Introduction Part 1 - the Senedd and Welsh Ministers Section 4 - Additional Deputy Presiding Officer
9.Section 4 amends section 25 of the 2006 Act to provide for the Senedd to be able to elect a second Deputy Presiding Officer, in addition to the Deputy Presiding Officer that must be elected at the first meeting of the Senedd under section 25(1)(b) of the 2006 Act. The Standing Orders of the Senedd may provide for the additional Deputy Presiding Officer to hold office for a shorter period of time than the default position provided for in the 2006 Act (namely, staying in office until the dissolution of the Senedd during which the Deputy Presiding Officer was elected).
10.Section 4 also provides for certain restrictions on the Senedd’s choice of a second Deputy Presiding Officer. They cannot be from the same political group as either the Presiding Officer or other Deputy Presiding Officer, and they cannot be a Member of a non-executive group if both the Presiding Officer and Deputy Presiding Officer are Members of non-executive groups (a non-executive group means a political group within the Senedd which does not have any Members in the acting Government of the time (i.e. the executive)). However, it also provides that these restrictions can be overridden by a two-thirds majority vote in the Senedd.
11.Unless otherwise stated above, the effect of section 4 is that the legislative duties, powers, and other requirements that apply to the Deputy Presiding Officer that must be appointed at the first meeting of the Senedd under Section 25(1)(b) of the 2006 Act also apply to any additional Deputy Presiding Officer. This section also makes related amendments to the 2006 Act and other legislation.