Decision details

Motion under Standing Order 26.36 to vary the order of consideration of Stage 3 amendments to the Higher Education (Wales) Bill

Decision Maker: Children, Young People and Education Committee - Fourth Assembly, Business Committee - Fourth Assembly, Plenary - Fourth Assembly

Is Key decision?: Yes

Purpose:

A Government Bill, introduced by Huw Lewis, Minister for Education and Skills.  The Business Committee remitted the Bill to the Children, Young People and Education Committee.

 

About the Bill

 

The Higher Education (Wales) Bill seeks to legislate to:

  • ensure robust and proportionate regulation of institutions in Wales whose courses are supported by Welsh Government backed higher education grants and loans;
  • safeguard the contribution made to the public good arising from the Welsh Government’s financial subsidy of higher education;
  • maintain a strong focus on fair access to higher education; and
  • preserve and protect the institutional autonomy and academic freedom of universities.

 

The Bill seeks to achieve these objectives through:

  • establishing a new regulatory framework applicable to all providers of higher education in Wales which seek automatic designation of their higher education courses for the purpose of student support;
  • ensuring the new regulatory controls do not rely on HEFCW providing funding to those institutions and providers;
  • requiring all higher education providers that benefit from the Welsh Government’s financial subsidy in the form of statutory student fee loans or grants to have charitable status;
  • requiring all higher education providers whose courses are automatically designated for statutory student support to commit to activity in support of equality of access to higher education; and
  • building, as far as possible, on the existing system of controls established by HEFCW under its terms and conditions of funding.

 

Current Stage

 

The Higher Education (Wales) Act 2015 (external website) became law in Wales on 12 March 2015 (external website).

 

Welsh Glossary (Only available in Welsh) (PDF, 123KB)

 

Record of Passage in the National Assembly for Wales

 

The following table sets out the dates for each stage of the Bill’s passage through the National Assembly for Wales.

 

Stage

 

 

Bill introduced – 19 May 2014


Higher Education (Wales) Bill, as introduced (PDF, 215KB)

Explanatory Memorandum (PDF, 1.0MB)

Presiding Officer’s Statement: 19 May 2014 (PDF, 126KB)

Business Committee’s Report on the timetable for consideration of the Bill: 19 May 2014 (PDF, 56kb)

Table of Derivations (PDF, 283KB)


Policy Intent Statement (PDF, 256KB)

 

Stage 1 - Committee consideration of general principles


Consultation -
public consultation closed on 20 June 2014

 

 

The Committee considered the Bill on the following dates:

5 June 2014
11 June 2014
19 June 2014 (PDF, 427KB)
25 June 2014 (PDF, 538KB)
9 July 2014 (PDF 448KB)
17 July 2014 (private)

 

Committee Stage 1 Report (PDF, 642KB)

 

Constitutional and Legislative Affairs Committee report (PDF, 713KB)

 

Letter from the Minister for Education and Skills following the Stage 1 commitment to provide drafts of regulations (PDF, 421KB)

 

 

Stage 1  - Debate in plenary on general principles

 


A debate took place in Plenary on 14 October 2014.  The motion to agree the general principles of the Bill was agreed.

 

Financial Resolution


A Financial Resolution in relation to the Higher Education (Wales) Bill was agreed in Plenary on 14 October 2014.

 

Stage 2 - Committee consideration of amendments

 


Stage 2 consideration took place on Wednesday 5 November (PDF, 591KB) and Thursday 13 November.

 

Notices of Amendments

Notice of Amendments: 15 October 2014 (PDF, 65KB)

Welsh Government - Purpose and Effect table: 15 October 2014 (PDF, 63KB)

 

Notice of Amendments: 22 October 2014 (PDF, 76KB)

Welsh Government - Purpose and Effect table: 22 October 2014 (PDF, 74KB)

 

Notice of Amendments: 29 October 2014 (PDF, 100kb)

 

Marshalled List of Amendments: 5 November 2014 (PDF, 126KB)

 

Groupings of Amendments: 5 November 2014 (PDF, 61KB)

 

Marshalled List of Amendments: 13 November 2014 (PDF, 107KB)

 

Groupings of Amendments: 13 November 2014 (PDF, 64KB)

 

Higher Education (Wales) Bill, as amended at Stage 2 (PDF, 217KB)

 

Revised Explanatory Memorandum (PDF, 1.0MB)

 

 

Stage 3 - Plenary consideration of amendments

 


Stage 3 consideration and disposal of amendments took place in Plenary on 20 January 2015.

 

Notices of Amendments

 

Notice of Amendments: 7 January 2015 (PDF, 85KB)

Welsh Government - Purpose and Effect table: 7 January 2015 (PDF105KB)

 

Notice of Amendments: 13 January 2015 (PDF, 100KB)

 

Marshalled List of Amendments: 20 January 2015 (PDF, 113KB)

 

Groupings of Amendments: 20 January 2015 (PDF, 63KB)

 

Higher Education (Wales) Bill, as amended at Stage 3 (PDF, 237KB)

 

 

Stage 4 - Passing of the Bill in Plenary

 


The Bill was agreed by the Assembly in accordance with SO 12.36 on 27 January 2015.

 

Higher Education (Wales) Bill, As Passed (PDF, 234KB)

Higher Education (Wales) Bill, as passed (Crown XML)

 

Post-stage 4

 


The four week period of intimation has ended. Letters patent for the Bill have been submitted to Her Majesty The Queen for Royal Assent.

 

The Attorney General (PDF, 440KB), Counsel General (PDF, 141KB) and Secretary of State for Wales (PDF, 100KB) wrote to the Chief Executive and Clerk of the Assembly to advise that they would not be referring the Higher Education (Wales) Bill to the Supreme Court under Sections 112 or 114 of the Government of Wales Act 2006.

Date of Royal Assent

Royal Assent (PDF, 50KB) was given on 12 March 2015.

 

Contact information

 

This bill has been remitted to the Children, Young People and Education Committee

 

Clerk: Gareth Rogers

Deputy Clerk: Sarah Bartlett

Phone: 0300 200 6565

Email: SeneddCYPE@assembly.wales

Decision:

The item started at 15.27

 

NDM5659 Huw Lewis (Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney)

 

To propose that the National Assembly for Wales in accordance with Standing Order 26.36:

 

Agrees to dispose of sections and schedules to the Higher Education (Wales) Bill at Stage 3 in the following order:

 

a) sections 2 - 59

 

b) schedule

 

c) section 1

 

d) long title

 

The Motion was agreed, in accordance with Standing Order 12.36.

Publication date: 13/01/2015

Date of decision: 13/01/2015

Decided at meeting: 13/01/2015 - Plenary - Fourth Assembly