Meeting Venue:
Y Siambr - Y Senedd
Meeting date:
Wednesday, 21 June 2023
Meeting time: 12.45
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This meeting will be held in a hybrid format, with some Members in the Senedd Chamber and others joining by video-conference.
1 Joint item with the Welsh Youth Parliament
(45 mins)
2 Questions to the Minister for Social Justice and Chief Whip
(45 mins)
The Presiding Officer will call party spokespeople to ask questions without notice to the Minister after Question 2.
3 Questions to the Counsel General and Minister for the Constitution
(45 mins)
The Presiding Officer will call party spokespeople to ask questions without notice to the Counsel General after Question 2.
4 Questions to the Senedd Commission
(30 mins)
5 Topical Questions
(20 mins)
To ask the Deputy Minister for Climate Change
Andrew RT Davies (South Wales Central): What assessment has the Minister made of 61 drink retailers operating in Wales writing an open letter to the Welsh Government calling for the exclusion of glass from its deposit return scheme in line with the rest of the UK?
To ask the Minister for Social Justice and Chief Whip
Jenny Rathbone (Cardiff Central): In light of recent revelations, what discussions has the Welsh Government had with the UK Government regarding how many members of the Windrush generation from Wales with chronic and mental illness were deported?
To ask the Minister for Education and Welsh Language
Altaf Hussain (South Wales West): What immediate action is the Welsh Government taking to work with schools to educate young people about water safety following the tragic drowning at Aberavon pier on Monday evening?
6 90 Second Statements
(5 mins)
7 Debate on a Member's Legislative Proposal - A civic duty to vote Bill - Postponed
(0 mins)
NDM8293 Adam Price (Carmarthen East and Dinefwr)
To propose that the Senedd:
1. Notes a proposal for a Bill on the introduction of a civic duty to vote.
2. Notes that the purpose of this Bill would be to:
a) to seek to emulate the success of other democracies that have introduced a civic duty to vote in increasing levels of voter turnout at elections and thereby improving the level of engagement and representativeness across all ages, classes and communities;
b) to introduce a civic duty for all those eligible to vote to participate in Senedd and county council elections;
c) to allow those wishing to indicate their dissatisfaction with a candidate, party or politics more broadly to so by means of a positive abstention option on the ballot paper;
d) to allow for the introduction of an appropriate sanction for non-compliance with the civic obligation to vote or positively abstain, with legitimate exemptions; and
e) to provide for the introduction of a pilot phase for the introduction of the duty on an age-specific basis.
Supporters
Rhys ab Owen (South Wales Central)
8 Debate on the Health and Social Care Committee report - Dentistry
(60 mins)
NDM8299 Russell George (Montgomeryshire)
To propose that the Senedd:
Notes the Health and Social Care Committee report, ‘Dentistry’, laid on 15 February 2023.
Note: The response of the Welsh Government to the report was laid in the Table Office on 14 June 2023.
9 Plaid Cymru Debate - Devolution of justice and policing
(60 mins)
NDM8300 Sian Gwenllian (Arfon)
To propose that the Senedd:
1. Notes that over a quarter of a century since devolution, Wales remains the only devolved nation without its own legal system and powers over its police forces, despite there being no rational basis for this.
2. Believes that:
a) powers over justice and policing should be fully devolved to Wales; and
b) establishing a distinct Welsh legal system and making Welsh police forces fully accountable to the Senedd can be vital steps along the road to independence.
3. Calls on the Welsh Government to formally request powers over justice and policing.
The following amendment was tabled:
Amendment 1 Lesley Griffiths (Wrexham)
Delete all after sub-point 2 (a) and replace with:
establishing a distinct Welsh legal system and making Welsh police forces fully accountable to the Senedd can be vital steps to ensuring that justice and policing can be better delivered for the benefit of the people of Wales; and
the Commission on Justice in Wales set out clearly why powers over justice should be wholly devolved and a Welsh legal jurisdiction established.
Calls on the Welsh Government to continue pursuing the case and preparing for the devolution of policing and justice.
10 Voting Time
11 Short Debate
(30 mins)
NDM8291 Joel James (South Wales Central)
The repurposing of drugs to treat rare diseases
The Senedd will sit again in Plenary at 13.30, Tuesday, 27 June 2023