Item 12 is next, a motion to amend Standing Orders on membership of committees. I call on a member of the Business Committee to formally move—Rebecca Evans. 

Motion NDM7673 Elin Jones

To propose that the Senedd, in accordance with Standing Order 33.2:

1. Considers the report of the Business Committee, ‘Amending Standing Orders: Membership of Committees’, laid in the Table Office on 17 March 2021.

2. Approves the proposals to amend Standing Order 17, as set out in Annex A of the Business Committee’s report.

Motion moved.

Formally moved. 

Again, I think, on balance, this is a change to Standing Orders that I support. I think it's regrettable that we've lost the underpinning of the UK legislation that provided that if we couldn't reach agreement by two thirds on the constitution of our committees, then D'Hondt should apply. I think that gave an underlying backstop and security to the process, which to a degree is lost. But I think it's better to have it in Standing Orders than not to have it at all. While my preference would be for it to be a UK Act of Parliament judicable in the courts of England and Wales, that isn't the case, given the, in my view, regrettable change that's already happened. Given that, I think it's probably a good idea to have this backstop in Standing Orders, so that if we can't reach agreement on committees with a two-thirds majority, then D'Hondt applies. I think this is one of the rare instances where I think I approve of the Labour and Plaid Cymru Members exercising their two-thirds majority to try and bind future Assemblies or Senedds, because this was UK legislation, and unfortunately it was lost and it's being reinstated and re-entrenched with a two-thirds majority as the UK Parliament had initially provided for. So, on this one, I think that the proposal is a good one, even though it's binding a future Senedd. Thank you.

The proposal is to amend Standing Orders in relation to membership of committees. Does any Member object? No, I don't—[Objection.] Yes, I apologise, there is an objection. Apologies. I didn't see you. There is an objection, and we will therefore defer voting on this item until voting time.

Voting deferred until voting time.