Minutes

Proposed venue: Presiding Officer’s office, 4th floor - Tŷ Hywel. View directions

Contact: Aled Elwyn Jones 

Items
No. Item

1.

Introductions, apologies and substitutions

Minutes:

All committee members were present for the initial meeting at 8.30am. When Business Committee reconvened at 1pm, Rhun ap Iorwerth and Neil Hamilton sent their apologies. Dai Lloyd was present as a substitute for Rhun ap Iorwerth.

2.

Minutes of the previous meeting

Minutes:

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

3.

Organisation of Business

3.1

This Week's Business

Minutes:

Tuesday

 

·         There will be no Voting Time.

Wednesday

 

·         Voting Time will take place before the Short Debate.

3.2

Three Week Timetable of Government Business

Minutes:

Business Committee noted the 3 Week Timetable of Government Business.

3.3

Three Week Timetable of Assembly Business

Minutes:

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

 

Wednesday 7 November 2018 –

·         Equalities and Brexit - Joint findings by the Equality, Local Government and Communities Committee and the External Affairs and Additional Legislation Committee (60 mins)

·         Time allocated to the United Kingdom Independence Party (60 mins) – postponed until 14 November

 

Wednesday 14 November 2018 –

·         Debate on the Finance Committee report on its inquiry into preparations for replacing EU funding for Wales (60 mins)

·         Time allocated to Plaid Cymru (60 mins)

·         Time allocated to the United Kingdom Independence Party (60 mins) – postponed from 7 November

4.

Committees

4.1

The allocation of committee places and chairs between groups

Minutes:

Business Managers discussed the allocation of committee chairs, including a possible proposal to reallocate the Petitions Committee to the Welsh Conservatives alongside a change in the order in which Leaders and Spokespeople are called during questions so that they were always called in order of group size.

 

Neil Hamilton opposed the proposal on the grounds that he considered that a fair reflection of group size would leave UKIP with one committee chair.

 

The Llywydd stated that as the order of questions is a matter for her, she needed time to consider the proposal and so asked Business Committee to re-convene at 1pm.

 

Darren Millar and Rhun ap Iorwerth will discuss outside of committee how the vacancy on CCERA should be filled.

 

Business Managers agreed that the specific Standing Orders engaged by this matter should be reviewed by the end of this Assembly term.

Business Committee reconvened at 1pm to discuss the allocation of committee chairs and the order opposition questions

Business Committee re-convened at 1pm. The Llywydd stated that she needed more time to consider all the implications of the proposal made and will defer all decisions relating to the allocation of committee chairs until next week’s meeting. She encouraged the committee to continue discussion with a view to arriving at a proposal that could achieve greater consensus than the proposal agreed on by a majority this morning. While acknowledging that the order of calling of Leaders and Spokespeople is a matter for the discretion of the Presiding Officer, the Llywydd stated that she would be guided by the majority view of the Business Committee in terms of the order in which she calls people during FMQs and Ministerial questions.