Concise Minutes - Equality and Social Justice Committee

Meeting Venue:

 Committee Room 4 (Ty Hywel)

Meeting date: Monday, 26 January 2026

Meeting time: 13.30 - 15.52
This meeting can be viewed
on Senedd TV at:
http://senedd.tv/en/15835

Hybrid

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Attendance

Category	Names
Members of the Senedd:	Jenny Rathbone MS (Chair) Mick Antoniw MS Jane Dodds MS Altaf Hussain MS Sioned Williams MS Mark Isherwood MS John Griffiths MS
Witnesses:	Mark Isherwood MS Gareth Howells, Legal Services, Senedd Commission Gareth Rogers, Bill Manager, Senedd Commission
Committee Staff:	Rhys Morgan (Clerk) Mared Llwyd (Second Clerk) Angharad Roche (Deputy Clerk) Masudah Ali (Legal Adviser) Ben Harris (Legal Adviser)

<AI1>

1 Introductions, apologies, substitutions and declarations of interest

The Chair welcomed Members and the public to the meeting.

Apologies were received from Julie Morgan, MS. John Griffiths, MS attended as a substitute.

</AI1>

<AI2>

2 British Sign Language (Wales) Bill: stage two proceedings

Mark Isherwood, MS, Member in Charge of the Bill

Gareth Rogers, Bill Manager, Senedd Commission

Gareth Howells, Legal Services, Senedd Commission

In accordance with Standing Order 17.24A, Mark Isherwood MS made the following declarations of relevant interests, stating that the Member is:

- Patron of the Centre of Sight and Sound (formerly North Wales Deaf Association); and

- Chair of the cross-party group on deaf issues.

The Committee disposed of the amendments in the following order: Sections 1 to 5; Schedule 1; Sections 6 to 11.

Documents relevant to Stage 2 proceedings were available on the Bill page.

Minutes:

Amendment  1  (Mark Isherwood, MS) was agreed in accordance with Standing Order 17.34(i). 

Amendment  2 (Mark Isherwood, MS) was agreed in accordance with Standing Order 17.34(i).

Amendment  3 (Mark Isherwood, MS) was agreed in accordance with Standing Order 17.34(i).

Amendment  16 (Sioned Williams, MS)

In Favour	Against	Abstain
	Jenny Rathbone, MS
	Mick Antoniw, MS
	John Griffiths, MS
Sioned Williams, MS
Jane Dodds, MS
	Altaf Hussain, MS
Amendment 16 was not agreed

Amendment  4 (Mark Isherwood, MS) was agreed in accordance with Standing Order 17.34(i).

Amendment  17 (Sioned Williams, MS)

In Favour	Against	Abstain
	Jenny Rathbone, MS
	Mick Antoniw, MS
	John Griffiths, MS
Sioned Williams, MS
Jane Dodds, MS
	Altaf Hussain, MS
Amendment 17 was not agreed

Amendment  5 (Mark Isherwood, MS) was agreed in accordance with Standing Order 17.34(i).

Amendment  6 (Mark Isherwood, MS )was agreed in accordance with Standing Order 17.34(i).

Amendment 7 (Mark Isherwood, MS) was agreed in accordance with Standing Order 17.34(i).

Amendment  19 (Sioned Williams, MS) was withdrawn.

Amendment  18 (Sioned Williams, MS) was not moved.

Amendment  8 (Mark Isherwood, MS) was agreed in accordance with Standing Order 17.34(i).

Amendment  20 (Sioned Williams, MS) was withdrawn.

Amendment  21 (Sioned Williams, MS) was not moved.

Amendment  22 (Sioned Williams, MS) was not moved.

Amendment  9 (Mark Isherwood, MS) was agreed in accordance with Standing Order 17.34(i).

Amendment 10 (Mark Isherwood, MS) was agreed in accordance with Standing Order 17.34(i).

Amendment  11 (Mark Isherwood, MS) was agreed in accordance with Standing Order 17.34(i).

Amendment  23 (Sioned Williams, MS)

In Favour	Against	Abstain
	Jenny Rathbone, MS
	Mick Antoniw, MS
	John Griffiths, MS
Sioned Williams, MS
Jane Dodds, MS
	Altaf Hussain , MS
Amendment 23 was not agreed

Amendment  12 (Mark Isherwood, MS) was agreed in accordance with Standing Order 17.34(i).

Amendment  13 (Mark Isherwood, MS )was agreed in accordance with Standing Order 17.34(i).

Amendment  24 (Sioned Williams, MS) was not moved.

Amendment  14 (Mark Isherwood, MS) was agreed in accordance with Standing Order 17.34(i).

Amendment 15 (Mark Isherwood, MS) was agreed in accordance with Standing Order 17.34(i).

</AI2>

<AI3>

3 Papers to note

Members noted the papers.

In relation to item 3.2 Members agreed to write to Welsh Government to clarify the reason why the Committee had to issue a correction to its final report regarding the EU Settlement Scheme.

In relation to item 3.4 Members agreed to write to Welsh Government to request a technical briefing from officials on progress relating to the Welsh Benefits Charter.

</AI3>

<AI4>

3.1 Correspondence from the Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs and the Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, Trefnydd and Chief Whip to the Chair regarding food poverty

</AI4>

<AI5>

3.2 Correspondence from the Welsh Government to the Chair in response to the Equality and Social Justice Committee's report: "Settled but not safe? EU citizens who stayed after Brexit"

</AI5>

<AI6>

3.3 Correspondence from the Welsh Women's Budget Group and Women's Equality Network Wales to the Chair regarding the Welsh Government's 2026-2027 Budget

</AI6>

<AI7>

3.4 Welsh Government response to the Equality and Social Justice Committee's report scrutinising the Welsh Government's Draft Budget 2026-27

</AI7>

<AI8>

4 Motion under Standing Order 17.42 (vi) to resolve to exclude the public for the remainder of today's meeting and for the entirety of the Committee's meeting on 2 February 2026

Members agreed the motion.

</AI8>

<AI9>

5 Access to healthy, nutritious and affordable food: consideration of preparations for focus group sessions

Members received and update and discussed the logistics of the upcoming focus group session.

</AI9>

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