Decision details

Debates are one of the most frequent items of business on the Plenary agenda. Many types of debate are brought forward in Plenary, including:

• Opposition party debates on a topic of their choice;

Other than in the case of Government debates, the time allocated for all other types of debates and their frequency are determined by the Business Committee

The item started at 15.37

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

A vote was taken on the motion without amendment:

NDM5747 Paul Davies (Preseli Pembrokeshire)

To propose that the National Assembly for Wales:

1. Notes the importance of rural Wales to the Welsh economy;

2. Recognises the challenges facing the agricultural sector in Wales;

3. Calls for measures contained in the Localism Act 2011 to be fully enacted in Wales so that communities can bid for local assets such as post offices and pubs that are threatened with closure;

4. Calls on the Welsh Government to provide a timetable for the rollout of the remainder of the Superfast Cymru project, which is affecting businesses and residents in rural communities; and

5. Regrets the closure of high street banks in rural Wales and calls on the Welsh Government to facilitate discussions on a community banking model to ensure that over-the-counter services continue to be viable in rural Wales.

For	Abstain	Against	Total
9	0	32	41

The Motion without amendment was not agreed.

The following amendments were tabled:

Amendment 1 - Aled Roberts (North Wales)

Insert as new point 2 and renumber accordingly:

Welcomes the announcement in the 2015 UK Government Budget to extend the period that self-employed farmers can average their profits for income tax purposes from 2 years to 5 years, helping over 3,000 individual farmers in Wales to plan for the future.

A vote was taken on Amendment 1:

For	Abstain	Against	Total
41	0	0	41

Amendment 1 was agreed.

Amendment 2 - Aled Roberts (North Wales)

Insert as new point 3 and renumber accordingly:

Welcomes that funding for Welsh Young Farmers' Clubs has been reinstated and calls on the Welsh Government to work with the YFC to secure a long-term sustainable solution.

A vote was taken on Amendment 2:

For	Abstain	Against	Total
40	0	0	40

Amendment 2 was agreed.

Amendment 3 - Aled Roberts (North Wales)

Insert as new point 3 and renumber accordingly:

Calls on the Welsh Government to help rural areas thrive by promoting share farming and succession planning.

A vote was taken on Amendment 3:

For	Abstain	Against	Total
41	0	0	41

Amendment 3 was agreed.

Amendment 4 - Jane Hutt (Vale of Glamorgan)

Delete point 3 and replace with:

Recognises the need to develop a Welsh-specific approach to community assets that reflects Welsh needs and is based on wide consultation in Wales.

A vote was taken on Amendment 4:

For	Abstain	Against	Total
21	0	20	41

Amendment 4 was agreed.

As Amendment 4 was agreed, Amendment 5 was de-selected.

A vote was taken on the Motion as amended:

NDM5747 Paul Davies (Preseli Pembrokeshire)

To propose that the National Assembly for Wales:

1. Notes the importance of rural Wales to the Welsh economy;

2. Welcomes the announcement in the 2015 UK Government Budget to extend the period that self-employed farmers can average their profits for income tax purposes from 2 years to 5 years, helping over 3,000 individual farmers in Wales to plan for the future.

3. Recognises the challenges facing the agricultural sector in Wales;

4. Welcomes that funding for Welsh Young Farmers' Clubs has been reinstated and calls on the Welsh Government to work with the YFC to secure a long-term sustainable solution.

5. Calls on the Welsh Government to help rural areas thrive by promoting share farming and succession planning.

6. Recognises the need to develop a Welsh-specific approach to community assets that reflects Welsh needs and is based on wide consultation in Wales.

7. Calls on the Welsh Government to provide a timetable for the rollout of the remainder of the Superfast Cymru project, which is affecting businesses and residents in rural communities; and

8. Regrets the closure of high street banks in rural Wales and calls on the Welsh Government to facilitate discussions on a community banking model to ensure that over-the-counter services continue to be viable in rural Wales.

For	Abstain	Against	Total
41	0	0	41

The Motion as amended was agreed.