Decision details

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

The item started at 16.28

Voting on the motion and amendments under this item was deferred until Voting Time.

A vote was taken on the motion without amendment:

NDM5324 Elin Jones (Ceredigion)

To propose that the National Assembly for Wales:

1. Condemns the UK Government’s intention to privatise Royal Mail;

2. Recognises that privatisation opens the door for future threats to postal services in rural and urban Wales;

3. Notes the importance of Royal Mail to the Post Office network;

4. Calls on the Welsh Government to:

a) make representations to the UK Government on the importance of publicly accountable postal services to the Welsh economy and to Welsh communities; and

b) consider Plaid Cymru’s proposal for the devolution of postal services in order to preserve a universal, affordable service.

For	Abstain	Against	Total
9	0	45	54

The motion without amendment was not agreed.

The following amendments were tabled:

Amendment 1 - William Graham (South Wales East)

Delete all and replace with:

To propose that the National Assembly for Wales:

1) Notes the UK Government’s intention to privatise Royal Mail.

2) Recognises that:

a) privatisation will protect the universal service, enable Royal Mail to raise money like its competitors and give Royal Mail’s 150,000 employees free shares; and

b) a privatised Royal Mail will remain legally obliged to deliver to every address, whether urban or rural, under the minimum requirements of the Universal Service.

3) Acknowledges  the importance of Royal Mail to the Post Office network, that the Post Office is not for sale, and that there will be no Post Office closure plan under this UK Government.  

4) Regrets the closure of 7,000 Post Offices under the last UK Labour Government.

5) Calls on the Welsh Government to work with the UK Government on its £1.34 billion programme to maintain a network of at least 11,500 Post Office branches across the UK.

A vote was taken on Amendment 1:

For	Abstain	Against	Total
18	0	36	54

Amendment 1 was not agreed.

Amendment 2 - Aled Roberts (North Wales)

In point 1 replace ‘Condemns’ with ‘Notes’. 

A vote was taken on Amendment 2:

For	Abstain	Against	Total
18	0	36	54

Amendment 2 was not agreed.

Amendment 3 - Lesley Griffiths (Wrexham)

Insert as new point 2 and re-number accordingly:

Shares the concern of the trade unions over the potential threat to the Royal Mail workforce in Wales;

A vote was taken on Amendment 3:

For	Abstain	Against	Total
36	13	5	54

Amendment 3 was agreed.

Amendment 4 - Aled Roberts (North Wales)

Delete point 2 and replace with:

Welcomes the UK Government transfer of the historic liabilities of around £37.5 billion from the Royal Mail Pension Plan to the new Royal Mail Statutory Pension Scheme.

A vote was taken on Amendment 4:

For	Abstain	Against	Total
45	0	9	54

Amendment 4 was agreed.

Amendment 5 - Aled Roberts (North Wales)

Insert as new point 3 and renumber accordingly:

Welcomes the UK Government commitment to a universal six day a week postal service as protected by law in the Postal Services Act 2011.

A vote was taken on Amendment 5:

For	Abstain	Against	Total
45	0	9	54

Amendment 5 was agreed.

Amendment 6 - Aled Roberts (North Wales)

Insert at the end of point 3:

‘and that the proposed privatisation excludes the Post Office.’

A vote was taken on Amendment 6:

For	Abstain	Against	Total
18	0	36	54

Amendment 6 was not agreed.

Amendment 7 - Aled Roberts (North Wales)

Insert as new point 4, and renumber accordingly:

Notes the Labour Party’s repeated attempts at privatisation of the Royal Mail up to 2009 and the Post Office closure programme that saw 216 post offices in Wales close under Labour between October 2007 and January 2009;

A vote was taken on Amendment 7:

For	Abstain	Against	Total
26	0	27	53

Amendment 7 was not agreed.

Amendment 8 - Aled Roberts (North Wales)

Insert as new point 4, and renumber accordingly:

Welcomes that no post offices have closed since 2010 as a result of UK Coalition Government policy.

A vote was taken on Amendment 8:

For	Abstain	Against	Total
17	0	36	53

Amendment 8 was not agreed.

Amendment 9 - Lesley Griffiths (Wrexham)

Delete sub-point 4b.

A vote was taken on Amendment 9:

For	Abstain	Against	Total
45	1	8	54

Amendment 9 was agreed.

As amendment 9 was moved, amendment 10 was de-selected.

A vote was taken on the motion as amended:

NDM5324 Elin Jones (Ceredigion)

To propose that the National Assembly for Wales:

1. Condemns the UK Government’s intention to privatise Royal Mail;

2. Shares the concern of the trade unions over the potential threat to the Royal Mail workforce in Wales;

3. Welcomes the UK Government transfer of the historic liabilities of around £37.5 billion from the Royal Mail Pension Plan to the new Royal Mail Statutory Pension Scheme;

4. Welcomes the UK Government commitment to a universal six day a week postal service as protected by law in the Postal Services Act 2011;

5. Notes the importance of Royal Mail to the Post Office network;

6. Calls on the Welsh Government to:

a) make representations to the UK Government on the importance of publicly accountable postal services to the Welsh economy and to Welsh communities.

For	Abstain	Against	Total
36	0	18	54

The motion as amended was agreed.