Agenda and minutes

The minutes for the meeting were agreed by the Committee for publication.

The Trefnydd informed Business Managers that the Minister for Health and Social Services will be answering FMQs on behalf of the First Minister, who is unwell.

She also informed Business Managers that there will be an additional oral statement today by the Minister for Economy and Transport on TATA Steel.

Tuesday

·         Voting Time will take place after the last item of business. 

Wednesday

·         Voting Time will take place before the Short Debate.

Business Managers agreed to a request to postpone Suzy Davies’ Short Debate from this Wednesday to the first Wednesday in January, and agreed that when the ballot for next term is conducted in December it will start with the second week of term.

Business Committee noted the 3 Week Timetable of Government Business.

Business Committee determined the organisation of Assembly business and agreed to schedule the following items of business:

Wednesday 11 December 2019 –

·         Member Debate under Standing Order 11.21(iv) (60 mins)

·         Debate on the Economy, Infrastructure and Skills Committee report - Access to Banking (60 mins)

·         Time allocated to the Welsh Conservatives (60 mins)

·         Short Debate Vikki Howells (Cynon Valley) (30 mins) – postponed from 13 November

Business Managers selected the following motion for debate on 27 November:

NNDM7191

Lynne Neagle (Torfaen)

Dai Lloyd (South Wales West)

David Melding (South Wales Central)

To propose that the National Assembly for Wales:

1. Recognises that one in four people diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in the UK do not survive the disease beyond a month and three in four do not survive beyond a year, many because they were not treated quickly enough.

2. Recognises in Wales there are around 500 new cases of pancreatic cancers every year, and that, in 2015, some 508 people were diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and in the same year some 451 people died of the disease.

3. Recognises pancreatic cancer is the deadliest common cancer with a dismal prognosis that has hardly changed in the last 45 years.

4. Welcomes Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month (November) and the work Pancreatic Cancer UK does to promote awareness around the lowest surviving and quickest killing cancer.

5. Calls on Welsh Government to take action to improve survival rates for people with pancreatic cancer in Wales through:

a) faster treatment, by learning from fast-track surgery models in England that have shown promising results;

b) earlier diagnosis, by learning from Rapid Diagnostic Centres being rolled out in England and piloted by Swansea Bay University Health Board and Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board; and

c) holistic support, through timely dietary and nutritional support to enable patients to better tolerate treatment.

Supported by:

Delyth Jewell (South Wales East)

Joyce Watson (Mid and West Wales)

Mark Isherwood (North Wales)

Neil Hamilton (Mid and West Wales)

Neil McEvoy (South Wales Central)

Vikki Howells (Cynon Valley)

Business Managers considered the request from the Equalities, Local Government and Communities Committee to extend Stage 1 scrutiny to 14 weeks, and a consequential change to the Stage 2 deadline.

Darren Millar, Rhun ap Iorwerth and Caroline Jones supported the committee’s proposal to extend the timetable. The Trefnydd objected to any change as it would remove the chance of flexibility at a later stage, including to extend Stages 2 and 3 if necessary, and the possibility of a Report Stage.  In light of the different opinions expressed, Business Committee agreed to explore with the Committee the possibility of a compromise which did not involve moving the stage 2 deadline, i.e.  a longer stage 1 and a shorter stage 2.

The Committee noted that the Welsh Government has indicated it will be introducing a Housing Bill relating to no fault evictions early in 2020, which is expected to be remitted to the Committee. Business Managers suggested that this Bill could be remitted to the External Affairs and Additional Legislation Committee instead of the Equalities, Local Government and Communities Committee if that helped relieve the pressure on the Committee.

Business Managers agreed to a deadline of Thursday 5 December for the Constitutional and Legislative Affairs Committee and the Finance Committee to report on the draft Order

The Committee decided that members of the CWLC Committee could leave Plenary on 27 November to travel to Wrexham only after Voting Time had taken place.

The Trefnydd informed Business Managers that the delay to Stage 3 of the Children (Abolition of the Defence of Reasonable Punishment) (Wales) Bill was due to the restrictions of the pre-election period in Westminster.

Business Managers questioned the consistency of the government’s approach in relation to the pre-election period, and cited announcements that had been made via answers to questions, as well as in scheduled business.

Business Managers noted that the timetabling of Government Business was a matter for the Trefnydd. The Trefnydd agreed to make Ministerial colleagues aware of the concerns that had been raised.