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Government of Wales Bill

moved Amendment No. 26:"Page 15, line 28, at end insert ““an acting presiding officer." (1A) The Assembly must, within 28 days following a general election, elect from among the Assembly Members-”” The noble Lord said: There is a situation in the Bill that we would like to clarify. We wish to ensure that within 28 days following a general election we should elect a presiding officer, referred to in the Bill as a presiding officer, and a deputy presiding officer, referred to in the Bill as a deputy presiding officer. Within those 28 days there may be an acting situation, but there is clearly business to be done immediately following a general election. This ensures that the elections of the presiding officer, the deputy presiding officer and the First Minister take place on the same day. Because of the relative size of the Assembly, decisions about who will be the presiding officer, the deputy presiding officer and the First Minister are inextricably linked. The dynamic they represent is important because the balance of power in the Assembly is so narrow. As a result, it makes sense to elect them simultaneously. That is an important point. Amendment No. 27 is grouped with Amendment No. 26. It adds,"““different political groups both of which are political groups without an executive role””." In fact, the presiding officer should not have an executive role or stand for election in that situation. The addition ensures that the opposite will not happen. The presiding officer and the deputy are not exclusively from opposition parties so this amendment ensures that there is fair representation across the board. It is just that they are not part of the government. That means that they cannot perpetuate the position that we have at present where the minority party has both non-voting positions locked up by the opposition, helping them to have a majority. There are two important points in respect of choosing the presiding officer and the deputy in these amendments. I beg to move.