Meeting Venue:
Y Siambr - Y Senedd
Meeting date:
Wednesday, 27 April 2022
Meeting time: 13.30
This meeting can be
viewed
on Senedd TV at:
http://senedd.tv/en/12811
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1 Questions to the Minister for Finance and Local Government
The item started at 13.30
The first 9 questions were asked. The Presiding Officer invited party spokespeople to ask questions to the Minister after question 2.
2 Questions to the Minister for Rural Affairs and North Wales, and Trefnydd
The item started at 14.19
Questions 1-7 and 9-10 were asked. Questions 3 and 5 were grouped together for answer. Question 8 was not asked. The Presiding Officer invited party spokespeople to ask questions to the Minister after question 2.
3 Topical Questions
The item started at 15.05
Answered by the Deputy Minister for Social Services
Gareth Davies: Will the Minister make a statement on the exclusion of auxiliary care home staff from the care home and home care workers’ bonus payments.
4 90 Second Statements
The item started at 15.12
Delyth Jewell made a statement on - Global Intergenerational Week.
5 Welsh Conservatives debate - Tourism
The item started at 15.13
Voting on the motion and amendments under this item was deferred until Voting Time.
A vote was taken on the motion without amendment:
NDM7990 Darren Millar (Clwyd West)
To propose that the Senedd:
1. Celebrates Wales's strength as a world-class tourist destination.
2. Regrets the devastating impact of COVID restrictions on the tourism industry in Wales.
3. Believes that the Welsh Government's proposed changes to the non-domestic ratings system will undermine many holiday letting businesses.
4. Notes Wales Tourism Alliance data that shows a large majority of businesses will be unable to meet the criteria to qualify as a holiday let business.
5. Calls on the Welsh Government to:
a) abandon damaging proposals for a tourism tax in Wales;
b) acknowledge that the majority of responses to its consultation oppose the proposed non-domestic rates changes for holiday lets;
c) scrap plans to extend the number of days that a property must be let in order to meet the non-domestic rating requirement.
|
For |
Abstain |
Against |
Total |
|
15 |
0 |
34 |
49 |
The motion without amendment was not agreed.
The following amendments were tabled:
Amendment 1 Lesley Griffiths (Wrexham)
Delete all and replace with:
To propose that the Senedd:
1. Recognises the world class strength of Welsh tourism and welcomes the significant support provided to the tourism industry and operators by the Welsh Government through the COVID pandemic.
2. Recognises the United Nations World Tourism Organization’s definition of sustainable tourism development: “Tourism that takes full account of its current and future economic, social and environmental impacts, addressing the needs of visitors, the industry, the environment and host communities"
3. Recognises that tourism levies are common place across the world, with revenues used to the benefit of local communities, tourists and businesses, which in turn help make tourism sustainable and successful.
4. Welcomes the commitment to introduce local tourism levies which will allow local authorities to raise a tourism levy if they choose to do so.
5. Notes the intention to undertake a major consultation during autumn 2022 as part of a careful process of developing proposals for a levy, which will involve communities, businesses and operators and further notes that the process of translating those proposals into legislation will be subject to detailed scrutiny and approval by the Senedd.
6. Welcomes the Senedd’s decision on 22 March to approve the Council Tax (Long-term Empty Dwellings and Dwellings Occupied Periodically) (Wales) Regulations 2022, introduced as part of the wider commitment to address the issue of second homes and unaffordable housing facing many communities in Wales and to tackle the housing crisis
7. Welcomes the commitment to act on the wide-ranging consultations undertaken to date to ensure genuine self-catered accommodation is distinguished from domestic properties with regard to local taxes and notes that a technical consultation on draft regulations to amend the lettings criteria for self-catering accommodations undertaken as part of taking forward this commitment closed on 12 April; the responses to which are currently being analysed.
A vote was taken on amendment 1:
|
For |
Abstain |
Against |
Total |
|
34 |
0 |
15 |
49 |
Amendment 1 was agreed.
A vote was taken on the motion as amended:
NDM7990 Darren Millar (Clwyd West)
To propose that the Senedd:
1. Recognises the world class strength of Welsh tourism and welcomes the significant support provided to the tourism industry and operators by the Welsh Government through the COVID pandemic.
2. Recognises the United Nations World Tourism Organization’s definition of sustainable tourism development: “Tourism that takes full account of its current and future economic, social and environmental impacts, addressing the needs of visitors, the industry, the environment and host communities"
3. Recognises that tourism levies are common place across the world, with revenues used to the benefit of local communities, tourists and businesses, which in turn help make tourism sustainable and successful.
4. Welcomes the commitment to introduce local tourism levies which will allow local authorities to raise a tourism levy if they choose to do so.
5. Notes the intention to undertake a major consultation during autumn 2022 as part of a careful process of developing proposals for a levy, which will involve communities, businesses and operators and further notes that the process of translating those proposals into legislation will be subject to detailed scrutiny and approval by the Senedd.
6. Welcomes the Senedd’s decision on 22 March to approve the Council Tax (Long-term Empty Dwellings and Dwellings Occupied Periodically) (Wales) Regulations 2022, introduced as part of the wider commitment to address the issue of second homes and unaffordable housing facing many communities in Wales and to tackle the housing crisis
7. Welcomes the commitment to act on the wide-ranging consultations undertaken to date to ensure genuine self-catered accommodation is distinguished from domestic properties with regard to local taxes and notes that a technical consultation on draft regulations to amend the lettings criteria for self-catering accommodations undertaken as part of taking forward this commitment closed on 12 April; the responses to which are currently being analysed.
|
For |
Abstain |
Against |
Total |
|
34 |
0 |
15 |
49 |
The motion as amended was agreed.
6 Plaid Cymru debate - The cost of living crisis and housing
The item started at 16.07
Voting on the motion and amendments under this item was deferred until Voting Time.
A vote was taken on the motion without amendment:
NDM7989 Sian Gwenllian (Arfon)
To propose that the Senedd:
1. Notes that the cost-of-living crisis affecting households across Wales is increasing the risk of homelessness.
2. Notes that Wales's average rental values have increased to £726 per month in March 2022, up by 7.2 per cent compared to March 2021
3. Notes that, despite the local housing allowance being designed to cover the lowest 30 per cent of households in Wales, only 3.8 per cent of households are actually covered by it.
4. Calls on the UK Government to reform the local housing allowance to make it work for Wales.
5. Calls on the Welsh Government to consider the recommendations of the End Youth Homelessness Cymru Roadmap.
A Roadmap to Ending Youth Homelessness in Wales - End Youth Homelessness Cymru
|
For |
Abstain |
Against |
Total |
|
34 |
0 |
15 |
49 |
The motion without amendment was agreed.
In accordance with Standing Order 12.18, at 17.00 proceedings were suspended to allow a technical break before Voting Time.
7 Voting Time
The item started at 17.04
8 Short Debate
The item started at 17.08
NDM7988 Peredur Owen Griffiths (South Wales East)
No place like home: houses in multiple occupation and community empowerment
The meeting concluded at 17.27
The Senedd will sit again in Plenary at 13.30, Tuesday, 3 May 2022