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

Business Committee noted several changes to This Week’s Business:

Tuesday 

·         Tributes to Lord Dafydd Elis-Thomas

·         Statement by the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care Minister for Mental Health and Wellbeing: Maternity and Neo-Natal Quality Statement (45 mins)

·         Statement by the Minister for Skills, Culture and Social Partnership: Welsh Rugby Union's review into the senior women’s team contract negotiations (45 mins) Written Statement

·         There will be no Voting Time.

·         Plenary is unlikely to run past 6.45pm.

Tributes to Dafydd Elis-Thomas

The Llywydd confirmed the arrangements for tributes to be paid to Dafydd Elis-Thomas at the start of Plenary today. She will invite the Senedd to observe a minute’s silence before calling the First Minister and party leaders to make tributes on behalf of their groups, followed by other Members.

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 change to the Three Week Timetable of Government Business:

Tuesday 18 February 2025

·         Statement by the Minister for Further and Higher: Update on Post-16 participation in Education and Learning (45 mins) Withdrawn

The following items were agreed to be scheduled on the Three Week Timetable of Senedd Business: 

Wednesday 12 March 2025 –

• Debate on a Member's Legislative Proposal (30 mins)
• Debate on the Standards of Conduct Committee Report - Individual Member Accountability: Recall (60 mins)
• Time allocated to Plaid Cymru (60 mins)
• Short Debate: Jenny Rathbone MS (Cardiff Central) (30 mins)

The Trefyndd stated that the Welsh Government will bring forward the publication of Annual Budget to 20 February 2025, but that the date for the debate on the Final Budget would remain unchanged on Tuesday 4 March. Business Committee considered and agreed to revise the timetable for the Welsh Government Budget 2025-26 accordingly.

·       Letter from the Chair of the Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee – 23 January 2025

·       Response from the Counsel General and Minister for Delivery – 4 February 2025

Business Committee considered correspondence between the Chair of the Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee and the Counsel General and Minister for Delivery regarding the Welsh Government’s intentions to introduce legislation to consolidate planning law. Business Committee noted the letters and requested that, should the Welsh Government wish to propose any potentially novel procedural approaches to the scrutiny of the two Bills, they should be raised with Business Committee for consideration as soon as possible.

Updates on Legislative Consent Memoranda were considered alongside item 5.3

Business Committee considered correspondence from the Chair of the Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee and an update on Legislative Consent Memoranda from the Government and agreed to:

• refer the LCM on the Public Authorities (Fraud, Error and Recovery) Bill to the Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee and the Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee for scrutiny, with a reporting deadline of 25 April 2025; and
• note the letter from the Chair of the Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee and to extend the reporting deadline for the LCM and SLCM on the Mental Health Bill to 4 April 2025.

Business Committee considered and agreed the guidance for publication.

The Trefnydd raised a matter relating to Member security.