I imagine most of us involved in this debate have spent a fair amount of time trudging the streets in our patch, knocking doors, and talking politics to strangers. It's an aspect of being a member of a political party that I genuinely enjoy. Occasionally, it can make you feel a bit despondent when you come across somebody who is not engaged politically. They are completely switched off from voting because they cannot see how politics can affect their lives. At a time when we should be doing all we can to engage with people and get them participating in the democratic process, there arrives something that could make the job a lot harder by depriving hundreds of thousands of people a vote. 

The supposed rationale behind the Bill, the need to curb voter fraud, is at best extremely ill-advised and unwarranted. At worst, it is a blatant attempt to deny a vote to people who perhaps are more likely to vote against the Tories and their policies. Why do I say this Bill is unwarranted? In the last eight years, there have been a grand total of three prosecutions for voter fraud across the whole of the UK. I'll repeat that again: three prosecutions in eight years. Boris Johnson has had more lockdown-busting parties during the pandemic than that. Perhaps we should instead be bringing forward a Bill that curtails the alleged illegal activities of this rogue Prime Minister.

Anyway, as Plaid Cymru spokesperson for older people, I am particularly concerned about the impact this Bill will have on older people. Half of those affected will be over 50, with more than one in 25 people over 50 having not having acceptable forms of ID. The trend for taking services online also applies to identity cards. Age UK found that, in 2016, more than a quarter of people aged 65 to 74 did not regularly use the internet. This rises to almost two thirds of people aged over 75. Digital exclusion amongst older people is a real issue, and now it could see them being deprived of the vote. I hope those in favour of this Bill within this Senedd will reflect carefully on that point before they cast their vote this afternoon. Diolch yn fawr.