Minutes

The minutes for the meeting were agreed by the Committee for publication.

Tuesday

·         The Government changed the Statement on Public Consultation on Maintaining Free Bus Travel for Older People, Disabled People and Injured Service Veterans to a Statement on Consultations on Concessionary Bus Travel. 

·         There would be no Voting Time. 

Wednesday

·         Business Managers agreed that voting Time would take place before the Short Debate.

Business Committee noted the 3 Week Timetable of Government Business.

Business Committee determined the organisation of Assembly business and agreed to schedule the following items of business:

Wednesday 8 November 2017 –

·         Statement by the Chair of the Public Accounts Committee: Inquiry into Care Experienced Children (30 mins)

·         Debate by Individual Members under Standing Order 11.21(iv) (60 mins)

·         Debate on the Climate Change, Environment and Rural Affairs Committee report: Turning the tide? Report of the inquiry into the Welsh Government’s approach to Marine Protected Area management (60 mins)

·         Business Committee selected a motion for debate on 18 October:

NNDM6528

Julie Morgan

Hannah Blythyn

Angela Burns

Dai Lloyd

Jenny Rathbone

Joyce Watson

To propose that the National Assembly for Wales:

1. Recognises that female genital mutilation (FGM) is widely practised worldwide and an estimated 2,000 women and girls in Wales are living with the consequences of FGM.

2. Calls on the Welsh Government to:

a) use every opportunity to raise awareness of this practice;

b) encourage schools to discuss this as part of the Personal and Social Education curriculum and in staff training;

c) raise awareness of this practice among GPs and all medical practitioners; and

d) do all it can to ensure communities most affected receive help and support to tackle the problem.

• Business Managers agreed to schedule the next Individual Members Debate on 8 November, and selected the following motion:

NNDM6527

Jenny Rathbone

Suzy Davies

Dafydd Elis-Thomas

Dai Lloyd

David Melding

Eluned Morgan

To propose that the National Assembly for Wales:

1. Notes that the speed of the revolution in transport technology challenges current planning assumptions and requires a major re-think in public policy and design.

2. Believes that transport manufacturers and their supply chains will need to adapt or die as the combustion engine is phased out within the next 20 years because of:

a) driverless vehicles, which will disrupt assumptions about private ownership of cars, urban town planning, managing road congestion and the role of buses to connect communities; and

b) electric vehicles, which require a more dispersed electricity generation and supply including charging points covering the whole of Wales;

3. Calls on the Welsh Government to outline the steps that it is taking to align policies with the pace of change and ensure all citizens will benefit, in line with the Well-Being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015.

Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015

Business Managers confirmed their in principle decision of 3 October to refer the Public Health (Minimum Price for Alcohol) (Wales) Bill to the Health, Social Care and Sport Committee for Stage 1 consideration, and agreed the deadline for the Stage 1 Committee to report by as 16 February 2018 and the deadline for the completion of Stage 2 Committee proceedings as 4 May 2018.

Business Committee noted the letter and agreed that it would be preferable for committees to be allowed 6 sitting weeks to report on LCMs in future.  The Leader of the House stated that the government would aim to provide for this, within the constraints of UK Parliamentary timetables, when proposing deadlines to Business Committee for agreement.

Business Managers agreed the report setting out proposed amendments to Standing Orders in relation to Super-majorities.  The Committee agreed that the report be laid the following day, alongside a motion to amend Standing Orders, to be considered at next Wednesday’s Plenary.

Business Managers agreed to return to the paper at the first meeting after half term.

Business Managers agreed that the current allocation of opposition time in Plenary should remain the same.

Regarding Committee membership and chairing, Business Managers discussed the issues raised in the paper but could not reach unanimous agreement on any decisions.  The Llywydd proposed that the Business Committee lay a report outlining their discussions and conclusions; a draft will be circulated in advance of next week’s meeting.