Agenda and decisions

 

View Questions

The item started at 13.30

Questions 1 – 4 and 6 - 15 were asked.  Question 5 was withdrawn.

 

View Questions

The item started at 14.15

Questions 1 – 5 and 7 - 15 were asked.  Question 4 and 5 were grouped together for answer.  Question 6 was withdrawn.

 

NDM5323 William Graham (South Wales East)

 

National Assembly for Wales:

 

1. Recognises the equal value of vocational and academic education;

 

2. Believes a thriving economy benefits from well-rounded students; and

 

3. Calls on the Welsh Government to consult and work with industry stakeholders to design a vocational curriculum which encourages parity with academic education in Wales.

 

The following amendments have been tabled:

 

Amendment 1 - Aled Roberts (North Wales)

 

Insert as new point 2 and renumber accordingly:

 

Notes that the UK Coalition Government has created 1.2 million apprenticeships in England since 2010, while in Wales the number of people on apprenticeship placements fell by nearly 30% between 2006 and 2012.

 

Amendment 2 - Elin Jones (Ceredigion)

 

Add as new point 3 and renumber accordingly:

 

Welcomes the Plaid Cymru budget agreement to create over 5,500 apprenticeships and particularly over 2,500 higher apprenticeships.

 

Amendment 3 - Aled Roberts (North Wales)

 

In point 3, delete ‘vocational curriculum which encourages parity’ and replace with:

 

‘skills strategy which encourages parity of esteem and opportunity’

 

Amendment 4 - Aled Roberts (North Wales)

 

Insert as new point at end of motion:

 

Calls on the Welsh Government to examine ways to widen access to apprenticeships and overcome the practical and perceptual barriers that prevent young people from seeking and applying for an apprenticeship programme in Wales.

The item started at 14.53

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

A vote was taken on the motion without amendment:

NDM5323 William Graham (South Wales East)

National Assembly for Wales:

1. Recognises the equal value of vocational and academic education;

2. Believes a thriving economy benefits from well-rounded students; and

3. Calls on the Welsh Government to consult and work with industry stakeholders to design a vocational curriculum which encourages parity with academic education in Wales.

For	Abstain	Against	Total
40	0	14	54

The motion without amendment was agreed.

 

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.

 

The following amendments have been 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.

 

[If amendment 1 is agreed, amendment 2 will be de-selected]

 

Amendment 2 - Aled Roberts (North Wales)

 

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

 

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;

 

[If amendment 1 is agreed, amendment 4 will be de-selected]

 

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.

 

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.

 

The Postal Services Act 2011 is available on the following link:

http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2011/5/contents

 

[If amendment 1 is agreed, amendment 6 will be de-selected]

 

Amendment 6 - Aled Roberts (North Wales)

 

Insert at the end of point 3:

 

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

 

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;

 

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.

 

[If amendment 1 is agreed, amendment 9 will be de-selected]

 

Amendment 9 - Lesley Griffiths (Wrexham)

 

Delete sub-point 4b.

 

[If amendment 1 is agreed or amendment 9 is moved, amendment 10 will be de-selected]

 

Amendment 10 - Aled Roberts (North Wales)

 

Delete sub point 4(b).

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.

 

The item started at 17.26

 

 

NDM5320 Eluned Parrott (South Wales Central): Positive Choices – equipping young people with the skills and experience to build a career.

The item started at 17.31

NDM5320 Eluned Parrott (South Wales Central): Positive Choices – equipping young people with the skills and experience to build a career.

 

NDM5322 Andrew RT Davies (South Wales Central): Rural Bus Services in Wales – On the Road to Nowhere

The item started at 17.49

NDM5322 Andrew RT Davies (South Wales Central): Rural Bus Services in Wales – On the Road to Nowhere