Meetings
Plenary
This page gives details of any meetings held which will, or did, discuss the matter, and includes links to the relevant Papers, Agendas and Minutes.
Note: Meeting Agenda can change at short notice. Particularly where future meeting dates are indicated more than a week in advance. Please check before planning to attend a Committee Meeting that the item you are interested in has not been moved.
Meeting: 30/11/2021 - Business Committee (Item 5)
Letter from the Special Purpose Committee on Senedd Reform
Supporting documents:
- Restricted enclosure 2
Minutes:
Business
Committee agreed the request
for Members of the Committee to be excused from Plenary at the times requested
and noted reasons why the committee had been unable to find an alternative
meeting slot on this occasion.
Meeting: 30/11/2021 - Business Committee (Item 5)
Plenary
Meeting: 29/09/2020 - Business Committee - Fifth Senedd (Item 5)
Managing Plenary time on Wednesdays
Supporting documents:
- Restricted enclosure 7
Minutes:
Business
Managers discussed the paper, and agreed to schedule fewer other debates when
30 minute items such as Commission questions are scheduled.
Meeting: 29/09/2020 - Business Committee - Fifth Senedd (Item 5)
Plenary
Meeting: 06/07/2020 - Business Committee - Fifth Senedd (Item 7)
Plenary
Meeting: 29/06/2020 - Business Committee - Fifth Senedd (Item 7)
Hybrid Plenary
Minutes:
The Business
Committee noted the further information that had been requested, and agreed to
trial hybrid plenary meetings on 8 and 15 July, to prepare the Senedd for the
autumn term.
The Llywydd asked
Business Managers to encourage Members to attend training on the remote voting
system this week.
Meeting: 29/06/2020 - Business Committee - Fifth Senedd (Item 7)
Plenary
Meeting: 22/06/2020 - Business Committee - Fifth Senedd (Item 5)
Recess Dates and Hybrid Plenary
Supporting documents:
- Restricted enclosure 18
Minutes:
The
Business Committee agreed that the Senedd should be recalled twice in August
under Standing Order 34.9 to consider the outcome of the three-weekly reviews
of Coronavirus regulations.. The meetings will take place virtually. Business
Managers agreed that the meetings will be held on Wednesdays 5 and 26 August.
Business
Managers discussed the proposal of hybrid plenaries taking place on 8 and 15
July, and agreed in principle to the proposal. The Llywydd confirmed that she
would attend the Siambr on Friday to test the technology and practical
arrangements, and would report back to the Committee at next week’s meeting.
Meeting: 22/06/2020 - Business Committee - Fifth Senedd (Item 5)
Plenary
Meeting: 15/06/2020 - Business Committee - Fifth Senedd (Item 6)
Plenary
Meeting: 15/06/2020 - Business Committee - Fifth Senedd (Item 6)
Plenary Business: Remote Voting, Oral Questions, and non-Covid business
Supporting documents:
- Restricted enclosure 25
Minutes:
Business Committee agreed in principle to the Standing Order
changes to provide for remote voting for Members, and to make use of remote voting
as soon as the Llywydd determines the system is ready for use. A motion will be
added to next week’s Plenary agenda.
Business Committee also decided that the mechanism for
alerting Members to an upcoming vote should be an oral or other alert within the virtual or
hybrid meeting .
Business Managers agreed that the Llywydd should reintroduce Oral Questions from next week.
Oral Questions would:
• consist of
questions to the First Minister and to two other Ministers each week, with
every session being 45 minutes long;
• questions can
be on any issue within the relevant portfolio, and need not be limited to
Covid-19 issues;
• time limits
will be applied similar to those used for statements.
The Trefnydd informed Business Committee that with the return
of First Minister’s Questions, the government is unlikely to continue
scheduling a statement by the First Minister every week.
Business Committee agreed that neither opposition debates nor
government business should be limited to Covid-19 issues in future if there are
other issues that are particularly pertinent, but that the expectation is that
business will remain largely focussed on Covid-19 issues.
Business Committee discussed the current limit placed on WQs
during this pandemic of 10 per Member per week. The Llywydd stated that they
would return to the matter next week and asked the Secretariat for further
guidance on practice elsewhere.
Business Committee agreed that the Llywydd should call
questions on the BSA for a reduced 15 minute slot, starting next week..
Members’ contributions will be limited to 1 minute and the expectation is that
the Minister will also keep her responses brief.
The Llywydd informed Business Managers that she will be
bringing proposals on recess and on hybrid Plenary to next week’s meeting and
asked that Business Managers discuss this with their groups in the meantime.
Meeting: 01/06/2020 - Business Committee - Fifth Senedd (Item 4)
Paper to note - Letter from the Chair of the Standards of Conduct Committee
Supporting documents:
- Restricted enclosure 28
Minutes:
Business Managers noted the letter.
Meeting: 01/06/2020 - Business Committee - Fifth Senedd (Item 4)
Letter from the Chair of the Finance Committee
Supporting documents:
- Restricted enclosure 31
Minutes:
Business
Managers discussed the letter and agreed in principle to schedule a Finance
Committee debate on the Welsh Government’s spending priorities during the
last week before summer recess.
