Minutes

The minutes for the meeting were agreed by the Committee for publication.

Tuesday

 

·         The Llywydd reminded Business Managers that, following recent Standing Order changes in relation to Supermajorities, a recorded vote must be held on every Stage 4 motion. She would not therefore invite the Assembly to agree the question at the end of that debate, but automatically defer the vote until voting time;

 

·         Voting Time would take place after the last item of business.

Wednesday

 

·         Voting Time will take place before the Short Debate.

Business Committee noted the 3 Week Timetable of Government Business.

Business Committee determined the organisation of Assembly business and agreed to schedule the following items of business:

 

Wednesday 17 January 2018 –

·         Debate on a Member's Legislative Proposal (30 mins)

·         Member Debate under Standing Order 11.21(iv) (60 mins)

·         Debate on the Health, Social Care and Sport Committee's report on Primary Care Clusters (60 mins)

·         Business Committee selected a motion for debate on 13 December:

Lee Waters (Llanelli):

Mick Antoniw (Pontypridd):

David Melding (South Wales Central):

Nick Ramsay (Monmouth):

Hefin David (Caerphilly):

Suzy Davies (South Wales West):

Mike Hedges (Swansea East):

David Rees (Aberavon):

Jenny Rathbone (Cardiff Central):

Julie Morgan (Cardiff North):

 

To propose that the National Assembly for Wales:

 

1. Recognises the importance of a modern public transport network to relieve pressure on Wales’ road network.

 

2. Notes the evidence that a fully integrated public transport system - including active travel - is needed to provide a practical and attractive alternative to car use.

 

3. Welcomes the commitment to the first stages of a south Wales metro.

 

4. Endorses the commitment to develop a vision for a north east Wales metro, and the allocation of funding for the development of a strategic outline case for a Swansea Bay metro, and calls on the Welsh Government to identify funding for full feasibility studies as a next step.

 

5. Believes Transport for Wales must have the power to act as a development corporation - with the ability to capitalise on rising land values in areas close to metro stations - in order to lever in further funding to expand the metro network.

 

·         Business Managers agreed to schedule the next Member Debate on 17 January 2018, and selected the following motion:

17 January 2018

 

Mark Isherwood (North Wales):

Rhun ap Iorwerth (Ynys Môn):

Leanne Wood (Rhondda):

Mike Hedges (Swansea East):

 

To propose that the National Assembly for Wales:

1. Recognises that there is clinical evidence of the effectiveness of cannabis for medicinal purposes.

2. Recognises that, whilst Wales is the only nation in the UK where the cannabinoid symptom management drug Sativex is available on the NHS, it is only licensed for the treatment of spasticity and only then available to a small group of people living with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) who meet the criteria.

3. Believes that the Welsh Government should ask the UK Government to reschedule cannabis for medicinal purposes; and, in preparation for this outcome, the Welsh Government should map out within the Welsh NHS how a system whereby cannabis for medicinal purposes could be made available via a prescription to those who could benefit.

4. Notes that;

a) many people living with conditions such as Multiple Sclerosis, Dystonia, Epilepsy and Cancer in Wales use illegally obtained cannabis for medicinal purposes but by doing so risk prosecution and are also being exposed to other drugs;

b) the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Drug Policy Reform in the House of Commons emphatically called on the UK Government to legalise medical cannabis based on the results of their 7 month inquiry into the issue and on the findings of an independent review of global evidence led by Professor Michael P Barnes;

c) there a growing number of countries which regulate the medical use of cannabis and cannabis derivatives, such as Canada, the Netherlands, Israel and over 20 States in the US, who regulate herbal cannabis for medical use;

d) a number of countries including Germany and Switzerland enable patients to import cannabis for medical use from the Netherlands;

e) the MS Society UK has changed its policy position to call on the UK Government and health bodies to ‘develop a system that legalises cannabis for medicinal use’ in light of positive evidence of the use of cannabis in treating pain and spasticity;

f) Newport West MP Paul Flynn’s 10 minute rule bill on the legalisation of cannabis for medicinal use was put through unopposed to the next reading on 23rd February 2018 on 10 October.

Report of the Inquiry of the All Party Parliamentary Group for Drug Policy Reform into medicinal cannabis

Cannabis: The Evidence for Medical Use - Professor Michael P Barnes

MS Society UK - Cannabis and MS

Legalisation of Cannabis (Medicinal Purposes) Bill 2017-19

Business Managers agreed to write to the ELGC Committee regarding the supplementary LCM, and the government's proposal not to refer it to a committee for scrutiny, and return to the matter at next week’s meeting.

Business Managers agreed the proposed tabling arrangements during the Christmas recess period.

Julie James stated that she will bring forward a paper setting out the views of her group on these matters.  Business Managers will consider the issues in the paper at that point.

 

Rhun ap Iorwerth raised the issue that a number of Members had referred to their being dissatisfied with answers received to written questions recently, particularly in relation to the different inquiries that have been announced by the First Minister. The Llywydd asked the Leader of the House to be mindful of the general need for the government to provide as much information as possible to Members, and for the specific need in the current circumstances to be clear as to what is within the scopes of the different inquiries and what isn’t.