As I said before in this Chamber, our democracy is built on a foundation of fair, open and accessible elections. Our Senedd function is to empower the people of Wales, and, in turn, we as their elected representatives are empowered by the trust they place in us at the ballot box. I know many Members from across this Chamber will have joined me in taking opportunities to meet school pupils in our constituencies, discussing with them the importance of voting and having their voice heard at election time. We do this because encouraging participation in our democracy is central to our role as elected representatives. A healthy democracy is one with which the electorate feel able to engage, meaning one that is as transparent as possible whilst being free from unnecessary barriers to participation. Whilst we have seen in recent weeks that transparency is not high on the Tory Government's list of priorities, the Elections Bill is proof that neither is encouraging participation in our democratic processes.

The introduction of compulsory photo ID to vote has no evidential basis. It serves to solve a problem that simply does not exist on anything like the scale necessary to influence an election, at an extraordinary price. What we do know, however, is that it will make voting more inaccessible, particularly for those from disadvantaged communities. It's a fact that those most unlikely to possess a form of photographic ID are from poorer households. Putting in place artificial barriers to participation that disproportionately affect certain communities must never be seen as acceptable. It concerns me deeply to hear those from the Conservative benches defending such a move, and I am very grateful that we have a Welsh Labour Government, and in particular a Counsel General who is dedicated to protecting the democratic rights of all people in Wales. I trust he will continue to raise these concerns with the UK Government at every opportunity. I have no doubt that the Elections Bill presents a threat to participation levels for reserved elections in my own region of North Wales. Members here in the Senedd and in Westminster, from all political colours, should focus their energies on inspiring all potential voters to engage in our democracy, rather than creating ways to discourage them. Diolch yn fawr.