[Inaudible.]—will be the first group of amendments, and they relate to the name of the Democracy and Boundary Commission Cymru. The lead Amendment in this group is amendment 44, and I call on Adam Price to move the lead amendment.

Amendment 44 (Adam Price) moved.

Thank you, Llywydd. It's an honour to begin these Stage 3 proceedings on this historically important Bill in terms of our democratic life and the nation's path.

This Amendment and the other related 78 amendments—nobody can accuse us of not being thorough, and I am grateful, of course, for the support that I received from the clerks in this—change the name of the body responsible within this Bill for deciding the boundaries for the new seats for this Senedd in order to withdraw the word 'boundary'. At first sight that seems counterintuitive, but here's a brief background explanation. 

The name of the relevant body at the moment is the Local Democracy and Boundary Commission for Wales. That is the body that oversees local government elections, and the current name seeks to differentiate it from the Boundary Commission for Wales, which is responsible for Westminster boundaries. In this Bill, as it currently stands, the name of the body changes to the Democracy and Boundary Commission Cymru—and I'm looking to the Counsel General to see if I am correct in this—but it is the Democracy and Boundary Commission Cymru to reflect the additional function of the body in taking responsibility for setting the new boundaries for the national Parliament for 2026 onwards. This all makes sense, and I should say that, because I partially agreed the suggestion for this new name in discussing the draft Bill in light of my role at the time as leader of Plaid Cymru.

'So, why this amendment?', I hear you asking. Well, since the publication of this Bill, there is also another Bill, the Elections and Elected Bodies (Wales) Bill, which changes the functions of the commission. It extends its functions, for example to be responsible for deciding on approval levels for councillors and other office holders within local government. It provides a central role for the commission through the new electoral management board in assessing pilot schemes that innovate in elections in Wales. And it's likely too that this body will be the home of the new online information hub proposed for voters, which will provide information about candidates and the broader electoral process.

The explanatory note to that other Bill states that the commission, and I quote, will 

'take responsibility for oversight of the coordination and administration of devolved elections...and advising Welsh Ministers on issues related to the democratic health of the nation.'

So, it's a broad area of responsibility related to the health of our democracy, and, in light of that definition, I have drawn up this change in name, because it appears to me that the body in its new form will have a broad function in terms of Welsh democracy, and highlighting only one aspect of that, namely the boundaries issue, among many under democracy as a whole, gives a false impression of the broad nature of the role that this body will have. Renaming the body and simplifying it as the Democracy Commission Cymru is a better reflection of this new situation. Shorter titles for public bodies are always preferable, I feel, rather than lengthy, complex ones, particularly in terms of the citizen's understanding of the role and constitution of the body in question.

So, that's just a brief explanation in terms of the purpose of the amendment. I should note, in terms of process, that my intention was to introduce the amendment as a probing amendment to the other Bill, as the points that I've noted emerge from that Bill. But, having discussed it with Senedd clerks, it emerged that such an amendment would not have been within the scope of that Bill, and it was only within the context of this Bill that we could change that name, rather than through a probing amendment to the other Bill. So, because of the procedural peculiarities of the Senedd process, we have reached this point where we're discussing changing the name of a body that appears reasonable in the context of this Bill, but not in the context of another Bill that can't be amended to that end.

So, this is a probing amendment still, in terms of my intentions, in order to at least give the opportunity to give consideration to the issue and to hear the arguments on both sides. I have, however, as I mentioned, tabled a full list of amendments in order to give us an opportunity to deliver this change, if that is the will of the Senedd, but I don't intend to push them all to a vote if it's clear that there is not going to be a Majority in favour of the change. So, with those few words, I look forward to hearing the views of fellow Members across the Senedd.

Mick Antoniw rose—.

You're a bit presumptuous, Counsel General; I'm going to call Darren Millar. 

Diolch, Llywydd. In making my opening comments at this Stage 3 debate today, I want to once again put on record my thanks to the Reform Bill Committee team for their support and work throughout the stages of this Bill so far, supporting Members—including me—with drafting and preparing all of the amendments that we will be tabling. I think it’s safe to say that all of us here in the Senedd are very grateful for the work that the clerks and the legal advisers and the researchers on these committees do. I’m also very grateful to the Member in charge, actually, and to other Members of the Senedd, for their engagement in leading up to today’s proceedings. As they will know, we have fundamental differences about the principles of this Bill and the reforms that it seeks to impose, but we have been able to engage in a constructive way that has been respectful and has given the Bill and the proposed amendments to it the serious consideration that they deserve.

