Annual Report and Statement of Accounts of the Assembly Commission: 2007-08

2. New Powers: New Assembly

• The Assembly Commission, Commissioners and the Strategy
• The Siambr
• Assembly Legislation
• Members' Research Service
• Assembly Committees

The Siambr

The Siambr is at the heart of Assembly business, and is the home of the Assembly’s Plenary meetings. It hosts important debates on a wide range of issues, including policy proposals and legislation.

Chamber Services provide secretariat support for the Business Committee and Plenary business and supports the Presiding Officer and Deputy while they are chairing the full meetings of the Assembly by providing procedural advice and operation of the Chamber technology. Table Office provides guidance and support to Assembly Members and the Welsh Assembly Government to ensure that Plenary business is submitted, where required, in accordance with Standing Orders.

Business Committee

The Business Committee advises on the management of the Assembly’s business and on general practice and procedure of the Assembly.  The Presiding Officer chairs the meetings, which are attended by the Leader of the House and a Business Manager from each of the parties represented in the Assembly.

The Committee meets in private every Tuesday when the Assembly is in session, to comment on proposals for the organisation of Government business and to determine the organisation of non-government and Assembly business in Plenary.  29 meetings were held between May 2007 and April 2008.  The Business Committee also held a joint meeting with the Assembly Commission to consider issues relating resources and the organisation of Assembly Business.

The Business Committee is responsible for establishing and publishing timetables for the consideration of Proposed Measures (except for any stage taken in Plenary) and timetables for Legislative Committee’s consideration of Proposed Legislative Competence Orders.

Chamber Business

The first meeting of the Third Assembly was held on 9^th May 2007, following the Assembly Elections. In this meeting, the Presiding Officer and Deputy Presiding Officer were elected.

61 Plenary meetings were held between May 2007 and April 2008.

Business in the Assembly is divided into three categries

• Government Business;
• Non-Government Business; and
• Assembly Business.

Examples of Non-Government Business considered between May 2007 and April 2008 include –

• Debates proposed by Opposition Parties;
• Debates on Reports by Assembly Committees; and
• Debates on Legislation proposed by Members.

Examples of Assembly Business considered between May 2007 and April 2008 include –

• Questions to representatives of the Assembly Commission
• Consideration of the Assembly Commission’s Budget; and
• A debate on the Queen’s Speech (attended by the Secretary of State for Wales).

Assembly Questions

Assembly Questions are one of the key mechanisms for Assembly Members to obtain information or press for action. There are two types of Assembly Questions, oral and written.

Members can ask Oral Questions directly to the First Minister and other Welsh Ministers. First Minister’s question time is taken each Tuesday, with other Ministerial and Commission Questions taken on Wednesday.

For each question time, fifteen questions are randomly selected in an automated ‘shuffle’ conducted on behalf of the Presiding Officer. Members then have opportunity to ask supplementary questions for which no notice is given.

During the period of the Report a total of 3515 Oral Questions were tabled – a breakdown of where those questions were directed is below:

After Oral Questions, the Presiding Officer may allow any Urgent Assembly Questions, which are without notice and are of urgent public importance.  During the period of this Report 9 Urgent Questions have been asked.

Written questions may be tabled at any time, and receive a written answer.

Any Oral Question that is not reached by the end of the allocated time also receives a written answer, which appears in the Record. The number of Written Assembly Questions tabled during this period was 1541.