Third Assembly Plenary Meeting

Votes and Proceedings (59)

Date: Wednesday, 23 April 2008
Time: 12.30pm

Item 1: Questions to the Counsel General  
All questions were answered. Questions 2, 3 and 4 were transferred for written answer.

………………………………

12.37pm
Item 2: Questions to the Minister for Rural Affairs  
All questions were answered, questions 6 and 7 were withdrawn and question 15 was transferred for written answer.

………………………………

1.20pm
Item 3: Welsh Conservatives Debate

NDM3915 William Graham (South Wales East)

To propose that the National Assembly for Wales:

Agrees that the scale of this year's Council Tax rises are the result of the Assembly Government's derisory financial settlement for local authorities.

The following amendments were tabled:

Amendment 1 - William Graham (South Wales East)

Insert new point at end of motion:

"Acknowledges the social and economic benefits of immediately implementing a £100 Council Tax rebate to all pensioner households in Wales.”

Amendment 2 - Kirsty Williams (Brecon and Radnorshire

Add as at new points at end of motion:

"Believes that the Council Tax system is inherently unfair and calls for its replacement by a system based on the ability to pay.”

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:

Votes and Proceedings

For	Abstain	Against	Total
10	0	32	42

Amendment 1 was not agreed.

A vote was taken on Amendment 2:

Votes and Proceedings

For	Abstain	Against	Total
14	0	26	40

Amendment 2 was not agreed.

A vote was taken on the motion:

Votes and Proceedings

For	Abstain	Against	Total
4	0	38	42

The motion was not agreed.

………………………………

2.24pm
Item 4: Welsh Conservatives Debate

NDM3916 William Graham (South Wales East)

To propose that the National Assembly for Wales:

1. Expresses concern about the condition of urban environments and the lack of green community spaces in our towns and cities in Wales;

2. Deplores the lack of prioritisation given to tackling public nuisance offences like litter dropping and dog-fouling and calls on the Assembly Government to use its powers to promote the use of existing tools to tackle these issues of public nuisance; and

3. Calls on the Assembly Government to work more closely with Local Government to ensure that green corridors are created to allow wildlife free movement between habitats and that green community areas are protected from urban development.

The following amendments were tabled:

Amendment 1 - Carwyn Jones (Bridgend)  

In point 1 insert "some" after "condition of".

Amendment 2 - Carwyn Jones (Bridgend)  

In point 1 replace "our” with "some”.  

Amendment 3 - Carwyn Jones (Bridgend)  

In point 2 replace "Deplores the lack of prioritisation” with "Calls for greater priority to be”.

Amendment 4 - Carwyn Jones (Bridgend)  

In point 2 replace "calls on the Assembly Government to use its” with "welcomes the Assembly Government’s intention to use its new”

Amendment 5 - Carwyn Jones (Bridgend)  

In point 2 delete "to promote the use of existing tools".

Amendment 6 - Carwyn Jones (Bridgend)  

In point 3 after "Government” insert "to continue".

Amendment 7 - Carwyn Jones (Bridgend)  

In point 3 delete "more" and replace with "increasingly".

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:

Votes and Proceedings

For	Abstain	Against	Total
42	0	0	42

Amendment 1 was agreed.

A vote was taken on Amendment 2:

Votes and Proceedings

For	Abstain	Against	Total
34	0	8	42

Amendment 2 was agreed.

A vote was taken on Amendment 3:

Votes and Proceedings

For	Abstain	Against	Total
34	0	8	42

Amendment 3 was agreed.

A vote was taken on Amendment 4:

Votes and Proceedings

For	Abstain	Against	Total
29	0	12	41

Amendment 4 was agreed.

A vote was taken on Amendment 5:

Votes and Proceedings

For	Abstain	Against	Total
30	0	12	42

Amendment 5 was agreed.

A vote was taken on Amendment 6:

Votes and Proceedings

For	Abstain	Against	Total
30	0	12	42

Amendment 6 was agreed.

A vote was taken on Amendment 7:

Votes and Proceedings

For	Abstain	Against	Total
37	0	4	41

Amendment 7 was agreed.

A vote was taken on the motion as amended:

NDM3916 William Graham (South Wales East)

To propose that the National Assembly for Wales:

1. Expresses concern about the condition of some urban environments and the lack of green community spaces in some towns and cities in Wales;

2. Calls for greater priority to be given to tackling public nuisance offences like litter dropping and dog-fouling and welcomes the Assembly Government’s intention to use its new powers to tackle these issues of public nuisance; and

3. Calls on the Assembly Government to continue to work increasingly closely with Local Government to ensure that green corridors are created to allow wildlife free movement between habitats and that green community areas are protected from urban development.

Votes and Proceedings

For	Abstain	Against	Total
34	0	8	42

The motion as amended was agreed.

……………………………

3.16pm
Item 5: Welsh Liberal Democrats Debate

NDM3917 Kirsty Williams (Brecon and Radnorshire)

To propose that the National Assembly for Wales:

1. Notes with concern the effects of:

a) doubling the 10p income tax rate;

b) spiralling consumer debt;

c) the credit crunch; and

2. Believes these will have an adverse impact on the people of Wales and the Welsh economy.

The following amendments were tabled:

Amendment 1 - Carwyn Jones (Bridgend)  

In point 1(a) replace "doubling” with "abolishing the”.  

Amendment 2 - Carwyn Jones (Bridgend)  

In point 1(b) delete "spiraling”.  

Amendment 3 - William Graham (South Wales East)

Add new sub point at end of point 1:

"the declaration by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) that, judged by the size of the UK economy, our banking system is the most exposed to low quality sub-prime lending in the World.”

Amendment 4 - Carwyn Jones (Bridgend)  

In point 2 replace "these will have an” with "that action will be required to address any”.  

Amendment 5 - William Graham (South Wales East)

Add as new point at end of motion:

"Notes with concern that any economic downturn will impact particularly severely on the economically inactive.”

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:

Votes and Proceedings

For	Abstain	Against	Total
38	0	4	42

Amendment 1 was agreed.

A vote was taken on Amendment 2:

Votes and Proceedings

For	Abstain	Against	Total
30	0	12	42

Amendment 2 was agreed.

A vote was taken on Amendment 3:

Votes and Proceedings

For	Abstain	Against	Total
12	0	30	42

Amendment 3 was not agreed.

A vote was taken on Amendment 4:

Votes and Proceedings

For	Abstain	Against	Total
30	0	12	42

Amendment 4 was agreed.

A vote was taken on Amendment 5:

Votes and Proceedings

For	Abstain	Against	Total
12	0	30	42

Amendment 5 was not agreed.

A vote was taken on the motion as amended:

NDM3917 Kirsty Williams (Brecon and Radnorshire)

To propose that the National Assembly for Wales:

1. Notes with concern the effects of:

a) abolishing the 10p income tax rate;

b) consumer debt;

c) the credit crunch; and

2. Believes that action will be required to address any adverse impact on the people of Wales and the Welsh economy.

Votes and Proceedings

For	Abstain	Against	Total
42	0	0	42

The motion as amended was agreed.

………………………………

4.09pm
Item 6: Short Debate

NDM3914 Angela Burns (Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire):

Death of an Entrepreneur.

………………………………

4.34pm
Voting Time

………………………………

The meeting concluded at 4.40pm

The Assembly will sit again in Plenary at 2.00pm on Tuesday, 29 April 2008

Chamber Secretariat