Agenda and minutes

The Llywydd welcomed members to the meeting.

The Minutes of the previous meeting were agreed for publication.

The Trefnydd drew Business Managers’ attention to the following changes to Tuesday’s business: 

• Statement by the Minister for Climate Change: Building Safety Update (30 mins) – Withdrawn
• Statement by the Minister for Social Justice: Cost of Living Update (30 mins)

The Trefnydd indicated that the Building Safety Update will likely be issued as a Written Statement later this month.

• Voting time will take place as the last item of business.
• Plenary is unlikely to run past 6.05pm.

Wednesday 

• Voting Time will take place before the Short Debate.  

• Plenary is unlikely to run past 6.40pm. 

No changes have been made to the 3 Week Timetable of Government Business.

Business Committee agreed to schedule the following items of business:

Wednesday 22 June 2022 –

• Debate on the Standards of Conduct Committee Report – Fourth Report to the Sixth Senedd under Standing Order 22.9 (15 mins)

Wednesday 6 July 2022 –

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

·         Standards of Conduct Committee Chair's Statement: The Procedure for dealing with complaints against Members of the Senedd (30 mins)

·         Time allocated to Plaid Cymru (60 mins)

Business Committee considered the motions tabled and agreed to schedule the following motion for debate on 22 June:

NNDM8018

Mabon ap Gwynfor

Luke Fletcher

Buffy Williams

To propose that the Senedd:

1. Notes that Wales is home to thousands of local community groups, with hundreds running significant assets that make their communities better places to live.

2. Recognises the huge contribution community groups have made in supporting local people through the challenges of the pandemic.

3. Notes that the previous Welsh Government agreed with the Equality, Local Government and Communities Committee's recommendation that it should “develop a programme of empowering communities across Wales with the voluntary sector, acting as an enabling state for community action”.

4. Notes the important role that local authorities often play in ensuring community ownership of assets, and working in partnership with community groups and other organisations to ensure successful community venture.

5. Notes the recent IWA report, Our Land: Communities and Land Use, which finds that Welsh communities are the least empowered in Britain and calls for a major shake-up of community policy in Wales.

6. Further notes the Wales Cooperative Centre’s recently published report, Community ownership of land and assets: Enabling the delivery of community-led housing in Wales.

7. Notes that Wales, unlike Scotland and England, has no legislation giving communities the right to buy local assets of community value.

8. Believes that enabling community groups to retain local buildings and land as community facilities and supporting them to develop active and engaged communities is key to building a more prosperous, equal and greener Wales.

9. Calls on the Welsh Government to:

a) coproduce a communities strategy to develop an enabling state for community action;

b) explore the legal options for establishing a community right to buy in Wales.

Equality, Local Government and Communities Committee: Impact of COVID-19 on the voluntary sector 

Our Land: Communities and Land Use

Community ownership of land and assets: Enabling the delivery of community-led housing in Wales

And the subsequent motion on 13 July:

NNDM8028

Jane Dodds

Carolyn Thomas

Jack Sargeant

Luke Fletcher

To propose that the Senedd:

1. Notes:

a) that a significant number of Welsh workers are employed in industries that will undergo significant change as part of Wales's transition to a zero carbon economy;

b) the importance of ensuring a just transition to a zero carbon economy;

c) the Welsh Government’s ongoing basic income (BI) pilot for care leavers.

2. Calls on the Welsh Government to consider how the BI pilot could be extended to workers in these industries to inform Wales’s transition to a zero carbon economy.

Business Committee agreed the proposed timetable for scrutiny of The Social Partnership and Public Procurement (Wales) Bill.

Business Committee received a briefing on the process for scrutinising a consolidation bill and referred the Historic Environment (Wales) Bill to the Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee for scrutiny. Business Committee agreed to defer a decision on the timetable for the Bill in order to consult the Committee and return to the matter at a future meeting.  

Business Committee agreed to refer the LCM on the Procurement Bill to the Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee and the Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee with a reporting deadline of 6 October 2022.

Business Committee considered a number of the current provisions within Standing Order 34 (Emergency Procedures) and agreed to propose that the following Standing Orders are allowed to lapse on 1 August 2022:

• Recall of the Senedd by the Presiding Officer (SO34.9)
• Quorum in Plenary (SO34.10)
• (Weighted) Voting in Plenary (SO34.11-14)
• Oral Questions (SO34.18)
• Responsible Committee under Standing Order 21 (SO34.22-23).

Business Committee agreed to return to a further discussion on the Standing Orders relating to a Designated Temporary Presiding Officer (SO34.2-4) and an Acting Chair of Plenary Meetings (SO34.5-8) at the following meeting.

Business Committee also agreed that remote electronic voting would be retained in Standing Orders for use in future emergency situations, irrespective of the decisions reached at subsequent meetings over its continuing routine use.

Member Bill Ballot 

The Llywydd informed Business Committee that she will announce in Plenary this afternoon that the next ballot for Member Bills will be held on 13 July. Information on the process will be circulated to Members before the end of the day. 

The Annual Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference (CPC)

The Llywydd invited Business Managers to draw to the attention of their groups the issue of attendance to the Annual Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference which is being held in Canada between 20-26 August. CPA branch rules set out that the delegate should be a female Member on occasions, such as this year, when the CPC coincides with the Triennial Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians Conference and election, . However, the branch has not received an application from a female Member. Business Managers are invited to inform their groups and to seek any applications from female Members.