Agenda and minutes

Venue: Y Siambr - Y Senedd

Expected timing: 112(v3) 

Media

Senedd.TV: View the webcast

Transcript: Transcript for 17/01/2018 - Plenary - Fifth Senedd

Items
Expected timing No. Item

(45 mins)

1.

Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Energy, Planning and Rural Affairs

The Presiding Officer will call Party Spokespeople to ask questions without notice to the Cabinet Secretary after Question 3.

View Questions

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

The item started at 13.30

Questions 2–9 were asked. Question 1 was withdrawn. Questions 3, 5, 6, 8 and 9 were answered by the Minister for Environment. The Presiding Officer invited party spokespeople to ask questions to the Cabinet Secretary and the Minister after question 3.

(45 mins)

2.

Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Local Government and Public Services

The Presiding Officer will call Party Spokespeople to ask questions without notice to the Cabinet Secretary after Question 2.

View Questions

Minutes:

The item started at 14.16

The first 7 questions were asked. Questions 1, 2 and 7 were answered by the Minister for Housing and Regeneration. The Presiding Officer invited party spokespeople to ask questions to the Cabinet Secretary and the Minister after question 2.

(20 mins)

3.

Topical Questions

To ask the Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Transport

Russell George (Montgomeryshire): Will the Cabinet Secretary make a statement on the Welsh Government's £2.5 million investment in TVR?

Minutes:

The item started at 15.04

To ask the Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Transport

Russell George (Montgomeryshire): Will the Cabinet Secretary make a statement on the Welsh Government's £2.5 million investment in TVR?

(5 mins)

4.

90 Second Statements

Minutes:

The item started at 15.19

Dawn Bowden made a statement on the Merthyr Tydfil Synagogue.

Vikki Howells made a statement to mark the 23rd anniversary of the reopening of Tower Colliery.

Simon Thomas made a statement on the Llŷn Coastal Bus.

Motion to elect a Member to a committee

The item started at 15.23

NDM6630 Elin Jones (Ceredigion)

To propose that the National Assembly for Wales, in accordance with Standing Order 17.3, elects Mandy Jones (Independent) as a Member of the Constitutional and Legislative Affairs Committee.

The motion was agreed in accordance with Standing Order 12.36.

 

(30 mins)

5.

Debate on a Member's Legislative Proposal

NDM6576 Steffan Lewis (South Wales East)

To propose that the National Assembly for Wales:

1. Notes a proposal for a Welsh Continuation Bill.

2. Notes that the purpose of this Bill would be to affirm the continuation in Welsh law of all areas previously a matter of EU law that fall within the legislative competence of the National Assembly for Wales in accordance with the Wales Act 2017.

Supporters:

Adam Price (Carmarthen East and Dinefwr)
Dai Lloyd (South Wales West)
Leanne Wood (Rhondda)
Rhun ap Iorwerth (Ynys Môn)
Sian Gwenllian (Arfon)
Simon Thomas (Mid and West Wales)

Minutes:

The item started at 15.24

NDM6576 Steffan Lewis (South Wales East)

To propose that the National Assembly for Wales:

1. Notes a proposal for a Welsh Continuation Bill.

2. Notes that the purpose of this Bill would be to affirm the continuation in Welsh law of all areas previously a matter of EU law that fall within the legislative competence of the National Assembly for Wales in accordance with the Wales Act 2017.

The motion was agreed in accordance with Standing Order 12.36.

(60 mins)

6.

Member Debate under Standing Order 11.21(iv)

NDM6565

Mark Isherwood (North Wales)
Leanne Wood (Rhondda)
Mike Hedges (Swansea East)
Rhun ap Iorwerth (Ynys Môn)

To propose that the National Assembly for Wales:

1. Recognises that there is clinical evidence of the effectiveness of cannabis for medicinal purposes.

2. Recognises that, whilst Wales is the only nation in the UK where the cannabinoid symptom management drug Sativex is available on the NHS, it is only licensed for the treatment of spasticity and only then available to a small group of people living with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) who meet the criteria.

3. Believes that the Welsh Government should ask the UK Government to reschedule cannabis for medicinal purposes; and, in preparation for this outcome, the Welsh Government should map out within the Welsh NHS how a system whereby cannabis for medicinal purposes could be made available via a prescription to those who could benefit.

