Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 3:22 pm on 18 March 2020.
Formally, Deputy Presiding Officer. I move what's before us now. These changes to the Standing Orders are necessary in order to allow the Assembly to continue with its work as best it can in unprecedented circumstances.
First of all, the Standing Orders relating to publicly meeting. We'll continue to broadcast the Plenary to the public in accordance with Standing Order 12.1, but the change to the Standing Order before us means that the gallery doesn't need to stay open for reasons of public health and safety. If the extraordinary circumstance did arise where it wasn't possible to broadcast as well, the Plenary would be able to proceed without that.
Secondly, the Business Committee has also agreed to change the Standing Orders in order to allow a temporary Chair to chair a Plenary with all the powers of the Presiding Officer when the Llywydd or the Deputy Presiding Officer can't come to the Assembly. There is also a provision to elect a designated temporary Presiding Officer if the Llywydd and the Deputy Presiding Officer aren't in a position to operate at all. If these Standing Orders are approved, then the Assembly will be asked to elect David Melding to those two roles.
For information, I would like to update and add a few issues of interest to the Members that stem from an urgent meeting of the Business Committee this morning. It was agreed that Plenary will meet on one day only next week, namely Wednesday, with a full session in the morning and the afternoon. This will allow questions to the First Minister to go on as usual, and for the Ministers to make statements in order to update us on the latest impact of the coronavirus on their policy areas, and also any other legislative issues. That will restrict the time that Members and staff will have to spend in the Senedd.
Finally, the Business Committee is discussing ways to allow the Assembly to meet and to continue with our work over the recess period and beyond, in order to ensure that the Government can update Members on coronavirus issues, and that the opposition parties can have an opportunity to scrutinise in a timely and appropriate fashion, and allow backbench Members in the same way.
These are extreme circumstances, and I hope that the Assembly will support these changes to the Standing Orders, which are going to reflect that and allow us to continue with our work in the most appropriate fashion at this time. [Interruption.] Yes, of course.