Third Assembly Plenary Meeting
Votes and Proceedings (53)
Date: Wednesday, 12 March 2008
Time: 12.30pm
Item 1: Questions to the Minister for Social Justice and Local Government
The first 7 questions were answered. Questions 2 and 7 were answered by the Deputy Minister for Regeneration.
………………………………
1.09pm
Item 2: Questions to the Minister for Heritage
The first 9 questions were answered.
………………………………
1.53pm
Item 3: Questions to the Minister for the Environment, Sustainability and Housing
The first 12 Questions were answered. Questions 4, 6 and 12 were answered by the Deputy Minister for Housing.
………………………………
2.30pm
Item 4: Questions to the Assembly Commission
All questions were answered.
………………………………
2.32pm
Item 5: Welsh Conservatives Debate
NDM3896 William Graham (South Wales East)
The National Assembly for Wales:
1. Regrets the series of cuts in the Welsh Assembly Government’s road safety budget for 2008/09, 2009/10 and 2010/11.
2. Recognises the importance of a well-maintained road network to facilitate safer driving.
The following amendments were tabled:
Amendment 1 - Carwyn Jones (Bridgend)
Delete point 1.
Amendment 2 - Kirsty Williams (Brecon and Radnorshire)
Add new point at end of motion:
"Calls for a presumption of a 20 mph speed limit around all schools in Wales.”
Amendment 3 - Kirsty Williams (Brecon and Radnorshire)
Add new point at end of motion:
"Calls on the Welsh Assembly Government to develop a series of small scale rest areas along the A55.”
Voting on the motion and amendments under this item was deferred until Voting Time.
The results were as follows:
A vote was taken on Amendment 1:
For |
Abstain |
Against |
Total |
|---|---|---|---|
35 |
0 |
13 |
48 |
Amendment 1 was agreed.
A vote was taken on Amendment 2:
For |
Abstain |
Against |
Total |
|---|---|---|---|
49 |
0 |
0 |
49 |
Amendment 2 was agreed.
A vote was taken on Amendment 3:
For |
Abstain |
Against |
Total |
|---|---|---|---|
15 |
0 |
35 |
50 |
Amendment 3 was not agreed.
A vote was taken on the motion as amended:
NDM3896 William Graham (South Wales East)
The National Assembly for Wales:
1. Recognises the importance of a well-maintained road network to facilitate safer driving.
2. Calls for a presumption of a 20 mph speed limit around all schools in Wales.
For |
Abstain |
Against |
Total |
|---|---|---|---|
39 |
0 |
9 |
48 |
The motion as amended was agreed.
………………………………
3.19pm
Item 6: Welsh Conservatives Debate
NDM3897 William Graham (South Wales East)
To propose that the National Assembly for Wales:
1. Calls upon the Welsh Assembly Government to undertake its own independent Welsh language impact assessment prior to consultation on any school closure and to publish the report to inform the consultation process.
2. Believes that such an impact assessment should be commissioned by the Minister responsible for the Welsh language until such time that the Office of the Welsh Language Commissioner is established, following which responsibility should be transferred to the Commissioner.
The following amendments were tabled:
Amendment 1 - Carwyn Jones (Bridgend)
Delete point 1 and replace with:
"1. Welcomes the intention of the Welsh Assembly Government to revise and strengthen the guidance provided to local authorities in Wales on school re-organisations and closures, including assessment of the impact on the Welsh language.”
Amendment 2 - Carwyn Jones (Bridgend)
In point 2 delete "such an impact assessment should be commissioned by”
and replace with "guidance should be produced in consultation with”.
Amendment 3 - Carwyn Jones (Bridgend)
In point 2 delete all after "language”.
Voting on the motion and amendments under this item was deferred until Voting Time.
The results were as follows:
A vote was taken on Amendment 1:
For |
Abstain |
Against |
Total |
|---|---|---|---|
41 |
0 |
9 |
50 |
Amendment 1 was agreed.
A vote was taken on Amendment 2:
For |
Abstain |
Against |
Total |
|---|---|---|---|
39 |
0 |
8 |
47 |
Amendment 2 was agreed.