4. Notes that:

a) many people living with conditions such as Multiple Sclerosis, Dystonia, Epilepsy and Cancer in Wales use illegally obtained cannabis for medicinal purposes but by doing so risk prosecution and are also being exposed to other drugs; 

b) the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Drug Policy Reform in the House of Commons emphatically called on the UK Government to legalise medical cannabis based on the results of their 7 month inquiry into the issue and on the findings of an independent review of global evidence led by Professor Michael P. Barnes;

c) there a growing number of countries which regulate the medical use of cannabis and cannabis derivatives, such as Canada, the Netherlands, Israel and over 20 States in the US, who regulate herbal cannabis for medical use;

d) a number of countries, including Germany and Switzerland, enable patients to import cannabis for medical use from the Netherlands;

e) the MS Society UK has changed its policy position to call on the UK Government and health bodies to ‘develop a system that legalises cannabis for medicinal use’ in light of positive evidence of the use of cannabis in treating pain and spasticity;

f) Newport West MP Paul Flynn’s 10 minute rule bill on the legalisation of cannabis for medicinal use was put through unopposed to the next reading on 23rd February 2018 on 10 October.

Report of the Inquiry of the All Party Parliamentary Group for Drug Policy Reform into medicinal cannabis
Cannabis: The Evidence for Medical Use - Professor Michael P Barnes
MS Society UK - Cannabis and MS
Legalisation of Cannabis (Medicinal Purposes) Bill 2017-19

Minutes:

The item started at 15.56

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

NDM6565

Mark Isherwood (North Wales)
Leanne Wood (Rhondda)
Mike Hedges (Swansea East)
Rhun ap Iorwerth (Ynys Môn)

To propose that the National Assembly for Wales:

1. Recognises that there is clinical evidence of the effectiveness of cannabis for medicinal purposes.

2. Recognises that, whilst Wales is the only nation in the UK where the cannabinoid symptom management drug Sativex is available on the NHS, it is only licensed for the treatment of spasticity and only then available to a small group of people living with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) who meet the criteria.

3. Believes that the Welsh Government should ask the UK Government to reschedule cannabis for medicinal purposes; and, in preparation for this outcome, the Welsh Government should map out within the Welsh NHS how a system whereby cannabis for medicinal purposes could be made available via a prescription to those who could benefit.

4. Notes that:

a) many people living with conditions such as Multiple Sclerosis, Dystonia, Epilepsy and Cancer in Wales use illegally obtained cannabis for medicinal purposes but by doing so risk prosecution and are also being exposed to other drugs; 

b) the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Drug Policy Reform in the House of Commons emphatically called on the UK Government to legalise medical cannabis based on the results of their 7 month inquiry into the issue and on the findings of an independent review of global evidence led by Professor Michael P. Barnes;

c) there a growing number of countries which regulate the medical use of cannabis and cannabis derivatives, such as Canada, the Netherlands, Israel and over 20 States in the US, who regulate herbal cannabis for medical use;

d) a number of countries, including Germany and Switzerland, enable patients to import cannabis for medical use from the Netherlands;

e) the MS Society UK has changed its policy position to call on the UK Government and health bodies to ‘develop a system that legalises cannabis for medicinal use’ in light of positive evidence of the use of cannabis in treating pain and spasticity;

f) Newport West MP Paul Flynn’s 10 minute rule bill on the legalisation of cannabis for medicinal use was put through unopposed to the next reading on 23rd February 2018 on 10 October.The result was as follows:

For

Abstain

Against

Total

31

18

2

51

The motion was agreed.

 

(60 mins)

7.

Debate on the Health, Social Care and Sport Committee's report on Primary Care Clusters

NDM6624 Dai Lloyd (South Wales West)

To propose that the National Assembly for Wales:

Notes the report of the Health, Social Care and Sport Committee on Primary Care Clusters, which was laid in the Table Office on 13 October 2017.

Note: The response of the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Services to the report was laid in the Table Office on 10 January 2018.

Minutes:

The item started at 16.48

NDM6624 Dai Lloyd (South Wales West)

To propose that the National Assembly for Wales:

Notes the report of the Health, Social Care and Sport Committee on Primary Care Clusters, which was laid in the Table Office on 13 October 2017.

Note: The response of the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Services to the report was laid in the Table Office on 10 January 2018.

The motion was agreed in accordance with Standing Order 12.36.

8.

Voting Time

Minutes:

The item started at 17.41

Votes Summary

Supporting documents:

(30 mins)

9.

Short Debate

NDM6625 Lee Waters (Llanelli)

The robots are coming – Wales needs a plan for automation

Minutes:

The item started at 17.42

NDM6625 Lee Waters (Llanelli)

The robots are coming - Wales needs a plan for automation