Agenda and minutes

The Llywydd welcomed Members to the meeting. No apologies were received

The Minutes of the previous meeting were agreed for publication

Tuesday 

The Trefnydd informed Business Managers of the following changes to This Week’s Business:

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

·       Statement by the Cabinet Secretary for Transport and North Wales: Preparing for bus reform (45 mins) Postponed until 10 December

·       Voting Time will take place as the last item of business.

·       Plenary is unlikely to run past 7.45pm

The Llywydd indicated that she and the Deputy Presiding Officer would apply their discretion around time limits, as required, during the Statement on Storm Bert to enable Members representing areas affected by flooding to raise matters affecting their constituents.

Wednesday

• Voting Time will take place before the Short Debate.  
• Plenary is unlikely to run past 7.40pm

Opposition debates

The Llywydd asked Business Managers to remind their groups that Members will have three minutes for contributions to the 30-minute opposition debates on Wednesday. She noted that she will ensure that both debates run strictly to time so it may not be possible to accommodate all requests to speak.

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

Tuesday 3 December 2024

·         Statement by the Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, Trefnydd and Chief Whip: International Day of Disabled Persons (45 mins) - will issue as a written statement

·         The Allocation of Housing and Homelessness (Eligibility) (Wales) (Amendment) Regulations 2024 (15 5 mins)

·         Statement by the Cabinet Secretary for Transport and North Wales: Preparing for bus reform (45 mins)

Business Committee agreed to reschedule Siân Gwenllian’s MLP debate, which was postponed last week, for 8 January 2025.

The Business Committee also agreed not to schedule opposition time on 8 January as a one-off exception, due to tabling deadlines over the Christmas recess period.

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

Wednesday 8 January 2025 –

·       Debate on a Member's Legislative Proposal: Siân Gwenllian MS (Arfon) (30 mins)

·       Debate on a Member's Legislative Proposal: Carolyn Thomas MS (North Wales) (30 mins)

·       Member Debate under Standing Order 11.21(iv): Siân Gwenllian MS (Arfon) (60 mins)

·       [GF1] Short Debate (30 mins)

Business Committee considered the proposed motions for debate and agreed to schedule: 

4 December 2024

Hefin David

NNDM8659 

To propose that the Senedd: 

1. Notes that it is over 40 years since the publication of the All-Wales Strategy, which aimed to remove autistic people and/or people with a learning disability from long-term hospital placements and support them to live in their local communities. 

2. Regrets that in Wales, some autistic people and/or people with a learning disability are still being sectioned under the MHA or detained under the Mental Capacity Act 2005 in secure hospital settings, which is inappropriate to their wellbeing and causes considerable longer-term trauma, as well as distress to themselves and their loved ones. 

3. Believes that this continues to happen to autistic people and/or people with a learning disability because of a lack of support being available in their local areas, with sectioning in some circumstances being used as a default option by relevant authorities. 

4. Calls on the Welsh Government to: 

a) set out in detail how it will respond to the concerns and objectives of the Stolen Lives’ ‘Homes Not Hospitals’ campaign; 

b) collect and publish accurate and up-to-date data on: 

i) the number of autistic people and/or people with a learning disability in Wales who are placed in hospital settings; 

ii) the type of such hospital placements e.g. mental health hospitals or assessment and treatment units; 

iii) the providers of such hospital placements e.g. private, public or voluntary sector; and 

iv) the number and nature of supported living or residential placement breakdowns resulting in hospital detention e.g. name of provider and type of provider;  

c) provide a progress update on the establishment of a dedicated Task and Finish Group to work with stakeholders to help address the issues and concerns that Stolen Lives have raised, and which fall within its devolved responsibilities; and 

d) implement the recommendations of its 2020 National Care Review, which stated clearly that people should only stay in hospitals if there are no other ways to treat them safely. 

8 January 2025

Siân Gwenllian

NNDM8664 

To propose that the Senedd: 

1. Notes: 

a) the significant shortage of NHS dental services in north Wales, particularly in Arfon with only 36.6 per cent of the population able to receive treatment through the NHS, which is the lowest gambit in Wales; and 

b) the publication of "Filling the Gap", a report commissioned by Sian Gwenllian MS, which makes the case for establishing a school of dentistry in Bangor. 

2. Believes: 

a) that dental services in north Wales are in a state of emergency; 

b) there is a severe shortage of NHS dentists in Arfon, leaving many patients, including children and vulnerable people, without proper access to basic dental care; 

c) that the emergency departments of local hospitals are under additional pressure due to the lack of access to dentists, resulting in additional costs and waiting times; 

d) that more dental training is needed; 

e) that a significant number of students wishing to study dentistry are forced to leave Wales due to a lack of capacity in dental schools; 

f) that a new  school of dentistry in Bangor could play a key role in training more dentists locally, offering a better chance of retaining the dental workforce in the region and providing essential services locally; 

g) that the establishment of a school of dentistry in Bangor would provide quality new jobs and attract investment to the local economy, and boost Bangor as a centre of excellence in health, alongside the new medical school; and 

h) the school of dentistry could augment the provision of Welsh and bilingual dental services, improving access to health care for local Welsh-speaking communities. 

3. Calls on the Welsh Government to: 

a) consider the economic and public health case for establishing a school of dentistry in Bangor based on the key findings presented in the Fill the Gap report; 

b) ensure collaboration between the Welsh Government, Bangor University, Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board, and other relevant organisations to develop a feasibility plan for the establishment of the school of dentistry; and 

c) invest strategically to establish the school of dentistry as part of wider efforts to improve access to health services in the region and to address the ongoing crisis regarding dental provision in Wales. 

Business Committee considered an update on LCMs and agreed to:

• refer the LCM on the Mental Health Bill to the Health and Social Care Committee and the Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee for scrutiny, with a reporting deadline of 7 February 2025; and

• refer the LCM on the Tobacco and Vapes Bill to the Health and Social Care Committee and the Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee for scrutiny, with a reporting deadline of 7 February 2025.

Business Committee agreed to a request from the Equality and Social Justice Committee for its meeting on 27 January 2025 to commence earlier than the committee’s usual slot.

Business Committee also agreed to provide general permission for committees to vary meeting start times when they take place on a day that they are already scheduled to meet, so long as no membership clashes are created as a result.

The Business Committee considered and agreed the proposed approach to its procedural work programme and the illustrative timetable for this work up to Easter 2025.

The Business Committee noted the requirement for the Sixth Senedd to agree changes to Standing Orders relating to categories of Member that will take effect at the start of the Seventh Senedd, which reflect the change to the Senedd’s electoral system.

The Committee agreed to write to the Standards of Conduct Committee to ask that it reviews the relevant Standing Orders and presents recommendations, to assist the Business Committee in considering the specific changes which may be required.