Plenary

Plenary is the meeting of the whole Senedd which takes place in the Siambr, the Senedd’s debating chamber. Plenary is chaired by the Presiding Officer and is the main forum for Members of the Senedd to carry out their roles as democratically elected representatives.

These roles are to represent the interests of Wales and its people, to make laws for Wales, agrees Welsh taxes and to hold the Welsh Government to account. They do this through questions to Ministers, debates and voting on issues affecting everyday life in Wales.

Plenary takes place twice a week on Tuesdays and Wednesdays and is open to the public to come and watch. The Record of Proceedings, a transcript of all Plenary meetings, is available and fully searchable on our business search. You can also watch Plenary meetings live or watch past meetings on demand on Senedd TV.

For a useful introduction Plenary procedures, download our Guide to Plenary (PDF, 364kb). You can read more about the types of business, the organisation of business and the rules Members of the Senedd must follow here.

Find the information you need

Plenary Agendas and Minutes

Find the latest agendas for Plenary meetings and minutes of past meetings as soon as they become available. Draft agendas are published one week in advance.

Business Statements and Announcements

Business Statements and Announcements provide a longer term view of what will discussed in Plenary over the next three weeks.

Conduct, Rules and Guidance

The rules outlining how Senedd proceedings should be conducted and how Members of the Senedd should behave in the Siambr are known as the “Standing Orders”

The Record

The Record of Proceedings is a substantially verbatim transcript of the proceedings of the Senedd's Plenary meetings. It records what was said as well as what was decided.

Every word spoken and every decision taken in the Siambr is recorded and is published on our website within 24 hours. A draft version is also available during meetings, updated every 15 minutes.

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Motions and Amendments

Questions not reached in Plenary

Written Questions

Questions

Oral Questions

Oral Questions are tabled each week to be answered in Plenary by the First Minister; and every four weeks for answer by Welsh Ministers, Deputy Ministers, the Counsel General and the Senedd Commission.

Schedule for Oral Questions

Dates for Oral Questions to Welsh Ministers, the Counsel General and the Senedd Commission

Topical Questions

Members may ask Topical Questions to a member of the government if the Presiding Officer is satisfied that the question relates to a matter of national, regional or local significance where an expedited response is desirable.

Emergency Questions

Members of the Senedd may make a request at any time to ask an Emergency Question to a member of the Welsh Government or Senedd Commission during Plenary meetings. However, Emergency Questions are only allowed if the Presiding Officer (or the Deputy Presiding Officer if a question relates to the Senedd Commission) is satisfied that the question is of urgent national significance. Emergency Questions were introduced in the Assembly in May 2017, alongside Topical Questions. These replace the procedure for asking Urgent Questions.

Current status