Agenda and minutes

The Llywydd welcomed Members to the meeting. Apologies were received from Jane Dodds MS.

The Minutes of the previous meeting were agreed for publication

Tuesday

There are no changes to this week’s business.

The Trefnydd informed Business Managers that the Deputy Minister for Social Partnership will be participating remotely during Stage 3 proceedings on the Social Partnership and Public Procurement (Wales) Bill The Minister for Social Justice will be in the Siambr and able to take over in the event of technical difficulties.

The Llywydd confirmed that there will be a short technical break before the start of Stage 3 proceedings to allow final preparations to be made.

The Llywydd also notified Business Managers that a photographer be present in the public gallery at the beginning of today’s Plenary meeting to take photographs of participants of the LeadHERship event.

• Voting Time will take place before Stage 3 proceedings.
• Plenary is unlikely to run past 8.30pm.

Wednesday 

• Voting Time will take place before the Short Debate
• Plenary is unlikely to run past 7.10pm.

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

Tuesday 14 March 2023

·         LCM on the Procurement Bill (30 mins) – postponed until 28 March

Tuesday 21 March 2023

·         LCM on the Online Safety Bill (30 mins) - postponed

The following changes were agreed to the Three Week Timetable of Senedd Business:

Wednesday 22 March 2023 –

• Short Debate: James Evans (Brecon and Radnorshire) (30 mins) Postponed until 26 April

Wednesday 29 March 2023 –

• Time allocated to the Welsh Conservatives (120 mins)
• Short Debate: Huw Irranca-Davies (Ogmore) (30 mins) 

Business Committee agreed to move Carolyn Thomas’s Short Debate from 24 May to 17 May and to seek to fill the now vacant Short Debate slot on 22 March.

Business Committee considered a letter regarding the likely late laying of a further supplementary Legislative Consent Memoranda on the Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Bill and the lack of scrutiny time that this will afford to Senedd committees. Concerns were raised over the approach taken by the Government in this case to delay laying an SLCM on a number of amendments made at Westminster several weeks previously.

The Trefnydd indicated that consideration would be given to whether it would be possible to move the debate on this LCM from 14 March to a later date in order to allow for additional time for scrutiny, or to extend the timing for the debate to 45 minutes if this is not possible.

Update on LCMs 

Business Committee received an oral update from the Trefnydd on several LCMs and agreed to:

• refer any further supplementary LCM laid on the Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Bill to the Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee for scrutiny, with a reporting deadline of the morning of 14 March 2023, recognising that there would be little, if any, time for scrutiny ahead of the scheduled debate;
• extend the reporting deadline for all current LCMs on the Procurement Bill to 23 March 2023; and
• extend the reporting deadline for all current LCMs on the Economic Crime Bill to 30 March 2023.

Letter from the LJC Committee regarding The Packaging Waste (Data Collection and Reporting) (Wales) Regulations 2023

Business Committee noted a letter copied to it on 6 March, which had been circulated separately, from the Chair of the Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee to the Minister for Climate Change concerning a number of defects in The Packaging Waste (Data Collection and Reporting) (Wales) Regulations 2023, which are due to be debated in Plenary on 14 March. The Trefnydd stated that the Minister would consider and respond to the letter as a matter of priority.

Contribution by Gareth Davies MS in Plenary on 1 March 2023

The Trefnydd raised a contribution made by Gareth Davies MS during Questions to the Minister for Social Justice in Plenary on 1 March, concerning provision of sites for travellers, and asked whether the Member had apologised for the language used. The Llywydd confirmed that she had received and accepted an apology.