Decision details
Welsh Liberal Democrats Debate
Decision Maker: Plenary - Fourth Assembly
Status: Recommendations approved
Is Key decision?: Yes
Purpose:
Debates are one of the
most frequent items of business on the Plenary
agenda. Many types of debate are brought forward in Plenary, including:
- Opposition party debates on a topic of their choice;
Other than in the case of Government debates, the time allocated for all other types of debates and their frequency are determined by the Business Committee
Decision:
The item started at 16.50
Voting
on the motion and amendments under this item was deferred until Voting Time.
A vote was taken on
the motion without amendment:
NDM5313
Aled Roberts (North Wales)
To
propose that the National Assembly for Wales:
1.
Notes with concern that:
a)
Wales has the largest proportion of premises in potential not-spots, and the
lowest availability of superfast broadband services in the UK;
b)
the recent rationalisation and decommissioning of
mobile masts has resulted in many customers facing a frustrating loss or
degradation of mobile signal.
2.
Believes that broadband and mobile services play an integral and ever expanding
role in the lives of Welsh consumers and citizens and that a lack of access to
digital infrastructure is a hindrance to social, economic and cultural
development, noting in particular that:
a)
according to a recent Estyn
report ‘The impact of ICT on pupils’ learning in primary schools’, around half
the schools surveyed say that the poor quality of the internet connection
hinders their ICT work;
b)
the Welsh Affairs Committee report ‘Broadband services
in Wales’ expresses concern that the existence of broadband not-spots and slowspots, particularly in rural areas, has hindered local
businesses at a cost to the local economy;
c)
the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee report ‘Rural Communities’
notes that households in rural areas are less likely to take up schemes that
may reduce fuel costs, such as cheaper tariffs or energy efficiency schemes, due
to a lack of broadband access; and
d)
the Chairman of the Commission for Rural Communities
has said that poor web coverage is a factor in pushing young people out of
rural areas.
3.
Regrets the problems experienced by the Welsh Government’s Regional Innovative
Broadband Support Scheme and calls on the Welsh Government to:
a)
ensure that the Access Broadband Cymru scheme is
widely advertised and does not experience the same issues;
b)
examine the planning system to ensure that planning
rules support the development of digital infrastructure;
c)
examine what support can be offered to businesses to
improve their ability to compete worldwide through better access to digital
services; and
d)
investigate recent problems with mobile signal and
work with network providers to ensure these issues are addressed and coverage
is maximised across Wales.
For |
Abstain |
Against |
Total |
13 |
0 |
37 |
50 |
The
motion without amendment was not agreed.
The
following amendments were tabled:
Amendment
1 - William Graham (South Wales East)
Insert
as new point 2c and renumber accordingly:
the rise of online shopping
has contributed to the challenges faced by the high street, however recognises
the potential of the internet as a source for high street regeneration;
A vote was taken on Amendment 1:
For |
Abstain |
Against |
Total |
50 |
0 |
0 |
50 |
Amendment 1 was
agreed.
Amendment
2 - William Graham (South Wales East)
Add
as new sub-point at the end of point 2:
the increasing
digitalisation of farm administration and the impact this has on farmers who
suffer from poor broadband coverage.
A vote was taken on Amendment 2:
For |
Abstain |
Against |
Total |
49 |
0 |
0 |
49 |
Amendment 2 was
agreed.
Amendment
3 - William Graham (South Wales East)
Insert
as new point 3a and renumber accordingly:
guarantee that during the rollout
of the Superfast Cymru scheme BT ensures that premises which do not qualify for
connection will be notified accordingly in a timely manner;
A vote was taken on Amendment 3:
For |
Abstain |
Against |
Total |
24 |
0 |
26 |
50 |
Amendment 3 was not
agreed.
A vote was taken on the motion as amended:
NDM5313
Aled Roberts (North Wales)
To
propose that the National Assembly for Wales:
1.
Notes with concern that:
a)
Wales has the largest proportion of premises in potential not-spots, and the
lowest availability of superfast broadband services in the UK;
b)
the recent rationalisation and decommissioning of
mobile masts has resulted in many customers facing a frustrating loss or
degradation of mobile signal.
2.
Believes that broadband and mobile services play an integral and ever expanding
role in the lives of Welsh consumers and citizens and that a lack of access to
digital infrastructure is a hindrance to social, economic and cultural
development, noting in particular that:
a)
according to a recent Estyn
report ‘The impact of ICT on pupils’ learning in primary schools’, around half
the schools surveyed say that the poor quality of the internet connection
hinders their ICT work;
b)
the Welsh Affairs Committee report ‘Broadband services
in Wales’ expresses concern that the existence of broadband not-spots and slowspots, particularly in rural areas, has hindered local
businesses at a cost to the local economy;
c)
the rise of online shopping has contributed to the
challenges faced by the high street, however recognises the potential of the
internet as a source for high street regeneration;
d)
the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee report ‘Rural Communities’
notes that households in rural areas are less likely to take up schemes that may
reduce fuel costs, such as cheaper tariffs or energy efficiency schemes, due to
a lack of broadband access; and
e)
the Chairman of the Commission for Rural Communities
has said that poor web coverage is a factor in pushing young people out of
rural areas.
f)
the increasing digitalisation of farm administration
and the impact this has on farmers who suffer from poor broadband coverage.
3.
Regrets the problems experienced by the Welsh Government’s Regional Innovative
Broadband Support Scheme and calls on the Welsh Government to:
a)
ensure that the Access Broadband Cymru scheme is
widely advertised and does not experience the same issues;
b)
examine the planning system to ensure that planning
rules support the development of digital infrastructure;
c)
examine what support can be offered to businesses to
improve their ability to compete worldwide through better access to digital
services; and
d)
investigate recent problems with mobile signal and
work with network providers to ensure these issues are addressed and coverage
is maximised across Wales.
For |
Abstain |
Against |
Total |
24 |
0 |
26 |
50 |
The
motion as amended was not agreed.
Publication date: 02/10/2013
Date of decision: 02/10/2013
Decided at meeting: 02/10/2013 - Plenary - Fourth Assembly