Agenda and minutes

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

The Minutes of the previous meeting were agreed for publication

Tuesday 

·       There will be no Voting Time.

·       Plenary is unlikely to run past 5.45pm

Wednesday

·       Voting Time will take place before the short debate.  

·       Plenary is unlikely to run past 7.10pm

The Trefnydd informed Business Managers of the following changes to the Three Week Timetable of Government Business:

Tuesday 15 October 2024

·       Statement by the Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Energy and Planning: Energy and the green economy (45 mins)

Tuesday 22 October 2024

·       Statement by the Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs: The Climate Adaptation Strategy (45 mins)

·       The Historic Environment (Wales) Act 2023 (Consequential Provision) (Primary Legislation) Regulations 2024 (5 mins)

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

Wednesday 16 November 2024 –

• Motion to establish a committee (5 mins)

Wednesday 6 November 2024 –

·      Debate on the Equality and Social Justice Committee report: The EU Settlement Scheme and citizen's rights after Brexit (60 mins)

·      Debate on petition P-06-1400: Fair and Adequate Resourcing of General Practice in Wales (30 mins)

·      Time allocated to the Welsh Conservatives (60 mins)

• Short Debate: James Evans (Brecon and Radnorshire) (30 mins)

Heledd Fychan declared an interest having tabled one of the proposed motions for selection.

Business Committee considered the proposed motions for debate and agreed to schedule the following proposal on 16 October:

Heledd Fychan

NNDM8687 

To propose that the Senedd:  

1. Notes a proposal for a Bill on introducing a presumption in planning processes against approving quarry development in close proximity to settlements. 

2. Notes that the purpose of the Bill would be to: 

a) require the risks of proposed quarrying sites to the environment and biodiversity, and to public health, to be assessed as part of the planning process; 

b) set a mandatory buffer zone of 1,000 metres for all new and existing quarries; and 

c) provide that the decision on a planning application for quarry development may only be made by the relevant Welsh Government Minister, with consideration given to the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015. 

Business Committee considered the correspondence received on the proposed timetable for scrutiny of the Legislation (Procedure, Publication and Repeals) (Wales) Bill, alongside the decision-making criteria for requests for expedited timetables. Darren Millar and Heledd Fychan indicated that the reasoning provided by the Government did not meet the agreed criteria for an expedited timetable for Stage 1 scrutiny and that a twelve week period should be provided.

The Trefnydd stated that the Government had proposed what they felt to be an appropriate, rather than expedited timetable for Stage 1, in light of the technical nature of the Bill and that with reluctance they could agree to move to ten sitting weeks for Stage 1.

The Business Committee agreed that the timetable should be amended to provide twelve weeks for Stage 1 scrutiny, and that the matter of whether there should be greater flexibility around the appropriate length for Stage 1 scrutiny for different Bills should be considered as part of a forthcoming review of the public Bill process

Business Committee considered the paper and agreed that the proposed new committee should be titled the Future Senedd Committee/Pwyllgor Senedd y Dyfodol.

Business Committee had a further discussion of the precise remit for the Future Senedd Committee and agreed to consider and agree some minor changes outside of the meeting.

Business Managers agreed to confirm the membership of the Committee to the secretariat and for a motion proposing the establishment of the committee to be laid for consideration by the Senedd in Plenary on Wednesday 16 October.

Business Committee considered the evidence received during the phase 1 public consultation and agreed to proceed with a phase 2 consultation with Members of the Senedd and other bodies.

In doing so, the Committee agreed:

• the fundamental principles on which the Business Committee’s detailed proposal for consultation will be based;
• a number of further matters on which views should be sought through the phase 2 consultation, including:
• whether the term ‘role-sharing’ should be used in preference to ‘job-sharing’ in light of issues raised in the phase 1 consultation;
• the potential impact of job-sharing for committee chairs on the Senedd’s scrutiny capacity;
• the potential impact of both Members participating in committee business at the same time on the political balance of that committee; and
• whether consideration should also be given to a chair/deputy chair model as a potential alternative approach.
• to consider an updated list of consultation questions by email prior to proceeding.