Agenda and minutes

This meeting will be held in a hybrid format, with some Members in the Senedd Chamber and others joining by video-conference.

The Presiding Officer will call party spokespeople to ask questions without notice to the Minister after Question 2.

View Questions

The item started at 13.30

Questions 1 to 7 and 9 to 10 were asked. Questions 8 and 12 were withdrawn. Questions 2 and 6 were answered by the Deputy Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism. The Presiding Officer invited party spokespeople to ask questions to the Minister and Deputy Minister after question 2.

The Presiding Officer will call party spokespeople to ask questions without notice to the Minister after Question 2.

View Questions

The item started at 14.20

Questions 1-3, 5, 6 and 8 to 11 were asked. Questions 4 and 7 were withdrawn. Question 10 was answered by the Deputy Minister for Social Services. The Presiding Officer invited party spokespeople to ask questions to the Minister and Deputy Minister for Social Services after question 2.

The item started at 15.15

Jayne Bryant made a statement on - Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month (November).

Vikki Howells made a statement on - Remembering Alf Sherwood, former Wales football captain, who would have been 100 this year (13 November).

Alun Davies made a statement on - Tribute to Lord Beddoe of Kilgetty, crossbench peer and former WDA chairman, who died last week.

NDM8408 Jack Sargeant (Alyn and Deeside)

To propose that the Senedd:

Notes the petition ‘P-06-1356 Introduce comprehensive safety measures at the A477 'Fingerpost' junction’ which received 10,310 signatures.

The item started at 15.20

NDM8408 Jack Sargeant (Alyn and Deeside)

To propose that the Senedd:

Notes the petition ‘P-06-1356 Introduce comprehensive safety measures at the A477 'Fingerpost' junction’ which received 10,310 signatures.

The motion was agreed in accordance with Standing Order 12.36.

NDM8410 Darren Millar (Clwyd West)

To propose that the Senedd:

1. Celebrates the advancement and use of innovative technologies by health services across the UK.

2. Welcomes the AI Safety Summit, the first ever global summit on AI, which took place on 1 and 2 November 2023.

3. Regrets that:

a) not all GP surgeries are using the Welsh NHS app;

b) e-prescribing has not been fully rolled out in the Welsh NHS; and

c) the technological infrastructure underpinning the Welsh NHS is creating barriers to clinical practice.

4. Calls on the Welsh Government to:

a) urgently roll-out the NHS app and e-prescribing across the whole of the Welsh NHS;

b) accelerate the integration of digital and AI technologies for the Welsh NHS; and

c) begin the phasing out of outdated NHS technologies.

The following amendment was tabled:

Amendment 1 Lesley Griffiths (Wrexham)

Delete all after point 2 and replace with:

Notes the importance of ensuring cross-UK working following the UK Government’s recent AI safety summit to ensure the views of Wales are reflected in future decisions and actions.

Notes the importance of continuous development of Health and Social Care digital and technology services to ensure high quality care.

Welcomes:

a) that over 200 GP practices are now using the NHS Wales App;

b) the planned onboarding of all practices by the end of March 2024;

c) the start of the rollout of a country-wide integrated prescription service, with the launch of the new Primary Care Electronic Prescription Service; and

d) the health and social care sector’s coordination on new and emerging technologies such as AI to help ensure their responsible, ethical, fair, and safe adoption.

The item started at 15.51

Voting on the motion and amendments under this item was deferred until Voting Time.

A vote was taken on the motion without amendment:

NDM8410 Darren Millar (Clwyd West)

To propose that the Senedd:

1. Celebrates the advancement and use of innovative technologies by health services across the UK.

2. Welcomes the AI Safety Summit, the first ever global summit on AI, which took place on 1 and 2 November 2023.

3. Regrets that:

a) not all GP surgeries are using the Welsh NHS app;

b) e-prescribing has not been fully rolled out in the Welsh NHS; and

c) the technological infrastructure underpinning the Welsh NHS is creating barriers to clinical practice.

4. Calls on the Welsh Government to:

a) urgently roll-out the NHS app and e-prescribing across the whole of the Welsh NHS;

b) accelerate the integration of digital and AI technologies for the Welsh NHS; and

c) begin the phasing out of outdated NHS technologies.

