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.

The Committee considered the paper and agreed matters relating to the design of the name-only Member Bill ballot procedure it had previously agreed to propose for use in the Seventh Senedd, including:

• How Standing Orders provide for the number of ballots to be held, the number of Members to be selected, and the timing of ballots.
• The leave to proceed stage, including the deadlines relating to the tabling and debating of motions seeking the Senedd’s leave to introduce a Bill, the information a Member seeking leave to introduce a Bill is required to provide, and what implications (if any) one Member being denied leave to proceed should have for the tabling or debate of a substantially similar proposal by another Member.
• The deadline for introducing a Bill, including whether to propose mechanisms for extending the deadline in certain circumstances.

The Committee considered the paper and agreed that it did not wish to give any further consideration to this matter.

The Committee considered the paper and agreed:

• To ask the Llywydd to change the Guidance on the proper conduct of Senedd business to replace the requirement that time must be scheduled for Member’s Legislative Proposal (“MLP”) debates with flexibility for the Seventh Senedd Business Committee to schedule such debates if it wishes to do so.
• That officials should provide advice on whether changes to the name and/or description of MLP debates could alleviate the potential for confusion between such debates and the Member Bill process.
• To suggest that the Seventh Senedd Business Committee considers whether further changes to MLP debates are required.

The Committee considered the paper and agreed:

• To propose a change to Standing Orders to require explanatory memorandums to include consideration of matters relating to human rights, subject to agreement of specific wording following further discussions between Senedd Commission and Welsh Government officials.
• To defer a final decision on whether to propose a change to Standing Orders to require explanatory memorandums to include consideration of matters relating to the implications of the UK Internal Market Act 2020 until the new year.
• Not to propose any changes to the explanatory memorandum requirements in relation to the other matters raised by consultation respondents.

Members considered the paper and agreed:

·       To recommend that the Seventh Senedd considers matters relating to:

• The purpose, interpretation and application of procedures relating to further and Further amending stages;
• Technical issues that have been identified to date regarding the Standing Orders relating to these stages;
• The Welsh Government’s proposal that the application of such stages be broadened.
• That Senedd Commission and Welsh Government officials should discuss how the existing further stage procedures would be applied if required in the Sixth Senedd.

The Committee considered and agreed the draft Standing Orders report.