Meeting Venue:
Presiding Officer’s office, 4th floor - Tŷ Hywel
Meeting date: 14 February 2017
Meeting
time: 08.30 -
09.15
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Category |
Names |
|
Committee Members: |
Elin Jones AM (Chair) Jane Hutt AM Rhun ap Iorwerth AM Paul Davies AM David J Rowlands AM |
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Committee Staff: |
Aled Elwyn Jones (Clerk) |
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Others in attendance |
Ann Jones AM, Deputy Presiding Officer Christopher Warner, Head of Policy and Legislation Committee Service Siân Wilkins, Head of Chamber and Committee Service Helen Carey, Welsh Government Sharon Bounds, Welsh Government |
The minutes for the meeting were agreed by the Committee for publication.
The Minister for
Social Services and Public Health will be making a statement on
Sport Wales (45 mins)
The Cabinet Secretary for Communities and Children will be making a statement on Resilient Communities – Next Steps (45 mins)
David Rowlands expressed the disappointment of the UKIP group at not being approached by other parties to co-table the motion on tidal lagoons for debate on Tuesday, which had been tabled by Labour, Plaid Cymru and the Conservatives.
On Tuesday, Voting Time would be after the final item of business. On Wednesday, Business Committee agreed that Voting Time would take place before the Short Debate.
Jane Hutt explained that the First Minister would be undertaking a visit to the USA on Tuesday 28 February and would not be able to attend Plenary to answer questions that week. Jane Hutt will be answering questions in his stead. The Llywydd asked Business Managers to agree a consistent approach regarding which Members would question the Leader of the House during Leaders’ Questions.
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 15 March 2017 –
· Debate on the Economy, Infrastructure and Skills Committee Report on the National Infrastructure Commission for Wales (60 mins)
· Time allocated to Plaid Cymru (60 mins)
· Time allocated to the Welsh Conservatives (60 mins)
Business Managers agreed in principle to refer the Abolition of the Right to Buy (Wales) Bill to the Equality, Local Government and Communities Committee (ELGC) for Stage 1 consideration.
Business Managers agreed to defer a decision on the Bill’s timetable until a future meeting to allow for consultation with the ELGC Committee.
Business Managers considered a paper setting out proposals, arrived at by both Assembly and Government officials, to reform the current budget processes in line with recommendations made by the previous Finance Committee’s Best Practice Budget Process inquiry.
The Committee
agreed in principle with the negotiated model by Assembly
Commission and Welsh Government officials including the approach to
the time available for budget scrutiny, and the split between
outline and detailed budget proposals.
The Committee requested more detail on how the debate on the draft budget would work in practice if it were on a motion of the Finance Committee, before agreeing a preferred approach in Standing Orders.
Business Managers noted the Best Practice Report suggestion to recognise the link between approval of tax resolutions and approval of budget plans within Standing Orders, and agreed that no dependency needs be written into Standing Orders at this point, prior to the devolution of income tax.
The Committee agreed for the Secretariat to bring forward proposals for amending Standing Orders for Business Managers to take back to their groups, and to consult with the Finance Committee on.
Having agreed in principle to introduce a new procedure for Members to ask topical questions to the First Minister and Cabinet Secretaries in Plenary, Business Managers considered a detailed proposal for such a procedure.
The Committee agreed to discuss the matter with their groups, and to return to the issue on 7 March.
The Committee noted a letter from the Chair of the Constitutional and Legislative Affairs Committee confirming that they are intending to look at the codification of Welsh law in more detail and that the Committee’s first step would be to take evidence from the Counsel General on codification.