For	Abstain	Against	Total
23	0	24	47

The motion without amendment was not agreed.

The following amendment was tabled:

Amendment 1 Lesley Griffiths (Wrexham)

Delete all after point 2 and replace with:

Notes the importance of ensuring cross-UK working following the UK Government’s recent AI safety summit to ensure the views of Wales are reflected in future decisions and actions.

Notes the importance of continuous development of Health and Social Care digital and technology services to ensure high quality care.

Welcomes:

a) that over 200 GP practices are now using the NHS Wales App;

b) the planned onboarding of all practices by the end of March 2024;

c) the start of the rollout of a country-wide integrated prescription service, with the launch of the new Primary Care Electronic Prescription Service; and

d) the health and social care sector’s coordination on new and emerging technologies such as AI to help ensure their responsible, ethical, fair, and safe adoption.

A vote was taken on amendment 1:

For	Abstain	Against	Total
35	0	12	47

Amendment 1 was agreed.

A vote was taken on the motion as amended:

NDM8410 Darren Millar (Clwyd West)

To propose that the Senedd:

1. Celebrates the advancement and use of innovative technologies by health services across the UK.

2. Welcomes the AI Safety Summit, the first ever global summit on AI, which took place on 1 and 2 November 2023.

3. Notes the importance of ensuring cross-UK working following the UK Government’s recent AI safety summit to ensure the views of Wales are reflected in future decisions and actions.

4. Notes the importance of continuous development of Health and Social Care digital and technology services to ensure high quality care.

5. Welcomes:

a) that over 200 GP practices are now using the NHS Wales App;

b) the planned onboarding of all practices by the end of March 2024;

c) the start of the rollout of a country-wide integrated prescription service, with the launch of the new Primary Care Electronic Prescription Service; and

d) the health and social care sector’s coordination on new and emerging technologies such as AI to help ensure their responsible, ethical, fair, and safe adoption.

For	Abstain	Against	Total
47	0	0	47

The motion as amended was agreed.

NDM8409 Heledd Fychan (South Wales Central)

To propose that the Senedd: 

1. Notes:

a) the continued cost-of-living pressures being faced by renters;

b) Wales’s annual average rent rise of 13.9 per cent in 2021-22;

c) Wales’s further average rent rise of 6.5 per cent in 2022-23, with Shelter Cymru citing examples of 100 per cent rent increases; and

d) that student rents take up 60 per cent of the average UK maintenance package, with 32 per cent of students studying in Wales unable to pay their rents.

2. Believes that no one in Wales should be put at risk of homelessness as a result of high inflation and a lack of affordable housing stock.

3. Calls on the Welsh Government to immediately implement in the private sector:

a) a rent freeze; and

b) measures to ban evictions this winter.

Shelter Cymru Response to the Welsh Government Green Paper consultation: Securing a path towards adequate housing including fair rents and affordability

The following amendments were tabled:

Amendment 1 Lesley Griffiths (Wrexham)

Delete all and replace with:

To propose that the Senedd:

1. Notes the continued cost-of-living pressures being faced by renters.

2. Welcomes the commitment in the Programme for Government, as part of the Co-operation Agreement with Plaid Cymru, to publish a White Paper setting out proposals on the potential to establish a system of fair rents as well as new approaches to make homes affordable for those on local incomes.

3. Welcomes the bold, ambitious and radical reform for the future set out in the White Paper on Ending Homelessness developed as part of the Co-operation Agreement with Plaid Cymru.

4. Believes that no one in Wales should be put at risk of homelessness as a result of insufficient housing-related benefits.

5. Recognises the single biggest lever to address affordability issues in the private rented sector is Local Housing Allowance rates, and calls on UK Government to uplift rates to match the actual cost of rent.

White Paper on ending homelessness in Wales

If amendment 1 is agreed, amendment 2 will be de-selected.

