English: Diolch, Llywydd. Elections are essential to our democracy and anything that impacts them should indeed be taken seriously, and so I'm very happy to have been able to hear the views of colleagues in the Chamber today. These regulations do two very important things: they postpone any by-elections that would have been held between March this year and January next year, and they protect those who organise our elections from criminal prosecution as a result of the necessary actions that they have needed to take to protect both the public and their staff. This means that any by-elections that arise between 16 March 2020 and 31 January 2021 due to a casual vacancy will be held between 1 February 2021 and 16 April 2021. The exact date of the election will be determined by the appropriate returning officer. By disapplying sections 39 and 63 of the Representation of the People Act 1983, we've also ensured that the actions or omissions of returning officers in relation to a poll that was due to be held but was postponed cannot result in criminal prosecution. These regulations were made using the negative procedure, as that is what the Coronavirus Act 2020 requires. Section 67 provides the power to the Welsh Ministers to make the regulations and section 67 (7) specifies the procedure that applies. It was also necessary to disapply the 21-day convention, as the Act only gave returning officers indemnity for the period of 15 March to 24 April. By disapplying the 21-day convention, it allows us to bring the regulations into force by 5 May, avoiding any unnecessary gap where returning officers could be liable for acting in the public interest. At the time of producing these regulations, there was a great deal of concern from the electoral community about the safety of holding elections. On 18 March, both my UK counterpart and I wrote to the electoral community to give our full support to returning officers who needed to suspend elections before the Coronavirus Act 2020 came into force. I do not take the postponement of elections lightly; these regulations have been necessary due to the unprecedented health emergency we're currently living through. It would be impossible to hold fair and open by-elections while there are significant health risks to the population. We would risk disenfranchising those in at-risk groups and be risking the health of voters, the candidates, the campaigners and the electoral staff. These regulations allow returning officers to choose the most appropriate date to hold a postponed election between 1 February 2021 and 16 April 2021. This period allows for a sufficient time to have passed for us to have a better understanding of the present public health emergency, and plan accordingly with the electoral community and within the existing legislative framework. This is in advance of 6 May 2021, when the current police and crime commissioner and Senedd elections are due to take place. The Senedd and PCC elections being held on the same day introduces considerable complexity into arrangements, as they will be involved with two different franchises and voting systems. It would not be desirable to add postponed local by-elections to those complex arrangements, and adding the dates of February to 16 April when a by-election must be held is therefore necessary. The UK Government is requiring postponed by-elections to be held on this date, but because of the complexities involved that I have just set out, this was not appropriate for Wales, and so our by-elections will be held earlier. Allowing returning officers to set the date allows them to use their expertise to take into account local factors to arrange the most appropriate date, and due to the urgency with which these regulations are needed, some of the technical detail of how this postponement will be managed has been left to a later set of regulations. I wrote to the electoral community on 5 May setting out the reasoning behind the current regulations and what would be covered in the second set. These will include a number of issues, such as previously cast postal ballots, expenses and compensation for the suspended polls. I continue to work very closely with the electoral community and other UK administrations on managing these suspended polls and ensuring elections can be held safely and fairly. Diolch, Llywydd.
