Decision details

Dadl Plaid Cymru

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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 15.50

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

A vote was taken on the motion without amendment:

NDM5678 Elin Jones (Ceredigion)

To propose that the National Assembly for Wales:

1. Regrets the impact the policy of austerity has had on communities throughout Wales, which has resulted in:

a) the loss of over £1 billion to the Welsh economy in cuts to social protection;

b) an increase in the dependency of people on food banks;

c) cuts to local government spending which has resulted in closure of community assets and the withdrawal of services;

d) an increase in the wealth gap between the richest and poorest; and

e) the continuation of economic imbalance with a continued over-dependency on financial services and a concentration of wealth in one corner of the British state.

2. Calls for:

a) an end to austerity economics;

b) a rebalancing of power and wealth within the British state;

c) the adoption of economic policies that will result in new jobs in sustainable sectors;

d) an increase of the minimum wage to that of the living wage;

e) an end to the dismantling of the welfare state;

f) financial parity for Wales with Scotland; and

g) the devolution of fiscal levers to the National Assembly for Wales.

For	Abstain	Against	Total
9	0	43	52

The motion without amendment was not agreed.

The following amendments have been tabled:

Amendment 1 - Paul Davies (Preseli Pembrokeshire)

Delete all and replace with:

Recognises the need for prudent economic management by Governments at all levels and the need to deliver economic security for the people of Wales and the UK.

A vote was taken on Amendment 1:

For	Abstain	Against	Total
12	9	31	52

Amendment 1 was not agreed.

Amendment 2 – Aled Roberts (North Wales)

Delete all and replace with:

1. Notes that the UK Coalition Government inherited the largest peacetime deficit in history.

2. Welcomes that thanks to the Liberal Democrats in the UK Government:

a) the budget deficit has been halved;

b) public sector net investment is higher as a proportion of GDP than it was between 1997 and 2010;

c) 1.8 million jobs have been created;

d) income tax has been cut by £800 for 1.2 million low and middle income Welsh workers by raising the income tax threshold to £10,500, taking 153,000 people out of paying income tax altogether;

e) the world's first Green Investment Bank has been established;

f) employers receive £2,000 cash back on the tax they pay on their employees; and

g) plans to pay Welsh public sector workers less for simply living outside London and south-east England have been scrapped;

h) The rate of employment is at a record high of 30.8 million, according to Office of National Statistics figures;

i) Regular pay is up 1.8 per cent and private sector pay is up 2.2 per cent, representing above inflation wage increases for workers' pay, according to Office of National Statistics figures.

3. Believes that:

a) a progressive agenda cannot be delivered by a bankrupt Government;

b) that demanding additional funding from the Westminster Government would not be possible in the context of an independent Wales; and

c) we should balance the budget by 2018, cut taxes for low and middle earners and ensure decent public services, creating opportunity for everyone.

4. Calls for:

a) fair deficit reduction through ensuring high earners and the wealthiest pay their share, including through the introduction of a banded mansion tax;

b) new fiscal rules to balance the budget while allowing for productive investment;

c) a further cut of £400 on income tax for low and middle earners;

d) full implementation of the Silk Part 1 proposals on financial powers for Wales; and

e) fair funding for Wales, by increasing the Welsh block grant to an equitable level over a Parliament and address the imbalance by immediately entrenching a Barnett floor set at a level which reflects the need for Wales to be funded fairly.

A vote was taken on Amendment 2:

For	Abstain	Against	Total
5	12	35	52

Amendment 2 was not agreed.

Amendment 3 – Jane Hutt (Vale of Glamorgan)

In point 1c) delete 'cuts to local government spending' and replace with 'the unprecedented £1.5bn cut by the UK Government to the Welsh Government Block Grant';

A vote was taken on Amendment 3:

For	Abstain	Against	Total
26	0	27	53

As required by Standing Order 6.20 the Deputy Presiding Officer exercised his casting vote by voting against the amendment. Therefore, the amendment was not agreed.

Amendment 4 - Jane Hutt (Vale of Glamorgan)

Delete point 2f) and replace with:

a fair funding settlement urgently for Wales with the implementation of a funding floor, leading to greater financial parity with Scotland and the rest of the UK;

A vote was taken on Amendment 4:

For	Abstain	Against	Total
28	12	11	51

Amendment 4 was agreed.

A vote was taken on the motion as amended: