, I'm sure. Thank you.

Are there any further nominations for the role of Deputy Presiding Officer?

[Inaudible.]—I'm trying to get in. Hefin David. I'd like to nominate Hefin David.

You're in, Dawn Bowden; don't worry. The nomination has been heard.

Do we have a Member from a different political group to second that nomination?

I would like to second the nomination for Hefin David. 

Thank you. Are there any further nominations for the role of Deputy Presiding Officer? Anyone on Zoom? No. I don't believe that there are any further nominations. As we do have two nominations, I want to give both candidates an opportunity to make a brief contribution in the order in which they were nominated. David Rees first.

Diolch, Llywydd. Can I first of all thank those who nominated and seconded my position? I very much appreciate and accept the nomination.

I suppose Members here—two thirds of you know who I am and know my experience. For the other third, I don't know you, but I will get to know you, whichever way, in the next five years, and I'm sure we'll work together well. Those who know me will understand that I've been fortunate to be Chair during the two terms I've been in the Senedd, and I hope that I've demonstrated, during that time, my fairness and my ability to ensure that every Member has the opportunity to scrutinise whoever is in front of us and ensure that Governments are held to account and that the people who deliver for Governments are held to account—because that is our role as a Senedd.

Our role is to ensure that the Government tells us and is held to account by us for what they do and the policies they enact. Those who were there will understand that, in the last Senedd, when I chaired the external affairs committee, we clearly highlighted the fact that we ensured that this place, the Senedd, was centre of everything we should be doing. That works with other Parliaments as well, and that is crucial as we move forward.

When I was seeking support for this position, I was asked, 'Why do you want to do this?', 'Why don't you want to be a Chair, as you have been, and take policies forward?' I thought carefully about it and I thought, 'Actually, you're quite right; it's very good to be a Chair and to scrutinise Government.' But then I remembered, actually, this role allows me to ensure that every Chair, every Member, has the ability to scrutinise Government effectively and to take that scrutiny forward. I want to make sure we can do that. I want to make sure that, as we move forward and we take the reforms we started in the last Senedd and continue with them, we improve this Senedd to ensure that it can scrutinise Government effectively, to ensure that we take the Government to task when they get it wrong, and praise the Government when they get it right. That's the role of the Senedd. We represent people who have given us their trust, last Thursday, to do exactly that, and that's what I want to make sure we do.

As Deputy Presiding Officer, I will work, hopefully, closely with the Llywydd, but also take the agenda forward of how we can extend the diversity we have here. I'm very delighted to see we have the first lady of colour here, and her father was the first man of colour here, but we should be expanding that. You should never be the last one. We want more. Our job is to diversify what's in here now, and extend it.

And also to look at the youth agenda. The Llywydd, in the last Senedd, brought in the Youth Parliament. We all applauded it, but only 40 per cent in my constituency actually registered to vote, of the 16 and 17-year-olds. We need to engage, and I think part of the DPO's role will be to work with the Llywydd to actually get that engagement out there, to build this place up so we build a Senedd for generations to come.

I've been reading the documents from Laura McAllister and 'A Parliament that Works for Wales'. That's the role we have. We have to build a Parliament that works for Wales. And Dawn Bowden's committee on Senedd reform highlighted the same thing. If you don't mind, I'll quote from her report. It's her foreword—so, Dawn, these are your words:

'The powers devolved by the Wales Act 2017 over the Senedd’s electoral and institutional arrangements offer us opportunities to revitalise and reinvigorate participation in our democratic processes, and to ensure that our Senedd has the capacity it needs to serve the people and communities of Wales.'

The people and the communities that elected us last Thursday to represent them. That's what I want to see happen, and as Deputy Presiding Officer I want to work with the Presiding Officer to ensure that we can achieve that goal, to ensure that the people of Wales are proud of this institution and it delivers for everybody in Wales. Thank you.

Hefin David.