Welsh: Diolch, Lywydd. Mae etholiadau'n hanfodol i'n democratiaeth a dylid rhoi ystyriaeth ddifrifol i unrhyw beth sy'n effeithio arnynt, ac felly rwy'n hapus iawn fy mod wedi gallu clywed barn fy nghyd-Aelodau yn y Siambr heddiw. Mae'r rheoliadau hyn yn gwneud dau beth pwysig iawn: maent yn gohirio unrhyw isetholiadau a fyddai wedi'u cynnal rhwng mis Mawrth eleni a mis Ionawr y flwyddyn nesaf, ac maent yn gwarchod y rhai sy'n trefnu ein hetholiadau rhag erlyniad troseddol o ganlyniad i'r camau angenrheidiol y bu angen iddynt eu cymryd i ddiogelu'r cyhoedd a'u staff. Golyga hyn y bydd unrhyw isetholiadau sy'n codi rhwng 16 Mawrth 2020 a 31 Ionawr 2021 ar gyfer sedd sy'n digwydd dod yn wag yn cael eu cynnal rhwng 1 Chwefror 2021 a 16 Ebrill 2021. Y swyddog canlyniadau priodol fydd yn penderfynu ar union ddyddiad yr etholiad. Drwy ddatgymhwyso adrannau 39 a 63 o Ddeddf Cynrychiolaeth y Bobl 1983, rydym hefyd wedi sicrhau na fydd gweithred neu anwaith ar ran swyddogion canlyniadau mewn perthynas ag etholiad a oedd i fod i gael ei gynnal ond a gafodd ei ohirio yn arwain at erlyniad troseddol. Gwnaed y rheoliadau hyn gan ddefnyddio'r weithdrefn negyddol, gan mai dyna sy'n ofynnol o dan Ddeddf Coronafeirws 2020. Mae adran 67 yn rhoi pŵer i Weinidogion Cymru wneud y rheoliadau ac mae adran 67 (7) yn pennu'r weithdrefn sy'n gymwys. Roedd angen datgymhwyso'r confensiwn 21 diwrnod hefyd, gan nad oedd y Ddeddf ond yn rhoi indemniad i swyddogion canlyniadau am y cyfnod rhwng 15 Mawrth a 24 Ebrill. Drwy ddatgymhwyso'r confensiwn 21 diwrnod, mae'n caniatáu inni ddwyn y rheoliadau i rym erbyn 5 Mai, gan osgoi unrhyw fwlch dianghenraid lle gallai swyddogion canlyniadau fod yn atebol am weithredu er lles y cyhoedd. Ar adeg llunio'r rheoliadau hyn, roedd llawer iawn o bryder o fewn y gymuned etholiadol ynghylch diogelwch cynnal etholiadau. Ar 18 Mawrth, ysgrifennodd fy swyddog cyfatebol yn y DU a minnau at y gymuned etholiadol i roi ein cefnogaeth lawn i swyddogion canlyniadau a fyddai angen gohirio etholiadau cyn i Ddeddf Coronafeirws 2020 ddod i rym. Rwy'n ystyried bod gohirio etholiadau'n fater difrifol; mae'r rheoliadau hyn wedi bod yn angenrheidiol oherwydd yr argyfwng iechyd digynsail sy'n ein hwynebu ar hyn o bryd. Byddai'n amhosibl cynnal isetholiadau teg ac agored a cheir risgiau sylweddol i iechyd y boblogaeth. Byddem mewn perygl o ddifreinio pobl yn y grwpiau risg ac o beryglu iechyd pleidleiswyr, ymgeiswyr, ymgyrchwyr a staff etholiadol. Mae'r rheoliadau hyn yn caniatáu i swyddogion canlyniadau ddewis y dyddiad mwyaf priodol i gynnal etholiad a ohiriwyd rhwng 1 Chwefror 2021 ac 16 Ebrill 2021. Mae'r cyfnod hwn yn caniatáu digon o amser inni gael gwell dealltwriaeth o'r argyfwng iechyd cyhoeddus presennol, ac i gynllunio'n unol â hynny gyda'r gymuned etholiadol ac o fewn y fframwaith deddfwriaethol presennol. Mae hyn yn digwydd cyn 6 Mai 2021, pan fydd yr etholiadau cyfredol ar gyfer ethol comisiynwyr heddlu a throseddu ac etholiadau'r Senedd i fod i gael eu cynnal. Mae cynnal etholiadau'r Senedd a'r comisiynwyr heddlu a throseddu ar yr un diwrnod yn gwneud y trefniadau'n gymhleth iawn, gan y byddant yn ymwneud â dwy system bleidleisio a dwy etholfraint wahanol. Ni fyddai'n ddymunol ychwanegu isetholiadau lleol wedi'u gohirio drwy'r trefniadau cymhleth hynny, ac felly mae angen ychwanegu dyddiadau Chwefror i 16 Ebrill pan fydd yn rhaid cynnal isetholiad. Mae Llywodraeth y DU yn mynnu bod isetholiadau a ohiriwyd yn cael eu cynnal ar y dyddiad hwn, ond oherwydd y cymhlethdodau rwyf newydd eu nodi, nid oedd hynny'n briodol ar gyfer Cymru, ac felly cynhelir ein hisetholiadau yn gynharach. Mae caniatáu i swyddogion canlyniadau bennu'r dyddiad yn caniatáu iddynt ddefnyddio eu harbenigedd i ystyried ffactorau lleol i drefnu'r dyddiad mwyaf priodol, ac oherwydd bod angen y rheoliadau hyn ar frys, mae rhai o'r manylion technegol ynghylch sut y caiff yr oedi hwn ei reoli wedi'u neilltuo ar gyfer cyfres ddiweddarach o reoliadau. Ysgrifennais at y gymuned etholiadol ar 5 Mai yn nodi'r rhesymeg sy'n sail i'r rheoliadau cyfredol a beth fyddai'n cael ei gynnwys yn yr ail gyfres. Bydd y rhain yn cynnwys nifer o faterion, megis pleidleisiau post a fwriwyd yn flaenorol, treuliau ac iawndal am etholiadau gohiriedig. Rwy'n parhau i weithio'n agos iawn â'r gymuned etholiadol a gweinyddiaethau eraill yn y DU ar reoli'r etholiadau gohiriedig hyn a sicrhau y gellir cynnal etholiadau'n ddiogel ac yn deg. Diolch, Lywydd.