Agenda and decisions

Venue: Y Siambr - Y Senedd

Media

Senedd.TV: View the webcast

Items
Expected timing No. Item

(45 mins)

1.

Questions to the Minister for Education and Skills

Decision:

The item started at 13:30.

 

The first 12 questions were asked.  Questions 4 and 10 were answered by the Deputy Minister for Skills.

(45 mins)

2.

Questions to the Minister for Local Government and Communities

Decision:

The item started at 14:16

 

The first 13 questions were asked.

(60 mins)

3.

Welsh Conservatives Debate

NDM4998 William Graham (South Wales East)

 

To propose that the National Assembly for Wales:

 

1. Notes that:

 

a) forty per cent of pupils start secondary school with a reading age at least six months below their chronological age, according to Estyn’s Annual Report 2010/2011;

 

b) Welsh performance in the 2009 Programme for International Student Assessments (PISA) was significantly below that of other UK nations;

 

c) there has been a decline in the number of pupils in Wales achieving top grades at A Level;

 

d) performance in GCSE and A Level examinations in Wales is worse than in England; and

 

e) there are presently no Welsh Universities in the World Top 200 Times Higher Education Rankings 2011/12, whereas there are 27 from England and 5 from Scotland.

 

2. Regrets that the Welsh Government has not effectively utilised its education budgets to drive up standards in the Welsh educational system.

 

3. Urges the Welsh Government to outline how education expenditure is monitored to ensure resources, where possible, are focussed on activities which deliver services directly to learners.

 

4. Calls on the Welsh Government to re-prioritise education spending effectively in order to best deliver improvements in educational attainment in Wales.

 

Estyn’s Annual Report 2010/2011 can be accessed through the following hyperlink: http://www.estyn.gov.uk/english/annual-report/annual-report-2010-2011/

 

The Top 200 Times Higher Education Rankings can be accessed through the following hyperlink: http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/world-university-rankings/2011-2012/top-400.html

 

The following amendments have been tabled:

 

Amendment 1 - Jocelyn Davies (South Wales East)

 

Delete point 4.

 

Amendment 2 - Aled Roberts (North Wales)

 

Add as new point at end of motion:

 

Welcomes the pupil deprivation grant which is aimed at improving the educational attainment of disadvantaged pupils.

 

Amendment 3 - Aled Roberts (North Wales)

 

Add as new point at end of motion:

 

Calls on the Welsh Government to ensure that spending of the pupil deprivation grant is effectively monitored so that it delivers improvement in attainment.

 

Amendment 4 - Aled Roberts (North Wales)

 

Add as new point at end of motion:

 

Calls on the Welsh Government to develop plans to increase the pupil deprivation grant in future years to help develop further improvement in attainment.

 

Decision:

The item started at 15:01

 

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

 

A vote was taken on the motion without amendment:

 

NDM4998 William Graham (South Wales East)

 

To propose that the National Assembly for Wales:

 

1. Notes that:

 

a) forty per cent of pupils start secondary school with a reading age at least six months below their chronological age, according to Estyn’s Annual Report 2010/2011;

 

b) Welsh performance in the 2009 Programme for International Student Assessments (PISA) was significantly below that of other UK nations;

 

c) there has been a decline in the number of pupils in Wales achieving top grades at A Level;

 

d) performance in GCSE and A Level examinations in Wales is worse than in England; and

 

e) there are presently no Welsh Universities in the World Top 200 Times Higher Education Rankings 2011/12, whereas there are 27 from England and 5 from Scotland.

 

2. Regrets that the Welsh Government has not effectively utilised its education budgets to drive up standards in the Welsh educational system.

 

3. Urges the Welsh Government to outline how education expenditure is monitored to ensure resources, where possible, are focussed on activities which deliver services directly to learners.

 

4. Calls on the Welsh Government to re-prioritise education spending effectively in order to best deliver improvements in educational attainment in Wales.

 

Estyn’s Annual Report 2010/2011 can be accessed through the following hyperlink: http://www.estyn.gov.uk/english/annual-report/annual-report-2010-2011/

 

The Top 200 Times Higher Education Rankings can be accessed through the following hyperlink: http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/world-university-rankings/2011-2012/top-400.html

 

For

Abstain

Against

Total

13

0

44

57

The motion without amendment was not agreed.

The following amendments were tabled:

Amendment 1 - Jocelyn Davies (South Wales East)

 

Delete point 4.

 

A vote was taken on Amendment 1:

For

Abstain

Against

Total

39

0

18

57

Amendment 1 was agreed.

 

Amendment 2 - Aled Roberts (North Wales)

 

Add as new point at end of motion:

 

Welcomes the pupil deprivation grant which is aimed at improving the educational attainment of disadvantaged pupils.

 

A vote was taken on Amendment 2:

For

Abstain

Against

Total

34

10

13

57

Amendment 2 was agreed.

 

Amendment 3 - Aled Roberts (North Wales)

 

Add as new point at end of motion:

 

Calls on the Welsh Government to ensure that spending of the pupil deprivation grant is effectively monitored so that it delivers improvement in attainment.

 

A vote was taken on Amendment 3:

For

Abstain

Against

Total

56

0

0

56

Amendment 3 was agreed.

 

Amendment 4 - Aled Roberts (North Wales)

 

Add as new point at end of motion:

 

Calls on the Welsh Government to develop plans to increase the pupil deprivation grant in future years to help develop further improvement in attainment.

 

A vote was taken on Amendment 4:

For

Abstain

Against

Total

5

13

39

57

Amendment 4 was not agreed.