Meeting: 01/06/2020 - Business Committee - Fifth Senedd (Item 4)
Plenary
Meeting: 01/06/2020 - Business Committee - Fifth Senedd (Item 4)
Letter from The Chair of the Petitions Committee
Supporting documents:
- Restricted enclosure 36
Minutes:
Business
Managers discussed the letter and agreed to continue
the practice of only scheduling Covid-19 related business for
the time being, and to inform the Committee of that. They also agreed
that the Petitions committee should write again should it wish to schedule a
debate on a Covid related petition.
Meeting: 18/05/2020 - Business Committee - Fifth Senedd (Item 4)
Plenary Business and the Covid-19 Emergency
Supporting documents:
- Restricted enclosure 39
- Restricted enclosure 40
Minutes:
The Business Committee agreed to increase the
number of Members able to attend plenary meetings up to the full 60 from the
week after half term. The Llywydd highlighted the need for Business Managers to
continue to inform officials in advance of which Members will be attending the
meeting.
The Business Committee also agreed to continue
to use the weighted voting system, and to split plenary meetings into morning
and afternoon sessions if there is a significant increase in business. Business
Managers agreed that they will decide the start time of plenary on a weekly
basis.
The Business Committee agreed that it was
important to lead by example and to follow social distancing guidelines until
such time as those guidelines change. They agreed to return to such issues as
physical or hybrid meetings only after any changes to Welsh Government
guidance.
The Business Committee also agreed to schedule
one additional hour of non-government business a week, starting from the week
after half term, and to schedule one opposition debate a week for the next
three weeks. Business Managers noted that under the schedule that was being
followed before normal business was suspended, the next debate would be a
Brexit Party debate, but the Committee decided to schedule the next three
debates in the order of group size, and to follow the usual ratio after that.
Caroline Jones objected to this decision. Business Managers agreed that the
debates would have to be related to Covid-19 issues.
The Business Committee discussed the letter
from the Leader of the Welsh Conservatives proposing the establishment of a
dedicated Covid-19 committee. There were differing views on the desirability of
the proposal, and the Committee asked the secretariat for a scoping paper on
the process for establishing such a committee.
Meeting: 18/05/2020 - Business Committee - Fifth Senedd (Item 4)
Plenary
Meeting: 11/05/2020 - Business Committee - Fifth Senedd (Item 5)
Letter from the Chair of the Standards of Conduct Committee
Supporting documents:
- Restricted enclosure 45
Minutes:
The Business
Committee has agreed to only schedule debates relating to Covid-19 in the short
term, and Business Managers also noted that a virtual Emergency Senedd is not
currently conducive to debates and decisions on Standards matters.
Whilst sanctions are a matter for the Standards of Conduct Committee, the Business Committee also noted that some of the sanctions listed in Standing Order 22.10, such as the withdrawal of the rights of a Member to access the Senedd estate, may not be appropriate in the virtual parliamentary environment.
Meeting: 11/05/2020 - Business Committee - Fifth Senedd (Item 5)
Plenary Business and the Covid-19 Emergency
Supporting documents:
- Restricted enclosure 48
Minutes:
The majority of Business Managers were content
with plenary continuing to take place on a Wednesday for the foreseeable
future. They also agreed that if the amount of business increases significantly
- for example Committee reports on Covid-19 related scrutiny - then it will be
necessary to split the meeting over a morning and an afternoon session.
Business Managers agreed to increase the ratio
of the number of Members for Labour (including Ministers), the Welsh
Conservatives, Plaid Cymru and the Brexit Party to 16, 8, 7, 3 from this week,
with a view to possibly increasing the number of Members to the full 60 after
half term.
Business Managers considered the remaining
elements of the paper and agreed to discuss with their groups and return to the
matter next week, with a view to making changes after half term.
Darren Millar proposed the creation of a
separate committee focussed on Covid-19, as proposed in a letter from the
Leader of the Welsh Conservatives to the Llywydd. The Llywydd asked the
secretariat to circulate the letter to Business Managers outside of the
committee, and for groups to consider the proposal alongside the paper on
Plenary.
Meeting: 11/05/2020 - Business Committee - Fifth Senedd (Item 5)
Plenary
Meeting: 04/05/2020 - Business Committee - Fifth Senedd (Item 4)
Request to schedule a debate on NNDM7321
Supporting documents:
- Restricted enclosure 53
Minutes:
Business
Managers considered the motion and agreed that the Business Committee is the
appropriate forum to evaluate the most effective ways of continuing scrutiny in
the current situation. They also concluded that plenary time is best used for
scrutiny on Covid-19 matters at the moment. They would therefore not schedule
the motion for debate.
Meeting: 04/05/2020 - Business Committee - Fifth Senedd (Item 4)
Plenary
Meeting: 21/01/2020 - Business Committee - Fifth Senedd (Item 6)
Proxy Voting
Supporting documents:
- Restricted enclosure 58
Minutes:
Business
Managers considered the paper and the consultation responses from Members,
alongside the latest information from the House of Commons, and agreed in principle
to introduce a proxy voting scheme for parental leave on a trial basis until
the end of this Assembly. The Committee asked the Secretariat to bring forward
proposals for Standing Order changes and guidance to a future meeting.
