Cynulliad Cenedlaethol Cymru

Good morning. Can I welcome you to this morning’s meeting, the first meeting of the Member Accountability Bill Committee? We’ll start off by saying we've received apologies from Buffy Williams and no substitute has been identified for her today. Can I remind you that the meeting is being broadcast live on Senedd.tv and a transcript will be published in the usual manner? We are operating bilingually, as you know. Translation is available on the headsets from Welsh to English simultaneously on channel 1. If you require amplification, that's on channel 2. There is no scheduled fire alarm this morning—I don't think there is—and therefore if one does take place, please follow the directions of the ushers to a safe location. Do any Members wish to make any declarations at this point? No. Thank you for that.

We'll move on to item 2, which is just to highlight our remit, and I think just to remind Members as to, perhaps, why we exist, and our role. If any of you wish to comment afterwards I'm happy to take that.

The Member Accountability Bill Committee has been established by the Business Committee to scrutinise the Senedd Cymru (Member Accountability and Elections) Bill. On 6 October the Government produced a publication of the Bill, which has been submitted to the Llywydd for determination and is scheduled to be laid in the Senedd on 3 November. Once introduced on the third, we will then consider the general principles of the Bill, and we are required to report by 19 December. Following that, there will be a debate on the general principles, and if they are agreed, the Bill goes into Stage 2, and at this point in time the Business Committee—unless somebody can update us—has not decided whether it should go to the committee or to the Committee of the Whole Senedd. That's to be determined later on. At any point, anyway, irrespective of that decision, this committee will dissolve at the end of Stage 2 proceedings.

So, we are on a tight schedule, as you can see. We have to report before Christmas recess, which will only give us the second half of this term to do so. So, we will be looking at and discussing in private the type of stakeholders we wish to receive evidence from so that we can ensure we do our job correctly. Does any Member wish to comment upon that schedule or the activities? We will have discussions as to how we move forward. I see none.

Therefore, item 3 is the motion—. Actually, I need to have you agree the remit. Everyone happy with the remit? Thank you.

Now we move to item 3, and under Standing Order 17.42(vi) and (ix) I move to exclude the public for the remainder of today's meeting. Are Members content to do so? I see they are, so we will now move into private for the remainder of today.