Amendment 2 Darren Millar (Clwyd West)

Delete point 3 and replace with:

Calls on the Welsh Government to:

a) urgently take action to turn Wales’s thousands of empty properties back into homes;

b) explore opportunities with the sector to stop the landlord exodus from the Welsh rental market;

c) work with landlords and contract holders to prevent evictions over the winter months;

d) deliver an action plan to build 12,000 houses a year; and

e) make a statement on the review of Rent Smart Wales.

The item started at 16.42

Voting on the motion and amendments under this item was deferred until Voting Time.

A vote was taken on the motion without amendment:

NDM8409 Heledd Fychan (South Wales Central)

To propose that the Senedd: 

1. Notes:

a) the continued cost-of-living pressures being faced by renters;

b) Wales’s annual average rent rise of 13.9 per cent in 2021-22;

c) Wales’s further average rent rise of 6.5 per cent in 2022-23, with Shelter Cymru citing examples of 100 per cent rent increases; and

d) that student rents take up 60 per cent of the average UK maintenance package, with 32 per cent of students studying in Wales unable to pay their rents.

2. Believes that no one in Wales should be put at risk of homelessness as a result of high inflation and a lack of affordable housing stock.

3. Calls on the Welsh Government to immediately implement in the private sector:

a) a rent freeze; and

b) measures to ban evictions this winter.

Shelter Cymru Response to the Welsh Government Green Paper consultation: Securing a path towards adequate housing including fair rents and affordability

For	Abstain	Against	Total
11	0	36	47

The motion without amendment was not agreed.

The following amendments were tabled:

Amendment 1 Lesley Griffiths (Wrexham)

Delete all and replace with:

To propose that the Senedd:

1. Notes the continued cost-of-living pressures being faced by renters.

2. Welcomes the commitment in the Programme for Government, as part of the Co-operation Agreement with Plaid Cymru, to publish a White Paper setting out proposals on the potential to establish a system of fair rents as well as new approaches to make homes affordable for those on local incomes.

3. Welcomes the bold, ambitious and radical reform for the future set out in the White Paper on Ending Homelessness developed as part of the Co-operation Agreement with Plaid Cymru.

4. Believes that no one in Wales should be put at risk of homelessness as a result of insufficient housing-related benefits.

5. Recognises the single biggest lever to address affordability issues in the private rented sector is Local Housing Allowance rates, and calls on UK Government to uplift rates to match the actual cost of rent.

White Paper on ending homelessness in Wales

A vote was taken on amendment 1:

For	Abstain	Against	Total
35	0	12	47

Amendment 1 was agreed.

As amendment 1 was agreed, amendment 2 was de-selected.

A vote was taken on the motion as amended:

NDM8409 Heledd Fychan (South Wales Central)

To propose that the Senedd:

1. Notes the continued cost-of-living pressures being faced by renters.

2. Welcomes the commitment in the Programme for Government, as part of the Co-operation Agreement with Plaid Cymru, to publish a White Paper setting out proposals on the potential to establish a system of fair rents as well as new approaches to make homes affordable for those on local incomes.

3. Welcomes the bold, ambitious and radical reform for the future set out in the White Paper on Ending Homelessness developed as part of the Co-operation Agreement with Plaid Cymru.

4. Believes that no one in Wales should be put at risk of homelessness as a result of insufficient housing-related benefits.

5. Recognises the single biggest lever to address affordability issues in the private rented sector is Local Housing Allowance rates, and calls on UK Government to uplift rates to match the actual cost of rent.

White Paper on ending homelessness in Wales

For	Abstain	Against	Total
35	0	12	47

The motion as amended was agreed.

To ask the Minister for Finance and Local Government

Peter Fox (Monmouth): What assessment has the Minister made of the impact that the UK Government's Autumn Statement will have on Wales?

The item started at 17.39

Answered by the Minister for Finance and Local Government

Peter Fox (Monmouth): What assessment has the Minister made of the impact that the UK Government's Autumn Statement will have on Wales?

The item started at 17.51

NDM8406 Samuel Kurtz (Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire)

Safeguarding mistreated animals - providing the RSPCA with statutory powers

The item started at 17.56

NDM8406 Samuel Kurtz (Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire)

Safeguarding mistreated animals - providing the RSPCA with statutory powers