 

A vote was taken on the motion as amended:

 

NDM4998 William Graham (South Wales East)

 

To propose that the National Assembly for Wales:

 

1. Notes that:

 

a) forty per cent of pupils start secondary school with a reading age at least six months below their chronological age, according to Estyn’s Annual Report 2010/2011;

 

b) Welsh performance in the 2009 Programme for International Student Assessments (PISA) was significantly below that of other UK nations;

 

c) there has been a decline in the number of pupils in Wales achieving top grades at A Level;

 

d) performance in GCSE and A Level examinations in Wales is worse than in England; and

 

e) there are presently no Welsh Universities in the World Top 200 Times Higher Education Rankings 2011/12, whereas there are 27 from England and 5 from Scotland.

 

2. Regrets that the Welsh Government has not effectively utilised its education budgets to drive up standards in the Welsh educational system.

 

3. Urges the Welsh Government to outline how education expenditure is monitored to ensure resources, where possible, are focussed on activities which deliver services directly to learners.

 

4. Welcomes the pupil deprivation grant which is aimed at improving the educational attainment of disadvantaged pupils.

 

5. Calls on the Welsh Government to ensure that spending of the pupil deprivation grant is effectively monitored so that it delivers improvement in attainment.

 

 

For

Abstain

Against

Total

14

13

29

56

The motion as amended was not agreed.

 

(60 mins)

4.

Plaid Cymru Debate

NDM5000 Jocelyn Davies (South Wales East)

 

To propose that the National Assembly for Wales:

 

1. Supports the application by Nominet to the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), for two Top Level Domains, .cymru and .wales for our nation;

 

2. Believes that such an internet presence will assist in the promotion of Wales internationally and in the growth of e-commerce; and

 

3. Calls on the Assembly Commission to adopt these two Top Level Domain names as soon as practicable.

 

The following amendments have been tabled:

 

Amendment 1 – Aled Roberts (North Wales)

 

In point 3, after 'Calls on', insert 'the Welsh government, its agencies and'

 

Amendment 2 – Aled Roberts (North Wales)

 

Insert at end of point 3, 'and further calls on the Welsh government to encourage other public bodies in Wales to do the same'.

 

Amendment 3 – William Graham (South Wales East)

 

Add new point at end of the motion:

 

Believes that such an internet presence will help encourage the use of Welsh in everyday life.

 

 

 

 

Decision:

The item started at 16:05.

 

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

 

A vote was taken on the motion without amendment:

 

NDM5000 Jocelyn Davies (South Wales East)

 

To propose that the National Assembly for Wales:

 

1. Supports the application by Nominet to the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), for two Top Level Domains, .cymru and .wales for our nation;

 

2. Believes that such an internet presence will assist in the promotion of Wales internationally and in the growth of e-commerce; and

 

3. Calls on the Assembly Commission to adopt these two Top Level Domain names as soon as practicable.

 

For

Abstain

Against

Total

39

0

18

57

The motion without amendment was agreed.


 

(60 mins)

5.

Welsh Liberal Democrats Debate

NDM5001 Aled Roberts (North Wales)

 

To propose that the National Assembly for Wales:

 

Calls on the Welsh Government to ensure that its’ National Cancer Delivery Plan will:

 

a) enable as many people as possible to receive cancer treatment as close to their homes as possible;

 

b) provide for support for cancer patients who struggle to travel to their treatment centre; and

 

c) provide for financial and practical advice for cancer sufferers.

 

The following amendments have been tabled:

 

Amendment 1 - Jocelyn Davies (South Wales East)

 

Insert at end of sub point c)

 

‘including welfare benefit advice’

 

Amendment 2 - William Graham (South Wales East)

 

Add as new point at end of motion:

 

Regrets that patients in Wales are five times less likely to access newer cancer drugs than patients in England.

 

Amendment 3 - William Graham (South Wales East)

 

Add as new point at end of motion:

 

Notes that there are 24 modern cancer drugs which are now routinely available to patients in England via the use of the UK Government’s Cancer Drugs Fund and regrets that these are less accessible for patients in Wales.

 

Amendment 4 - William Graham (South Wales East)

 

Add as new point at end of motion:

 

Calls on the Welsh Government to establish a fund which will improve access for Welsh patients to modern cancer treatments.

 

Amendment 5 - William Graham (South Wales East)

 

Add as new point at end of motion:

 

Notes the Welsh Government’s record-breaking cuts to the Welsh National Health Service in 2012-13 and that these have the potential to jeopardise the implementation of the National Cancer Delivery Plan.

 

Decision:

The item started at 17:01

 

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

 

A vote was taken on the motion without amendment:

 

NDM5001 Aled Roberts (North Wales)

 

To propose that the National Assembly for Wales:

 

Calls on the Welsh Government to ensure that its’ National Cancer Delivery Plan will:

 

a) enable as many people as possible to receive cancer treatment as close to their homes as possible;

 

b) provide for support for cancer patients who struggle to travel to their treatment centre; and

 

c) provide for financial and practical advice for cancer sufferers.

 

For

Abstain

Against

Total

35

0

22

57

The motion without amendment was agreed.


 

Voting Time

Voting Time started at 18:01

 

Votes Summary

Supporting documents:

(30 mins)

6.

Short Debate

NDM4999 Keith Davies (Llanelli)

 

Policing is a Priority

 

To discuss the future of Policing in Wales.

 

Decision:

The item started at 18:03

 

NDM4999 Keith Davies (Llanelli)

 

Policing is a Priority

 

To discuss the future of Policing in Wales.

 

Record of Proceedings

Supporting documents: