Senedd members will today vote on whether they should be allowed to continue working from home. During the pandemic, sessions moved online but MSs have returned to Cardiff Bay - at least part of the time - since restrictions have lifted.
A vote was held on July 13 about whether they will still be able to work between their homes or Senedd. The motion allowing hybrid working passed with 38 votes in favour and 14 against. There were no abstentions.
The UK Government has told staff they need to return to offices as the provisions that allowed MPs to participate virtually in the House of Commons chamber and select committees lapsed on July 22, 2021 and have not been renewed.
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There is backing for the Senedd to remain as a hybrid workspace. In plenary on Tuesday, a number of MSs took advantage of hybrid working including Plaid Cymru's Delyth Jewell, Labour's John Griffiths and Conservative Paul Davies.
Plaid Cymru's Heledd Fychan spoke in favour of the proposals. She said she wasn't backing it for herself but "for those who would never consider that it was a possibility for them to become a Member of the Senedd—people with caring responsibilities, for example, not only with children, but perhaps with an elderly parent or a partner who needs their support; disabled people who think that they could never be here regularly because of their conditions, and the fact that the need to be in Cardiff is a barrier to them thinking that they could be a representative of their region or constituency; and those who live far away too".She said hybrid working in the pandemic had helped her when her son had been ill as it allowed her to be a parent but also represent her constituents."There were so many times when I was a county councillor when I was criticised if I missed one meeting because it wasn't possible to participate in a hybrid manner, as compared to a man who was perhaps retired who could attend all meetings. Did that mean that I was a lesser representative of my community because I missed that one meeting? The fact that I was then able to be there, with my child at home, whilst also representing my community, that made a very real difference, because people do use that against you, if you look at just the record of attendance. That doesn't mean that you are not an effective representative.
However the Conservative opposition say it should be ended. Welsh Conservative Business Manager Darren Millar MS said: "The people of Wales elect people to represent them in the Senedd, not to represent them from their sofa. There is no reason for maintaining hybrid meetings of the Senedd or its committees now that the pandemic has subsided.
"If parliaments elsewhere in the UK and around the world are able to meet fully in person then we should too. The pairing system between political parties has always been able to accommodate absences from parliaments for those who are ill, bereaved or have caring responsibilities. We don’t need changes to the rules to enable these.”
To draw up the proposal MS will vote on today, evidence was taken from 35 MSs and two political groups and others. A majority of responses to the survey supported Members’ ability to participate remotely continuing in all Senedd proceedings. Some distinction was drawn between different types of meetings, with more support for remote participation in committees, particularly for witnesses, than for Plenary meetings. The written submissions received from the Labour and Plaid Cymru Senedd groups both also supported the continuation of hybrid proceedings for Plenary and committee meetings.
The reasons given to continue the hybrid sessions were that it could help attract more diverse MSs at future elections, the benefits that such arrangements can bring to those with parental and other caring responsibilities, and a reduced need to travel, leading to cost, time and carbon emission savings. Members stating that remote participation should not continue felt it affected the quality of debates and scrutiny. A number suggested that attending in person should be the norm, with remote participation saved for only limited circumstances.
There were concerns that allowing remote voting could mean MSs would only attend to vote rather than participating in proceedings fully. Both Labour and Plaid Cymru group responses, as well as several members’ survey responses, stated that the onus must be on individual Members to ensure that that they are present and able to vote prior to any votes being taken, regardless of whether they are voting remotely or in person.
The conclusions of the report were:
- MSs can continue to participate remotely in Plenary and committee meetings
- Committee members can choose how to participate on a "meeting-by-meeting basis". Chairs of committees retain overall responsibility for determining the format in which meetings are held
- The expectation about ministers and witnesses attending should be set out by the Llywydd
It will be the responsibility of members to secure a reliable connection and ensure they are able to access the voting system ahead of any votes
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