Agenda and minutes

The Llywydd welcomed Members to the Committee

The Minutes of the previous meeting were agreed for publication

Tuesday

• Voting Time will take place as the last item of business.
• Plenary is unlikely to run past 5.45pm.

Heledd Fychan requested Government statements on the School Essentials Grant and the School Holiday Enrichment Programme prior to summer recess. The Trefnydd indicated that she would raise this with the Minister for Education and Welsh Language and that updates would likely be provided in the form of written statements.

Wednesday

Business Committee agreed to table a motion to propose that the Senedd elect Buffy Williams as a member of the Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee in place of Sarah Murphy. The Llywydd drew attention to this and the following additions to Wednesday’s meeting:

• Motion to suspend Standing Orders (5 mins)

• Motion to amend Standing Orders: Wales Covid-19 Inquiry Special Purpose Committee (5 mins)
• Motion to elect a Member to a committee (5 mins)
• Motion to suspend Standing Orders (5 mins)
• Motion under Standing Order 16.3 to establish a committee: Reform Bill Committee (5 mins)

Business Committee agreed that the Llywydd will invite nominations for the Chair of the Reform Bill Committee from the Labour group at Wednesday’s meeting.

• Voting Time will take place before the Short Debate.
• Plenary is unlikely to run past 8.00pm.

There were no changes to the Three Week Timetable of Government Business.

Heledd Fychan requested an update on the scheduling of the Stage 3 debate on the Health Service Procurement (Wales) Bill. The Trefnydd indicated that the date of the debate was dependent upon the scheduling of the Procurement Bill at Westminster and that she would update Business Managers as soon as more information was available.

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

Wednesday 27 September 2023 –

• Member Debate under Standing Order 11.21(iv) (60 mins)
• Debate on petition P-06-1332 Fund vaccine research to protect red squirrels from deadly Squirrelpox virus  (30 mins)
• Time allocated to the Welsh Conservatives (60 mins)
• Short Debate (30 mins)

Business Committee noted an update from the Trefnydd on the UK Government bills requiring, or likely to require, the legislative consent of the Senedd following the summer recess.

Business Committee noted the Finance Committee’s concerns about the proposed timetable and the fact that the Welsh Government was again proposing not to follow the agreed protocol between the Senedd and the Government. The Trefnydd confirmed that this was as a result of uncertainty over the timing of the UK Government’s autumn fiscal event, and indicated that the Minister for Finance and Local Government would be responding in writing to concerns expressed by the Finance Committee.

Business Committee agreed the proposed timetable and that it would write to the Finance Committee to invite it to consider reviewing the budget procedures in light of the experience of recent years.

Business Committee noted the letter. The Trefnydd noted that no concerns had been raised with her or the Business Committee prior to the debate but agreed to schedule future debates of this type for 30 minutes.

Business Committee considered the scrutiny arrangements for the Senedd Reform Bill and linked legislation and agreed the following:

• To table relevant motions to propose in Plenary on 12 July that the Senedd establishes a Reform Bill Committee with a remit to scrutinise Bills referred to it by the Business Committee;
• To allocate the chair of the Committee to the Labour group and for nominations for that position to be invited in Plenary on 12 July;
• That the Committee should be comprised of four members, including the Chair, (two Labour, one each from the Conservative and Plaid Cymru groups) and to record its preference that Jane Dodds be invited by the Chair to participate in meetings of the Committee as set out in Standing Order 17.49;
• That the general principles of the Senedd Reform Bill be referred to the new Reform Bill Committee for Stage 1 consideration;
• That the Reform Bill Committee be consulted on the proposed Bill timetable to inform a final decision by the Business Committee on the timetable at a future meeting.

Business Committee agreed to return to the issue of whether the proposed local government electoral administration bill should also be referred to the Reform Bill Committee in the autumn term.

Business Committee considered and confirmed the dates for Spring Half Term and Easter Recess 2024 and agreed provisional recess dates for Whitsun Half Term and Summer Recess 2024, adjusting the provisional dates of the Summer recess for 2024 as indicated below.

* Provisional dates to be confirmed by Business Committee. 

Business Committee agreed the arrangements for tabling plenary business and the arrangements for the tabling of Written Questions during the Summer recess. 

Member Bill ballot and review of selection process

Business Committee agreed that the next Member Bill ballot be conducted using the existing procedures, in advance of any review of the selection process that it may subsequently agree to conduct.

The Committee also noted that it is the Llywydd’s intention to announce during Plenary this week the date in the autumn term on which the next Member Bill ballot will be held, in order to enable Members to prepare.