Decision details
Stage 3 Standing Order 26.44 debate on 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 |
|
Stage 1 - Committee
consideration of general principles |
The
Committee considered the Bill on the following dates: 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 |
|
Financial Resolution |
|
Stage 2 - Committee
consideration of amendments |
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 |
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 |
Higher Education (Wales) Bill, As Passed (PDF,
234KB) Higher Education (Wales) Bill, as passed (Crown
XML) |
Post-stage 4 |
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 15.45
The amendments will be disposed of in the order
that the sections and schedules to which they relate were set out in the motion
under Standing Order 26.36 agreed by the Assembly on 13 January 2015.
A vote was taken on Amendment 26:
For |
Abstain |
Against |
Total |
27 |
0 |
28 |
55 |
As required by Standing Order 6.20 the Deputy Presiding Officer
exercised his casting vote by voting against the amendment. Therefore, the amendment was not agreed.
Amendment 1 was agreed, in accordance with Standing Order 12.36.
Amendment 2 was agreed, in accordance with Standing Order 12.36.
A vote was taken on Amendment 34:
For |
Abstain |
Against |
Total |
26 |
0 |
27 |
53 |
Amendment 34 was not agreed.
A vote was taken on Amendment 28:
For |
Abstain |
Against |
Total |
27 |
0 |
28 |
55 |
As required by Standing Order 6.20 the Deputy Presiding Officer
exercised his casting vote by voting against the amendment. Therefore, the amendment was not agreed.
A vote was taken on Amendment 35:
For |
Abstain |
Against |
Total |
27 |
0 |
28 |
55 |
As required by Standing Order 6.20 the Deputy Presiding Officer
exercised his casting vote by voting against the amendment. Therefore, the amendment was not agreed.
Amendment 3 was agreed, in accordance with Standing Order 12.36.
Amendment 4 was agreed, in accordance with Standing Order 12.36.
As amendment 28 was not agreed, amendment 29 fell.
Amendment 5 was agreed, in accordance with Standing Order 12.36.
A vote was taken on Amendment 27:
For |
Abstain |
Against |
Total |
27 |
0 |
28 |
55 |
As required by Standing Order 6.20 the Deputy Presiding Officer
exercised his casting vote by voting against the amendment. Therefore, the amendment was not agreed.
As amendment 28 was not agreed, amendment 30 fell.
A vote was taken on Amendment 6A:
For |
Abstain |
Against |
Total |
27 |
0 |
28 |
55 |
As required by Standing Order 6.20 the Deputy Presiding Officer
exercised his casting vote by voting against the amendment. Therefore, the amendment was not agreed.
A vote was taken on Amendment 6B:
For |
Abstain |
Against |
Total |
27 |
0 |
28 |
55 |
As required by Standing Order 6.20 the Deputy Presiding Officer
exercised his casting vote by voting against the amendment. Therefore, the amendment was not agreed.
Amendment 6 was agreed, in accordance with Standing Order 12.36.
A vote was taken on Amendment 31:
For |
Abstain |
Against |
Total |
27 |
0 |
28 |
55 |
As required by Standing Order 6.20 the Deputy Presiding Officer
exercised his casting vote by voting against the amendment. Therefore, the amendment was not agreed.
A vote was taken on Amendment 32:
For |
Abstain |
Against |
Total |
27 |
0 |
28 |
55 |
As required by Standing Order 6.20 the Deputy Presiding Officer
exercised his casting vote by voting against the amendment. Therefore, the amendment was not agreed.
Amendment 7 was agreed, in accordance with Standing Order 12.36.
Amendment 8 was agreed, in accordance with Standing Order 12.36.
A vote was taken on Amendment 36:
For |
Abstain |
Against |
Total |
27 |
0 |
28 |
55 |
As required by Standing Order 6.20 the Deputy Presiding Officer
exercised his casting vote by voting against the amendment. Therefore, the amendment was not agreed.
A vote was taken on Amendment 37:
For |
Abstain |
Against |
Total |
26 |
0 |
27 |
53 |
Amendment 37 was not agreed.
Amendment 9 was agreed, in accordance with Standing Order 12.36.
Amendment 10 was agreed, in accordance with Standing Order 12.36.
Amendment 11 was agreed, in accordance with Standing Order 12.36.
Amendment 12 was agreed, in accordance with Standing Order 12.36.
Amendment 13 was agreed, in accordance with Standing Order 12.36.
Amendment 14 was agreed, in accordance with Standing Order 12.36.
A vote was taken on Amendment 38:
For |
Abstain |
Against |
Total |
27 |
0 |
28 |
55 |
As required by Standing Order 6.20 the Deputy Presiding Officer
exercised his casting vote by voting against the amendment. Therefore, the amendment was not agreed.
Amendment 15 was agreed, in accordance with Standing Order 12.36.
A vote was taken on Amendment 16:
For |
Abstain |
Against |
Total |
49 |
0 |
5 |
54 |
Amendment 16 was agreed.
A vote was taken on Amendment 39:
For |
Abstain |
Against |
Total |
27 |
0 |
28 |
55 |
As required by Standing Order 6.20 the Deputy Presiding Officer
exercised his casting vote by voting against the amendment. Therefore, the amendment was not agreed.
Amendment 17 was agreed, in accordance with Standing Order 12.36.
A vote was taken on Amendment 43:
For |
Abstain |
Against |
Total |
27 |
0 |
28 |
55 |
As required by Standing Order 6.20 the Deputy Presiding Officer
exercised his casting vote by voting against the amendment. Therefore, the amendment was not agreed.
A vote was taken on Amendment 40:
For |
Abstain |
Against |
Total |
15 |
12 |
27 |
54 |
Amendment 40 was not agreed.
A vote was taken on Amendment 44:
For |
Abstain |
Against |
Total |
27 |
0 |
28 |
55 |
As required by Standing Order 6.20 the Deputy Presiding Officer
exercised his casting vote by voting against the amendment. Therefore, the amendment was not agreed.
As amendment 28 was not agreed, amendment 33 fell.
A vote was taken on Amendment 41:
For |
Abstain |
Against |
Total |
27 |
0 |
28 |
55 |
As required by Standing Order 6.20 the Deputy Presiding Officer
exercised his casting vote by voting against the amendment. Therefore, the amendment was not agreed.
Amendment 18 was agreed, in accordance with Standing Order 12.36.
Amendment 19 was agreed, in accordance with Standing Order 12.36.
Amendment 20 was agreed, in accordance with Standing Order 12.36.
Amendment 21 was agreed, in accordance with Standing Order 12.36.
Amendment 22 was agreed, in accordance with Standing Order 12.36.
A vote was taken on Amendment 42:
For |
Abstain |
Against |
Total |
14 |
0 |
39 |
53 |
Amendment 42 was not agreed.
Amendment 23 was agreed, in accordance with Standing Order 12.36.
Amendment 24 was agreed, in accordance with Standing Order 12.36.
Amendment 25 was agreed, in accordance with Standing Order 12.36.
All sections and schedules of the Bill were deemed
agreed, concluding Stage 3 proceedings.
Publication date: 20/01/2015
Date of decision: 20/01/2015
Decided at meeting: 20/01/2015 - Plenary - Fourth Assembly