Part of 11. 9. Debate: Stage 3 of the Land Transaction Tax and Anti-avoidance of Devolved Taxes (Wales) Bill – in the Senedd at 5:08 pm on 28 March 2017.
Mark Reckless
UKIP
5:08,
28 March 2017
Diolch, Llywydd. I thank Steffan Lewis for his Amendment. At least on the English translation of what he was saying, the reference was to an expectation on Welsh Government to commission the report, an expectation on them to publish the report, but then a requirement to respond, whereas, at least in the English language version of the amendment, I read all those as being mandatory. That’s rather more than an expectation.
I don’t support this amendment. I did support a number of Steffan’s amendments at committee stage, including one or two that he didn’t, in the event, support himself. But I think this is a matter for the Finance Committee. To say, ‘Actually, it’s not for the Assembly, there’s going to be this independent commission and Ministers should get the great and the good of Welsh society to sort of tell us what to do,’ I don’t think is the right approach. We’re going to have land transaction tax, we’re going to have business rates, we’re going to have council tax; we’re going to have this suite of taxes, and I’m pleased with what the Cabinet Secretary has said to the committee and what our Chair on the Finance Committee has been doing. There seems to be good co-operation with the Government in looking at what the appropriate mechanism is for reviewing taxes in future, and for seeing how they are working and potentially interacting with each other, and I think it’s right for the Finance Committee to take a lead and to report as appropriate to this Assembly, rather than to delegate our task to this committee as suggested in this amendment.
As a bill passes through Parliament, MPs and peers may suggest amendments - or changes - which they believe will improve the quality of the legislation.
Many hundreds of amendments are proposed by members to major bills as they pass through committee stage, report stage and third reading in both Houses of Parliament.
In the end only a handful of amendments will be incorporated into any bill.
The Speaker - or the chairman in the case of standing committees - has the power to select which amendments should be debated.
As a bill passes through Parliament, MPs and peers may suggest amendments - or changes - which they believe will improve the quality of the legislation.
Many hundreds of amendments are proposed by members to major bills as they pass through committee stage, report stage and third reading in both Houses of Parliament.
In the end only a handful of amendments will be incorporated into any bill.
The Speaker - or the chairman in the case of standing committees - has the power to select which amendments should be debated.
The cabinet is the group of twenty or so (and no more than 22) senior government ministers who are responsible for running the departments of state and deciding government policy.
It is chaired by the prime minister.
The cabinet is bound by collective responsibility, which means that all its members must abide by and defend the decisions it takes, despite any private doubts that they might have.
Cabinet ministers are appointed by the prime minister and chosen from MPs or peers of the governing party.
However, during periods of national emergency, or when no single party gains a large enough majority to govern alone, coalition governments have been formed with cabinets containing members from more than one political party.
War cabinets have sometimes been formed with a much smaller membership than the full cabinet.
From time to time the prime minister will reorganise the cabinet in order to bring in new members, or to move existing members around. This reorganisation is known as a cabinet re-shuffle.
The cabinet normally meets once a week in the cabinet room at Downing Street.
