English: Diolch, Llywydd. We laid our report on the legislative consent memorandum for the Elections Bill in December last year, and in that report we noted the Welsh Government's position that it would be inappropriate to grant consent to the UK Government to legislate on the devolved matters included in this Bill. Most of our committee agreed that consent should not be granted on the basis that any proposals to legislate on these devolved matters should be brought forward by the Welsh Government and subject to full scrutiny by the Senedd. Two Members, Joel James and Sam Rowlands, disagreed with that view and believed that consent should be granted. Since then, the supplementary LCM in relation to this Bill was laid on 22 March, and we were invited by the Business Committee to consider and report on that supplementary LCM, No. 2, by today. We only had one meeting scheduled within that time frame on 23 March. We received an oral briefing from Legal Services at that meeting. However, due to the very limited time available, we have been unable to consider a legal advice note or to report on the SLCM. The Counsel General will be aware that I wrote to him on Friday, expressing our frustration at being unable to undertake any detailed work on this supplementary LCM. The provisions within the supplementary LCM relate to amendments tabled to the Elections Bill on 11 January and 28 February. The delay in laying the SLCM then is therefore very disappointing. We are very concerned by the approach taken by the Welsh Government in not laying separate supplementary LCMs, following the tabling of each tranche of amendments. The delay has left no time for scrutiny of the supplementary LCM by our committee before it is debated today, and we are concerned that this debate is taking place without Members having the benefit of being able to consider a report by a relevant Senedd committee to inform their view. This situation highlights the importance of laying LCMs, or indeed supplementary LCMs, in a timely manner. Given the previous debate, Llywydd, it's obviously a particular concern to the committee that I've had to reiterate this sort of message in relation to several supplementary LCMs brought forward by the Welsh Government with insufficient time for scrutiny. We've just discussed that building safety supplementary LCM today, and in December of last year, I expressed the committee's disappointment that the delay in laying supplementary memoranda in relation to the Leasehold Reform (Ground Rent) Bill also restricted our ability to scrutinise that legislation. So, I would repeat my ask, the committee's ask, to Welsh Government, Llywydd, to ensure that committees have the necessary time and information to be able to play a meaningful role, a proper role, in the legislative consent process. Diolch yn fawr.
Welsh: Diolch, Llywydd. Gwnaethom ni osod ein hadroddiad ar y memorandwm cydsyniad deddfwriaethol ar gyfer y Bil Etholiadau ym mis Rhagfyr y llynedd, ac yn yr adroddiad hwnnw fe wnaethom nodi safbwynt Llywodraeth Cymru y byddai'n amhriodol rhoi caniatâd i Lywodraeth y DU ddeddfu ar y materion datganoledig sydd wedi'u cynnwys yn y Bil hwn. Cytunodd y rhan fwyaf o'n pwyllgor na ddylid rhoi caniatâd ar y sail y dylai unrhyw gynigion i ddeddfu ar y materion datganoledig hyn gael eu cyflwyno gan Lywodraeth Cymru ac yn amodol ar graffu llawn gan y Senedd. Roedd dau Aelod, Joel James a Sam Rowlands, yn anghytuno â'r farn honno ac yn credu y dylid rhoi caniatâd. Ers hynny, gosodwyd yr LCM atodol o ran y Bil hwn ar 22 Mawrth, a chawsom wahoddiad gan y Pwyllgor Busnes i ystyried ac adrodd ar yr LCM atodol Rhif 2 hwnnw, erbyn heddiw. Dim ond un cyfarfod a gawsom a oedd wedi'i drefnu o fewn yr amserlen honno ar 23 Mawrth. Cawsom sesiwn friffio ar lafar gan y Gwasanaethau Cyfreithiol yn y cyfarfod hwnnw. Fodd bynnag, oherwydd yr amser cyfyngedig iawn sydd ar gael, nid ydym wedi gallu ystyried nodyn cyngor cyfreithiol nac adrodd ar yr LCM atodol. Bydd y Cwnsler Cyffredinol yn ymwybodol fy mod wedi ysgrifennu ato ddydd Gwener, gan fynegi ein rhwystredigaeth am fethu â gwneud unrhyw waith manwl ar yr LCM atodol hwn. Mae'r darpariaethau yn yr LCM atodol yn ymwneud â gwelliannau a gyflwynwyd i'r Bil Etholiadau ar 11 Ionawr a 28 Chwefror. Felly, mae'r oedi cyn gosod yr LCM atodol yn siomedig iawn. Rydym yn pryderu'n fawr am y dull a ddefnyddiwyd gan Lywodraeth Cymru i beidio â gosod LCM atodol ar wahân, ar ôl cyflwyno pob cyfran o welliannau. Nid yw'r oedi wedi gadael amser i'n pwyllgor graffu ar yr LCM atodol cyn iddo gael ei drafod heddiw, ac rydym yn pryderu bod y ddadl hon yn digwydd heb i Aelodau gael y fantais o allu ystyried adroddiad gan bwyllgor perthnasol yn y Senedd i lywio eu barn. Mae'r sefyllfa hon yn tynnu sylw at bwysigrwydd gosod LCMs, neu yn wir LCMs atodol, mewn modd amserol. O ystyried y ddadl flaenorol, Llywydd, mae'n amlwg yn bryder arbennig i'r pwyllgor fy mod wedi gorfod ailadrodd y math hwn o neges mewn perthynas â nifer o LCMs atodol a gyflwynwyd gan Lywodraeth Cymru heb ddigon o amser i graffu arnynt. Rydym newydd drafod yr LCM atodol hwnnw ar gyfer diogelwch adeiladau heddiw, ac ym mis Rhagfyr y llynedd, mynegais siom y pwyllgor fod yr oedi wrth osod memoranda atodol mewn perthynas â'r Bil Diwygio Cyfraith Lesddaliad (Rhent Tir) hefyd yn cyfyngu ar ein gallu i graffu ar y ddeddfwriaeth honno. Felly, hoffwn i ailadrodd fy nghais, cais y pwyllgor, i Lywodraeth Cymru, Llywydd, sicrhau bod gan bwyllgorau'r amser a'r wybodaeth angenrheidiol i allu chwarae rhan ystyrlon, rhan briodol, yn y broses cydsyniad deddfwriaethol. Diolch yn fawr.