A vote was taken on Amendment 3:
For |
Abstain |
Against |
Total |
|---|---|---|---|
41 |
0 |
9 |
50 |
Amendment 3 was agreed.
A vote was taken on the motion as amended:
NDM3897 William Graham (South Wales East)
To propose that the National Assembly for Wales:
1. Welcomes the intention of the Welsh Assembly Government to revise and strengthen the guidance provided to local authorities in Wales on school re-organisations and closures, including assessment of the impact on the Welsh language.
2. Believes that guidance should be produced in consultation with the Minister responsible for the Welsh language.
For |
Abstain |
Against |
Total |
|---|---|---|---|
41 |
0 |
9 |
50 |
The motion as amended was agreed
………………………………
4.05pm
Item 7: Welsh Liberal Democrats Debate
NDM3898 Kirsty Williams (Brecon and Radnorshire)
To propose that the National Assembly for Wales:
1. Notes that the new dental contract has been in operation for two years;
2. Notes the difficulty that many people in Wales still have in accessing an NHS dentist and that many NHS dentists have found the new contract to be unsatisfactory;
3. Notes with concern that the dental contract has failed to solve many of the problems of NHS dentistry;
4. Calls on the Welsh Assembly Government to undertake an urgent review of NHS Dentistry in Wales with a view to replacing the Dental Contract with a re-drafted version with a strong emphasis on preventative care.
The following amendments were tabled:
Amendment 1 - William Graham (South Wales East)
Insert as a new point 1 and renumber accordingly:
"Accepts that the Assembly Government was wrong in its assertion that the new dental contract would give access to an NHS dentist for all those who need it.”
Amendment 2 - Carwyn Jones (Bridgend)
Insert "nearly”
before "two”
in point 1.
Amendment 3 - Carwyn Jones (Bridgend)
Delete point 2 and replace with:
"2. Welcomes the fact that thousands of extra NHS dental places are now available in Wales;”
Amendment 4 - Carwyn Jones (Bridgend) - Amendment 4 was withdrawn
Delete point 3 and replace with:
"3. Endorses the decision of the Health Minister to set up a task and finish group to report on ways in which the working of the contract can be improved, as notified to the Assembly in an oral statement on 17 November 2007, and looks forward to its publication.”
Amendment 5 - Carwyn Jones (Bridgend)
Delete point 4.
Voting on the motion and amendments under this item was deferred until Voting Time.
The results were as follows:
A vote was taken on Amendment 1:
For |
Abstain |
Against |
Total |
|---|---|---|---|
16 |
0 |
34 |
50 |
Amendment 1 was not agreed.
A vote was taken on Amendment 2:
For |
Abstain |
Against |
Total |
|---|---|---|---|
40 |
0 |
10 |
50 |
Amendment 2 was agreed.
A vote was taken on Amendment 3:
For |
Abstain |
Against |
Total |
|---|---|---|---|
35 |
0 |
15 |
50 |
Amendment 3 was agreed.
Amendment 4 was withdrawn, with the agreement of the Assembly.
A vote was taken on Amendment 5:
For |
Abstain |
Against |
Total |
|---|---|---|---|
35 |
0 |
15 |
50 |
Amendment 5 was agreed.
A vote was taken on the motion as amended:
NDM3898 Kirsty Williams (Brecon and Radnorshire)
To propose that the National Assembly for Wales:
1. Notes that the new dental contract has been in operation for nearly two years;
2. Welcomes the fact that thousands of extra NHS dental places are now available in Wales;
3. Notes with concern that the dental contract has failed to solve many of the problems of NHS dentistry.
For |
Abstain |
Against |
Total |
|---|---|---|---|
35 |
0 |
15 |
50 |
The motion as amended was agreed.
………………………………
4.55pm
The meeting was adjourned.
5.00pm
The meeting reconvened for Voting Time.
………………………………
5.06pm
Item 8: Short Debate
NDM3899 Alun Davies (Mid and West Wales):
Popular politics - reinventing democracy by putting the people in charge.
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