Meeting: 21/01/2020 - Business Committee - Fifth Senedd (Item 6)
Plenary
Meeting: 03/12/2019 - Business Committee - Fifth Senedd (Item 4)
Proxy Voting
Supporting documents:
- Restricted enclosure 63
Minutes:
Business Managers discussed
the paper and agreed that, as well as consulting with their groups on the
proposals, the Llywydd would write to all Members inviting comments both on
parental leave in the first instance, and also about the question of wider
eligibility for proxy voting. Business Managers also asked the Secretariat to
contact Clerks in the House of Commons to ascertain the expected timeframes for
their review, originally expected at the end of January.
Business Managers agreed to return to the matter at their meeting on 15 January, where they would consider the views of their groups alongside any other responses received from Members.
Meeting: 03/12/2019 - Business Committee - Fifth Senedd (Item 4)
Plenary
Meeting: 12/11/2019 - Business Committee - Fifth Senedd (Item 6)
Plenary
Meeting: 12/11/2019 - Business Committee - Fifth Senedd (Item 6)
Proxy Voting
Supporting documents:
- Restricted enclosure 70
Minutes:
Business
Managers discussed the paper, and Darren Millar asked that the Conservative
group’s in principle objection to proxy voting be minuted.
However,
Business Managers agreed to look at introducing proxy voting in two stages.
Firstly, looking at implementing it for parental leave only, and secondly to
look at the possibility of extending it to long-term illness and other caring
responsibilities, after the House of Commons has reviewed their scheme.
Business
Managers asked the Secretariat to bring them a paper on the options for
implementing proxy voting for parental leave only in the first instance.
Meeting: 22/10/2019 - Business Committee - Fifth Senedd (Item 6)
Proxy Voting
Supporting documents:
- Restricted enclosure 73
Minutes:
Business
Managers considered the paper and agreed to discuss with their groups and
return to it at their meeting of 12 November.
Meeting: 22/10/2019 - Business Committee - Fifth Senedd (Item 6)
Paper to note - Letter from the Chair of the Remuneration Board
Supporting documents:
- Restricted enclosure 76
Minutes:
Business
Managers noted the letter.
Meeting: 22/10/2019 - Business Committee - Fifth Senedd (Item 6)
Plenary
Meeting: 24/09/2019 - Business Committee - Fifth Senedd (Item 3)
Letter from the Deputy Presiding Officer
Supporting documents:
- Restricted enclosure 81
Minutes:
Business Managers agreed to schedule a short meeting of the
Committee of the Whole Assembly on 1 October 2019, directly after the final
item of plenary business on that day, in order to agree a motion to vary
the order of consideration for Stage 2 proceedings of the Senedd and Elections
(Wales) Bill for the following week.
Meeting: 24/09/2019 - Business Committee - Fifth Senedd (Item 4)
Request to schedule a debate on NNDM7127
Supporting documents:
- Restricted enclosure 84
Minutes:
Business
Managers considered the request. Darren Millar and Caroline Jones were in
favour, but Rhun ap Iorwerth and Rebecca Evans were against , and so the
majority decision was not to schedule the debate. Rhun ap Iorwerth said the
matter would be best pursued by the Public Accounts Committee, who had
considered the issue before the summer, but Darren Millar said that the Chair
of PAC had indicated that, following the statement by the First Minister, the
committee would not be returning to the issue.
There was a frank exchange of views regarding the possible motives of different groups in supporting or opposing the scheduling of the motion.
Meeting: 24/09/2019 - Business Committee - Fifth Senedd (Item 4)
Plenary
Meeting: 17/09/2019 - Business Committee - Fifth Senedd (Item 4)
Request to schedule a debate on NNDM7127
Supporting documents:
- Restricted enclosure 89
Minutes:
Business
Managers considered the request and agreed to consult with their groups. They
also asked for further legal advice to inform their consideration next week.
Meeting: 17/09/2019 - Business Committee - Fifth Senedd (Item 4)
Plenary
Meeting: 04/04/2017 - Business Committee - Fifth Senedd (Item 4)
Principles and Practice for Tabling and Laying Assembly Business
Supporting documents:
- Restricted enclosure 94
Minutes:
Business Managers considered and agreed a revised
version of the Principles and Practice for Tabling and Laying Assembly Business
guidance to take into account the introduction of new procedures in recent
months, including the most recent change to Emergency and Topical Questions.
Business Managers also agreed for the document to be
made publicly available on the Assembly Guidance section of the website and to
notify Members of the changes before Easter recess.
Meeting: 06/12/2016 - Business Committee - Fifth Senedd (Item 5)
Plenary
Meeting: 01/11/2016 - Business Committee - Fifth Senedd (Item 5)
Plenary
Meeting: 28/06/2016 - Business Committee - Fifth Senedd (Item 6)
Plenary
Supporting documents:
- Restricted enclosure 101
Minutes:
Business Managers were
content with the proposed tabling arrangements during the summer recess period.