Thank you, Llywydd, and congratulations on your election as Llywydd.

I'd like to perhaps pick up where Dave Rees left off. I think that, if we look around this Chamber, the people in this Chamber represent the people of Wales better than perhaps we have seen in previous elections. This was, I believe, the first truly Welsh general election; this was the first Welsh election in which we saw a vote for First Minister and not an eye on what was going on in London. I think it is really important that we recognise that and we recognise our mandate. But if you're going to have a mandate, if you've got a mandate, you also need a voice, and every single voice in this Chamber must be heard.

I strongly believe, as Dave Rees has just said, that we need a Parliament that works for Wales and that works for our people. There is a lot in Laura McAllister's report that merits discussion, but the only way we're going to get that report back on the agenda is if we hold that discussion across this Chamber and that it's done in a way that includes all groups and tries to find consensus where possible. I believe that I am best placed to find that consensus and I believe that I am best placed to bring people together across this Chamber in a way that we didn't have in the previous fifth Senedd.

There were weaknesses in the fifth Senedd that I think have partially been dispelled by the electorate, but I still think that there are things that need to change. I want to stand on a platform of accountability, reform and fairness. Accountability of the Government to see that backbenchers—. I've been a backbencher for five years, and believe me, I know the frustrations that you can have on the back benches when trying to hold the Government to account. I want to enable backbenchers and oppositions Members to be able to engage in a way that they have never been able to engage before in this Chamber. I believe that, working with the Llywydd, we can achieve that. And I would say that I've got a very good relationship with the Llywydd. We had a conversation, as I'm sure Dave Rees did, prior to this election, and to be fair, she didn't tell us who she was voting for, which is probably just as well, but what we can do is, together, achieve reform. I'm standing on that platform of reform.

I want backbenchers to have a voice, and one of the ways to do that, I think, is shorter answers from Ministers, and the best way to get shorter answers from Ministers is shorter questions from Members. I think we can get further down the order paper so that the people on these benches—these benches here—get heard.

But the most important thing of all is fairness, and I think to have fairness, we must make sure that all Members feel that they are being well treated, more Members feel that they're being fairly treated. That needs dialogue. One of the things I would do immediately is have dialogue with those Members to discuss how we go forward. I brought with me also a book, it's 'Rheolau Sefydlog Senedd Cymru', the Standing Orders of the Welsh Parliament. I believe that these are the rules to which we must stick in order to govern this Chamber effectively. But not stick to the rules if we feel that they are not working. Many in this Chamber say that there are Standing Orders in this book that need to change, and I think that is the next stage in our dialogue.

I am not seeking any other office; I'm only seeking Dirprwy Lywydd. If I am elected to Dirprwy Lywydd, I will take a step back from my ability to speak on these back benches. I think that will reduce my voice in this Chamber—something I will greatly miss—but it is the least that you can expect from me in delivering impartiality to you.

I thank both candidates. I will now suspend the meeting temporarily to conduct a secret ballot. Voting will take place in the Neuadd and the ballot will not close until all Members intending to vote have done so. Members in the Chamber will vote first, followed by Members from offices on the second floor, and finally, the third floor in Tŷ Hywel. Further guidance for this process has been outlined in the document circulated to Members, and I would ask Members to remind themselves of that guidance. The clerk, once again, is responsible for overseeing the voting and counting. After the secret ballot count is complete, the bell will be rung for a final time so that we may reconvene in the Siambr and on Zoom for the announcement of that result. I will now suspend the meeting.

Plenary was suspended at 16:04.

The Senedd reconvened at 16:46, with the Llywydd (Elin Jones) in the Chair.

Welcome back, and this is the result of the secret ballot for Deputy Presiding Officer: David Rees 35 votes, Hefin David 24 votes. And therefore, I declare, in accordance with Standing Order 6.9, that David Rees is elected Deputy Presiding Officer of this Senedd for the ensuing period. [Applause.] Congratulations, David.