Meetings
NDM8229 Plaid Cymru Debate - Bus emergency scheme
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Meeting: 22/03/2023 - Plenary (Item 7)
Plaid Cymru Debate - Bus emergency scheme
NDM8229 Sian Gwenllian (Arfon)
To propose that the Senedd:
1. Notes that the Government's written evidence
to Senedd scrutiny committees on allocations within each main expenditure group
specified that the £28 million that constituted the bus emergency scheme in
2022-23 would be matched in 2023-24, but that bus operators were then informed
that there was no guarantee of any funding from 1 April 2023 for the bus
emergency scheme.
2. Notes that the 3-month extension to
the bus emergency scheme offers little certainty to bus operators to
maintain key services and routes in their area in the long-term.
3. Expresses concern that failing to extend
bus emergency scheme funding would result in mass cancellations of services,
leaving communities across Wales - primarily rural communities - isolated.
4. Calls on the Welsh Government to extend
bus emergency scheme funding for at least 18 months to provide longer-term
financial security to bus operators across Wales.
5. Calls on the Welsh Government to bring
forward longer-term secure funding options to maintain bus services, as opposed
to emergency funding schemes.
Ministers'
written evidence to Senedd scrutiny committees on allocations within
each MEG
The following amendment was tabled:
Amendment 1 Lesley
Griffiths (Wrexham)
Delete all and replace with:
To propose that the Senedd:
1. Acknowledges that the Welsh Government
has made over £150m of additional funding available to the bus industry
throughout the pandemic and to support its recovery from it.
2. Notes that bus passenger numbers have
not recovered to pre-pandemic levels and patterns of usage have changed.
3. Notes that the initial 3-month extension
to the bus emergency scheme offers short-term certainty to bus operators to
support the development of a base bus network.
4. Supports the Welsh Government’s longer
term plans to reform the bus industry through regulation.
5. Supports the Welsh Government’s intention to move away from emergency-style funding at the earliest opportunity to a funding package that supports the transition to franchising.
Minutes:
The
item started at 17.27
Voting on the motion and amendments under this item was deferred
until Voting Time.
A vote was taken on the motion without amendment:
NDM8229 Sian
Gwenllian (Arfon)
To propose that the
Senedd:
1. Notes that the
Government's written evidence to Senedd scrutiny committees on allocations
within each main expenditure group specified that the £28 million that
constituted the bus emergency scheme in 2022-23 would be matched in 2023-24,
but that bus operators were then informed that there was no guarantee of any
funding from 1 April 2023 for the bus emergency scheme.
2. Notes that the
3-month extension to the bus emergency scheme offers little certainty
to bus operators to maintain key services and routes in their area in the
long-term.
3. Expresses
concern that failing to extend bus emergency scheme funding would result in
mass cancellations of services, leaving communities across Wales - primarily
rural communities - isolated.
4. Calls on the
Welsh Government to extend bus emergency scheme funding for at least 18 months
to provide longer-term financial security to bus operators across Wales.
5. Calls on the
Welsh Government to bring forward longer-term secure funding options to
maintain bus services, as opposed to emergency funding schemes.
Ministers' written evidence to Senedd scrutiny
committees on allocations within each MEG
For |
Abstain |
Against |
Total |
27 |
0 |
28 |
55 |
The motion without amendment was not agreed.
The following amendments were tabled:
Amendment 1 Lesley
Griffiths (Wrexham)
Delete all and
replace with:
To propose that the
Senedd:
1. Acknowledges
that the Welsh Government has made over £150m of additional funding available
to the bus industry throughout the pandemic and to support its recovery from
it.
2. Notes that bus
passenger numbers have not recovered to pre-pandemic levels and patterns of
usage have changed.
3. Notes that the
initial 3-month extension to the bus emergency scheme offers short-term
certainty to bus operators to support the development of a base bus network.
4. Supports the
Welsh Government’s longer term plans to reform the bus industry through
regulation.
5. Supports the
Welsh Government’s intention to move away from emergency-style funding at the
earliest opportunity to a funding package that supports the transition to
franchising.
A vote
was taken on amendment 1:
For |
Abstain |
Against |
Total |
28 |
0 |
27 |
55 |
Amendment 1 was agreed.
A vote was taken on the motion as amended:
NDM8229 Sian
Gwenllian (Arfon)
To propose that the
Senedd:
1. Acknowledges
that the Welsh Government has made over £150m of additional funding available
to the bus industry throughout the pandemic and to support its recovery from
it.
2. Notes that bus
passenger numbers have not recovered to pre-pandemic levels and patterns of
usage have changed.
3. Notes that the
initial 3-month extension to the bus emergency scheme offers short-term
certainty to bus operators to support the development of a base bus network.
4. Supports the
Welsh Government’s longer term plans to reform the bus industry through
regulation.
5. Supports the
Welsh Government’s intention to move away from emergency-style funding at the
earliest opportunity to a funding package that supports the transition to
franchising.
For |
Abstain |
Against |
Total |
28 |
0 |
27 |
55 |
The motion as amended was agreed.