Agenda and minutes
Venue: Committee Room 3 - Senedd. View directions
Contact: Aled Elwyn Jones
Media
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Transcript: Transcript for 20/05/2021 - Business Committee
No. | Item |
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Introductions, apologies and substitutions Minutes: The Llywydd welcomed the Members to the first Business Committee meeting of the Sixth Senedd. |
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Motion under Standing Order 17.42(ix) to resolve to exclude the public from the remainder of this meeting and any future meetings where matters relating to the internal business of the committee, or of the Senedd will be discussed Minutes: The motion was agreed. |
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Committee working practices and procedures |
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Ways of Working Minutes: Business Committee agreed
to normally meet at 9.00am on Tuesdays during sitting weeks, and to do so in
private for the duration of the Sixth Senedd in order to discuss any matters
relating to the internal business of the committee, or of the Senedd. Business
Committee agreed to publish the Agendas of private meetings, and also that
minutes of private meetings should be published in English and Welsh within 1
week of their being agreed by the Committee. |
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Organisation of Business |
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Senedd Timetable Minutes: Business Committee agreed the timetable for
Plenary and party group meetings for the remainder of the summer term, and agreed
dates for the Whitsun half-term and summer recess 2021 and provisional dates
for recesses up to February 2022. Business Committee noted the Ministerial Oral
Questions schedule, and agreed the scheduling of Oral Questions to the Senedd
Commission. Business Committee also noted that the committee
timetable will be agreed following confirmation of the new committee structure. |
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Use of Senedd Time in Plenary Minutes: Business
Committee agreed to schedule one or two hours of opposition debates a week, and
that the time be allocated in one hour blocks in a 16:13 ratio to the
Conservative and Plaid Cymru groups respectively. Business
Committee also agreed: ·
to continue with the practice
adopted in the Fifth Senedd for scheduling Member Debates up to every other
week; ·
to continue with the practice
adopted in the Fifth Senedd for scheduling Member Legislative Proposals at
least once every half term; ·
to allocate 20 minutes of
Senedd Business per week for Topical Questions; ·
to allocate 5 minutes of Senedd
Business per week for 90 Second Statements; ·
to hold a Short Debate as the last
item of business every Wednesday and for it to be allocated 30 minutes; and ·
that opposition, committee and
Member debates should typically be
scheduled for an hour each, now that the Senedd is meeting in hybrid
format again. The
Llywydd informed the Committee of her intention to conduct a ballot for a
Member Bill during the next half term. The
Llywydd proposed a ‘grand debate’ to take place once or twice a year, and in
light of support from the Committee, asked officials to draw up proposals. The
Llywydd also asked Business Managers to discuss ideas for new items of Senedd
business with their groups. |
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Senedd Commission |
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Senedd Commission Minutes: Business
Committee considered the paper and agreed to discuss with groups and return to
the matter at the next meeting. |
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Committees |
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Establishment of an interim committee for the purposes of Standing Order 21 Minutes: Business
Committee noted that Legal Advice Notes will be prepared to help inform debates
on 26 May on motions to approve made affirmative statutory instruments and agreed
in principle to the establishment of an interim committee for the scrutiny of
statutory instruments under Standing Order 21. Business
Committee agreed to establish an interim Statutory Instruments Committee with
four members (including the Chair), with one member from the Labour Group, one
from the Conservative group and one from the Plaid Cymru group, plus the Deputy
Presiding Officer as Chair. Business Committee agreed to table the relevant
motions for consideration in Plenary on 26 May. |
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Any Other Business Committee
Structure The
Llywydd informed the Committee that an initial paper on a new committee
structure will be on the agenda for Tuesday’s meeting, and will be a priority
for the Committee over the coming weeks. |