Now, of course, as you would expect me to say, even if this Bill had all of the amendments accepted to it, I think it’s very unlikely that we’d give it our support, but, in saying that, I do want to acknowledge the positive way that we’ve been able to work together and the amendments that we’ve tabled through this third stage of the Bill would make the Bill, in our opinion, a great deal better than it currently is and would be much better for our Welsh democracy and improve the way that the Senedd works in the future.

If I can turn briefly, if I may, to group 1 and the amendments tabled in the name of Adam Price, I have to say, Adam, I find them, I’m afraid, unnecessary. At no stage of the Bill’s scrutiny so far was any concern raised about the proposed change in the name of the Local Democracy and Boundary Commission for Wales to Democracy and Boundary Commission Cymru, and, in fact, removing the word ‘boundary’ from the title will also delete a reference to one of the most important aspects of this commission’s work. Now, I appreciate it’s got much wider and broader responsibilities, but that surely is covered in the word ‘democracy’ right at the start of the title as well, so, in calling it the Democracy and Boundary Commission Cymru, it will do exactly what it says on the tin, like a Ronseal wood stain, and, therefore, I believe that, because these amendments are unnecessary, I’m going to be discouraging people from supporting them.

Counsel General.

Diolch, Llywydd. Can I—? Before speaking on the specific amendments, I’d like to thank both Darren, Jane Dodds and Adam Price and others, really, for the engagement, the constructive engagement? It’s clear there are areas where there are disagreements but it is important to be able to have conversations, to be able to engage and make changes that are mutually beneficial, and also that there is then proper scrutiny of the legislation. So, I thank you for that, and also those who've worked on this Bill, because this is a groundbreaking piece of legislation in the history of devolution and this Senedd. And I believe that this Bill represents a once-in-a-generation opportunity to create a modern Senedd that reflects twenty-first century Wales, a more effective Senedd with greater ability and capacity to hold the Welsh Government and legislation to account, and a Senedd whose size reflects its current responsibilities.

Again, turning specifically to the amendments, as I think is well understood, the Welsh Government will not be supporting those changes to the Bill, for many of the reasons that Darren Millar has set out, because boundary reviews are and will continue to be a core function of the commission’s work. The commission will have responsibility for reviewing electoral arrangements for local authorities in Wales. It will also confer upon it the Senedd’s Constituency boundary review functions, making it the first body with specific responsibility for reviewing Senedd constituency boundaries. So, I think it’s important that the commission’s name should retain the word ‘boundary’ because it highlights and reflects one of the key elements of the commission’s work.

Can I say also that I very much respect and have a lot of empathy with, actually, the points that are made? Because the issue of democracy, the well-being of our democracy and so on, and those elements that are contained within this legislation, and indeed will be contained in subsequent legislation, are very much, I think, groundbreaking and reflect the attention that we pay to improving democracy within Wales, which is what I think this is actually about. So, I’d encourage Members, if it’s moved to a vote, to vote against the amendments, but I do take on board, very much, the points, the emphatic points that are made, specifically with regard to those elements that are there with democracy. It is, in fact, quite groundbreaking that we not only have a boundary commission, but we have a Democracy and Boundary Commission Cymru, so I think that's important.

Adam Price to reply.

I'm grateful to Members for their contributions, and it's no surprise that this Amendment will not achieve a Majority. But I do believe that it is important to put on record, as the Counsel General suggested, the broad and increasing range of functions that this commission will have. It's been said, as a criticism on occasion, that I as a politician, and that Plaid Cymru as a party, perhaps, have never identified a problem that we don't want to create a national institution around. That's not quite true, but the creation of national institutions is important. It is part of solving the problems and challenges that we face and delivering our potential, and creating a new national organisation, a newly drawn-up organisation, that evolves and grows in the field of democracy and democratic well-being is something, I think, that we should all welcome.

In terms of the title, I would prefer the shortened title myself. There is something more elegant, perhaps, about such a title. Perhaps 'the democracy commission' is the term that people will use orally and informally. When the Council for Wales and Monmouthshire was created in 1949, I believe, 'the council for Wales' was the term that was used, including by the chair himself, Huw T. Edwards. So, perhaps the Democracy and Boundary Commission Cymru will become 'the democracy commission' to all intents and purposes. There's a great deal of work, a programme of work, and a very full agenda that we will all want to contribute towards during the exciting times before us. But, with that, I seek the Senedd's leave to withdraw this amendment, and I won't push it to a vote.

The proposal, therefore, by Adam Price, who has already moved Amendment 44, is that amendment 44 is withdrawn. If no-one disagrees with that, we will take it that the Senedd agrees to that. There will be no vote, therefore, on amendment 44.

Amendment 44 withdrawn in accordance with Standing Order 12.27.